Page 38 of Embracing Easy

I roll my eyes. “Easy's orders. He thinks John might—” The words die in my throat when my phone buzzes again. This time, when I look at the screen, my blood runs cold.

Unknown: I know where you are, princess. Did you really think you could hide from me?

The message is from an unknown number, but I know it’s John because of the pet name.

“Lexi?” Amelia's voice sounds far away. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”

My hands are shaking so badly that I almost drop my phone when I hand it to her. She reads the message quickly, her face hardening.

“Okay, here's what we're going to do.” She hands me back my phone and slides out of the booth, waving Trigg over. “First, you’re calling Easy. Then we're showing this to Trigg.”

“But—”

“No buts.” She squeezes my hand. “Trust me, I've written enough stories to know what happens to the heroine who tries to handle everything alone. This is real life, sweetie. Let your man and his club take care of you.”

My heart hammers in my chest as Trigg approaches our booth, his expression shifting from the easygoing vibe I’ve grown used to, to concerned as he picks up on the tension.

“Lexi? Is everything okay?” he asks, his eyes scanning the diner before settling back on me.

“Show him,” Amelia prompts gently.

Hands shaking, I clumsily unlock my phone and hand it to him. His eyes scan across the screen, and his jaw clenches as he reads the message.

“How long have you been getting these?” he asks carefully.

“This is the first one.” I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the warmth inside the diner. “But I've been getting weird emails too?—”

“And you didn't think to mention this?” Trigg's voice is sharp, making me flinch.

Amelia steps in. “Hey, ease up. She's speaking up about it now.”

Trigg runs a hand over his face, looking torn between frustration and concern. “Shit. I’m sorry, Lexi. It’s just that Easy's gonna lose his shit.”

“I know.” And that's exactly why I didn't want to say anything. The thought of adding more stress while he’s on this run makes my stomach turn. “Maybe we could wait?—”

“No,” Trigg and Amelia say forcefully at the same time.

“Call your man, darlin’,” Trigg orders, handing me my phone before pulling out his own. “I need to let Viper know what's going on.”

My hands shake so badly that Amelia has to help me find Shawn's number. I press it to my ear when it starts to ring, each one feeling like an eternity until finally, his gruff voice comes through the speaker.

“Miss me already, baby?”

The warmth in his tone breaks something inside me, and tears well up in my eyes. “Shawn...”

There's an immediate shift in his voice. “What's wrong?”

“I...” My voice cracks, and Amelia squeezes my shoulder, giving me her support.

“Lexi.” The edge in his voice makes me flinch. “Talk to me. Now.”

“John...” I swallow hard. “He sent a message?—”

“What?” The word comes out as a growl, and I hear movement in the background. “Where are you?”

“At Dori's with Amelia and Trigg.”

“Have Trigg take you to the house, baby.” I can hear him on the move and voices in the background asking him what’s going on. “I'm on my way.”

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