Page 54 of Aria

Why did she trustmeso much?

“Chelsie, you need to take a deep breath and focus,” I encouraged, approaching cautiously and reaching for her shoulders again. She tried to dodge me in an attempt to continue her unproductive pacing, but I caught her before forcing her to look at me. “I’m serious, Combs,” I whispered. “Breathe.”

Her body relaxed beneath my gaze, lips parting with a soft breath. “You don’t understand, Noah.”

“You’re right… I don’t. I could never possibly understand how you’re feeling.” I squeezed her shoulders when she stepped in closer to me. “But I need to know if you’re in real danger right now. What did your friend say?”

“Acquaintance,” she corrected. “She called me because she felt like she owed it to me after we had a huge falling-out years ago. I guess no threats were made, but she heard from the crowd we used to hang out with that he was out on good behavior, and he was asking about me. Someone told him I was dating a famous musician and he said, “I know.” Then, he took off. This was yesterday morning, and they hadn’t seen him since.”

My brows pinched into a frown. I nodded, taking in the information. “And you got that birthday card yesterday?”

“Yes. He probably mailed it right before he was released.”

“So, he knows where you live,” I concluded. Ice trickled through my veins. “And he’s obviously been keeping tabs on you while locked up.”

“Don’t you see why I’m so freaked out?” she pleaded. Her eyes glimmered with fresh tears as she stared up at me, begging for me tounderstand.

I couldn’t deny there was cause for concern… but Chelsie wasn’t going to like my suggestions. “Honestly? You need to go to the police. And you need to tell Devon everything.”

She pulled away, crossing her arms over her chest like a defiant child. “I’m telling you, Noah, the police won’t help until it’s too late. And if you want me out of the picture for good, fine—I’ll tell Devon. That will be a surefire way to get rid of me.”

“First of all, have more faith in Devon. You think he’s going to dump you because of your past? That’s ridiculous,” I insisted. “Second… you might be “out of the picture for good” if youdon’tgo to the police. You can show them the birthday card and get an order of protection.”

A caustic laugh left her. “Excellent,” she snapped. “I’ll hand them my birthday card with a damn teddy bear on it and sayhelp. That’ll solve everything.”

My defenses flared. “Fine,” I bit back. “Do nothing, then. Just call me crying every time you get scared until you eventually wind up in a ditch somewhere with a bullet in your head. Sounds like a plan.”

Chelsie’s body tensed up, the prospect of a fight looming in the air. I could see the familiar spark of anger in her green eyes. She bit down on her bottom lip as if she were trying to keep her smart comeback at bay. It seemed to do the trick—instead of slinging an insult, she stormed past me and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” I called to her.

She reached for the door handle. “Don’t worry about me. I can figure this out myself.”

“I’m just trying to help you,” I said. “This could be life-threatening. You think I want your blood on my hands? You confided in me, and now I’m involved whether you like it or not.”

As she swung around, her long mop of hair flew over her shoulder. Her eyes flashed with anger before morphing into wounded surprise. “Is that all I am to you? You don’t want…my blood on your hands?”

My chest tightened with regret. I backpedaled, realizing how crass that had sounded. “I didn’t mean it like that, Combs. You know that.”

“I thought maybe I meant a little more to you than a sense of responsibility,” she said, her voice cracking. “But I guess I’m just a burden.”

You are so much fucking more than that.

“Wait,” I said, trying to catch her as the front door flew open. “There might be one more thing you can do.”

Chelsie paused but didn’t turn around.

This was a bad idea. Aterribleidea. But… it was the only idea I had left.

“I have a gun. Take it.”

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

CHELSIE

Almost a month had gone by since I received the news that my psychopathic ex-lover was on the loose and potentially plotting my elaborate death. It had been a month filled with anxiety, paranoia, and many sleepless nights.

There had also been a lot of big changes.

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