Page 55 of Claiming Veronica

Calia:God, why can’t people just be normal?

Arabella:Reed? How are you holding up?

“Tell them I’m okay.” She’d been looking over my shoulder at the chat window.

Me:She says she’s fine, but I think she’s full of shit.

Reed scoffed beside me, looking over my shoulder at the text window. “I’m not full of shit. I am fine.”

Narrowing my eyes at her, I waved a hand over her face. “This isn’t fine. You’re wound all tight. You should relax.”

“Just because you’re getting laid and all relaxed doesn’t mean that the rest of us are.” She wrinkled her nose at me.

I blushed, thinking of Eli and last night. Eli definitely made sure I was relaxed, and I couldn’t wait for him to do it again.

“Ew,” she made a face but laughed. “I’m happy for you, Ronnie. He seems like he loves you.”

I was startled and then asked, “Do you think so?”

“Absolutely. He was in a panic yesterday when you were having your breathing thing, and he came with you to the airport. The way he was walking around like a bodyguard.” She fanned herself. “Why can’t I get a stalker like that.” She pouted. “I get the creepy one. It’s not fair.” She gestured towards the chat, which had piled up a little with messages.

Arabella:Did you see Reed’s Insta?

Calia:That Doug guy posted on it.

Arabella:Is your man gonna him and on his grave?

Calia:Reed? V?

Arabella:Wait, we can come there and help. Cally boo?

Calia:Sure. Ride or die.

Me:Easy there. Don’t hurt yourselves.

I was already pulling up Reed’s Instagram to see what they were talking about. Reed was scrolling through old messages on her phone, her face tight with concentration.

“Do you see anything new?” I asked.

“Not really,” she muttered. “Just the same old messages. I know you flagged his other two accounts, but look at this.” She turned her screen toward me, showing me a series of comments he’d made on her photos. Then, the most recent one caught my eye.

Doug: Arizona? I hear the sunsets are beautiful this time of year. Maybe I’ll see you there ;)

I pulled up his flight information again, checking the date and time. He was scheduled to fly in tomorrow, but I didn’t like that he’d figured out she had come to Phoenix. I still hadn’t found out how he’d done that yet.

“I don’t like this,” I said softly, my voice serious. “It’s wild that he knew you came to Arizona.”

Reed’s hands tightened on her phone. “What do we do?”

“Eli will take care of it,” I reassured her, my tone firm. “I’m going to find out where he’s staying, and we’ll set something up.”

Me:I see the message. You guys are always welcome.

Calia:I’ve got class. Ttyl. Catch me up when I get out.

Arabella:Message me later too!

I switched tabs and began digging into his credit card history, looking for hotel bookings or rental car confirmations. It was a long shot, but Doug had been careless before—there was a chance he hadn’t covered his tracks entirely. My fingers flew across the keys as I hacked into the reservation systems.

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