Page 4 of Come Inside

I was incredibly proud of Izzy. Her company had grown exponentially over the last few years, and she worked her ass off for it.

The image of the older man from my database flashed into my mind again. This time it was specifically his sage green eyes. Besides my instant attraction to him, there was something about the color that had thrown me off.

They were unsettlingly familiar.

In fact, they looked exactly like Izzy’s.

“Random question, you don’t have any relatives in California, do you?”

Izzy went uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. “Not anymore,” she eventually whispered. “Well hey, I got to go. Love you girl.” Her voice took on a fake cheery tone.

Odd.

But I could understand not wanting to talk about family. Izzy and I were close, I would trust her with my life, but even she didn’t know the darkness that shrouded my childhood.

And on the flip side of that, I had never even met her mom or step-father.

Izzy never wanted me to come over to her house back in high-school, and I didn’t press the matter.

“Love you. Talk soon.” Dropping the phone onto my desk, I bent down to slip on my heels. I hated them, but this client had provided my outfit for the evening. All a part of the discretion package.

I attempted to put one shoe on but lost my balance. Before I could fall, strong hands were there to catch me.

“Here, let me.” Kazi gently guided me to the velvet couch in my office, pushing me down softly. He turned back grabbing my heels before kneeling in front of me. He had done this before, but watching him in this moment caused my heart to beat rapidly.

Now that I had plans to delve into my own desires, I had opened my mind up to other thoughts. Specifically my interest in Kazi. I had always been drawn to Kazi but never wanted to cross that line. I wouldn't ruin our decade-long friendship over my infatuations.

No matter how strong they were becoming.

Kazi tapped my left foot, and I lifted it up for him. He carefully secured the heel in place, tightening the strap, his fingers leaving a trail of scorching fire. He gently placed my foot onto the ground before repeating the actions with my right.

This time, he didn’t let go immediately. Instead, his long gentle fingers wrapped around my ankle, covering the scars there. Another flaw. He looked up, concerned eyes meeting mine. “You haven’t been eating again.”

I turned my head away in shame. He knew more about me than any other living being, including Izzy. He left me reeling and feeling more vulnerable than I cared to admit.

“I have been, I’m just trying a new diet.” The lie clouded the space between us.

His grip on my ankle tightened, causing me to wince in pain. He dropped his hold on it suddenly, standing. Offering me a hand, he carefully lifted me up. Even with the heels on, he still had a few inches on me. However, we were now much closer in height, it made it easier to watch his face as he spoke. “I can’t join you tonight, but my cousin is in town and he works in security. He will be there if anything happens.” His gaze hopped around the room as he refused to meet my eyes.

Kazi was being uncharacteristically shifty, but I decided not to push it. We were all allowed our secrets.

“Kazi, you know I don’t need protection. And even more so, I hate strange men watching me. Just let me go on my own. I’ll be at a public restaurant, it’s perfectly safe.”

“Another letter came in, but I know it won’t stop you from your plans tonight.” His lips curled up, but his annoyance was palpable. He let me go to grab a folded envelope out of his back pocket. It was already open.

They were always signed the same. The letter D. I could guess who they were from, but I didn’t have any proof. Even if I did, I wasn’t sure I would tell Kazi my suspicions.

“I told you to stop reading those. They are empty threats. They’re from some asshole that doesn’t like my company, and you’re right, I’m not going to let thisstrangerdictate how I live my life.” I was no longer that little girl crying out in fear or that teenager who didn't know any better.

I was nearing thirty years old and I wasn’t going to let another man’s cruelty affect my life.

Not again.

“If it was nothing to worry about, you would have talked to Izzy about it. You only keep the concerning things from her.” He raised an eyebrow in challenge.

I didn’t bother arguing. He was right, but it didn’t change anything. I may be terrified of eventually coming face-to-face with this stalker, but I was doing my best to not allow it to affect me.

I reached for the envelope, but he held onto it.

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