Page 57 of Control

Ty brought his car to an abrupt stop, got out, and raced toward me. Our bodies collided, my arms going over his shoulders as his wrapped around my torso, my feet leaving the ground.

“Oh, my God,” I cried.

“You’re okay, Alana. I’m here.” My heart was pounding so hard, I was sure Ty could feel it against his own. He held me tight, giving me some time to collect myself, but that felt like an impossible task. Being the kind of man he was, Ty couldn’t remain in the dark. “Tell me what happened. Tell me what’s wrong.”

I didn’t want to let him go. I didn’t want him to leave me. My arms gripped him tighter. “Ty,” I whispered.

“Shhh. You’re okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. But I need you to tell me what’s going on. Are we in danger out here?”

At his question and the seriousness in his tone, I reluctantly loosened my hold and held the piece of paper up between us. He plucked it from my hand and read the words on it.

You were warned. Now, you die.

“Where did you find this?” he asked.

“I saw the fish first.”

“What?”

I took a shuddering breath. “The fish. I went to my refrigerator to get a drink before I went up to bed, and when I opened the refrigerator, there was a dead fish inside. I jumped back, and that’s when I caught sight of this note under one of my magnets.”

“Nobody was in there?” Ty pressed.

“I don’t know,” I croaked. “I didn’t see anyone.”

“Come and wait in my car while I go inside and check,” he urged.

I shook my head and gripped him tighter. “No. No, please don’t leave me alone.”

Ty’s features softened, and thanks to his headlights, I could see the war he was waging inside. He didn’t want to take me inside with him, but he didn’t want me even more frightened by being separated from him. “Okay. You come with me, but you stay behind me. And if I tell you to get out and run, you get out and run to my car. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

Satisfied with my response, Ty released his hold on me, took me by the hand, and led me to the house. He entered it ahead of me, nearly every light on the first floor having been turned on in my panicked state. I followed behind him, keeping close, and following several tense minutes as he made his way through the entire house, he stopped in my bedroom and said, “Pack a bag.”

“What?”

“You’re not staying here alone tonight. I could stay with you, but someone else has already been inside this house. We’re not staying here without any additional security. So, we’re going back to my place tonight and will stay there for the foreseeable future. You need to pack a bag.”

In any other situation, I would have been jumping for joy. My heart would have been soaring, making me feel like I was flying, if Ty had asked me to spend the night at his place. Of course, I was relieved he wasn’t going to leave me alone tonight, but I hated that I couldn’t appreciate being able to stay with him for the right reasons.

Feeling wildly uncomfortable about everything that had just happened, I didn’t delay. I went about packing a bag while Ty descended the stairs to take care of the fish and make a call. Who that call was to or what it was about, I had no idea. I could only assume it was to somebody else who worked at Harper Security Ops.

It surprised me just how fast I could pack a bag under pressure. Minutes after he’d asked me to do it, I was finished. I didn’t know how many days I’d need clothes for, but I packed about a week’s worth and figured I could wash everything at his place if he didn’t think it was safe to return to my place by then.

Ty took my bag from me the second he saw me descending the stairs with it. “Phone, keys, purse, laptop… Grab whatever else you think you might need.”

I gathered up everything I thought I’d need in addition to my clothes and toiletries before meeting Ty at the front door. He took me by the hand and led me outside, only letting go to allow me to lock up. I wondered if that was even necessary, considering someone had managed to get inside my house without any visible damage to it.

We had been driving for a few minutes in silence when I broke it and said, “Thank you for coming back, Ty.”

He already had my hand in his, but at my words, Ty offered a reassuring squeeze. “I don’t need you to thank me for that, Alana. I hate to think that you had to find what you did while you were alone.”

I winced, still recalling the cold, unwelcome feeling that settled over me the moment I saw that fish and the note.

My mind was so muddled, I didn’t pay much attention to where we were going, but we had soon arrived, and Ty didn’t hesitate to spring into action. He exited the vehicle, came around to my side to open my door, and grabbed my bags from the back seat.

And before I knew it, Ty had taken me inside and given me a quick tour, so I had the lay of the land. When we were standing there in the silence, I asked, “Am I going to be safe?”

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