Page 24 of Get Undressed With Me

Val: Update needed. Coffee in ten.

He smiled. Val must have surfaced enough from the constant chaos that was Kickoff. He sent her a quick text—an emoji of a hand flipping the bird—and made his way the few blocks to the coffee shop he knew she loved.

The smell of espresso and sugar assaulted him the minute he stepped through the door. Polka Dot was the newest café in town and already a hit with the locals. Clearly the Kickoff crowd had also easily discovered the place because the entire café was packed with nerdy shirts and a few cosplays, some Gus recognized and some he didn’t. He stood at the back of the long line, not seeing Val, and was about to send a text when a foot kicked in his left calf, making his knee buckle. He turned to find his boss sipping some disgusting sugar concoction.

“What is this, junior high?”

“Of course not. I was way too popular to talk to you in junior high.”

Val was practically an Amazon—Chinese, almost six feet tall, with short dark hair and eyes that could cut a man’s genitalia from across the room. She was in a slim-cut suit, the hint of one of her tattoos spilling out from the open collar of her button-up shirt. She handed him his standard drink—cold brew with some foam milk that he had to admit tasted like heaven—and they pushed their way to the table she had managed to snag. Her laptop was set up, along with a small plate with the remains of a muffin. She glanced at the plate as they settled in.

“The coffee here is amazing, but their baked goods taste like dirt water.”

He chuckled. “You say that every time but you keep buying the damn muffins.”

“Hope springs eternal.”

She took a sip of whatever blended sugar monstrosity she ordered and then leveled him with a look.

“So. Update?”

Gus shrugged. “It’s been mostly quiet, except for an incident at her meet-and-greet. Our stalker left her some flowers and a pretty graphic note.”

He pulled it out of his pocket, handing it over to her for her to scan. He already had it memorized.

You’ve been ignoring me, you naughty girl. I can’t wait to punish you this weekend, to watch your tears stream down your cheeks when I face fuck you so hard your throat is raw. Your new boy toy won’t be able to keep you from me. You’re mine, and it’s time I branded you as such.

Val finished reading and then filed the note away in a folder, nodding.

“On par with what he’s sent her before.”

It was, but that only made Gus burn more. Gus could feel his chest tighten with the idea that Brittany had been receiving those damn notes for almost a year now, never letting on how much they disturbed her. He should’ve known she was having problems.

“It’s an escalation. He’s going to try something this weekend. I can feel it.”

Val gave him a measured look.

“That’s why she hired us. To make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Gus didn’t say anything for a moment, and Val very deliberately put her drink down.

“We got a problem here, Gus?”

“Not sure what you mean.”

“I mean, if you’re getting personally involved—”

“She’s my brother’s ex. I was personally involved before you called me begging for help.”

“That was when I thought you were just acquaintances. You’re acting like…” She stopped, rethinking whatever she had been about to say, but Gus was annoyed enough to push her on it.

“What? What am I acting like?”

“Honestly, you’re acting like an overprotective boyfriend.”

Gus looked out the window, not able to meet her gaze. Was that really how he was acting? He couldn’t tell anymore. His brain was too fogged up with Brittany, with the worry about her being in trouble.

Unfortunately, Val loved to belabor a point to death. “You can’t protect her if your feelings are wrapped up in this.”

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