Page 107 of Implode

“I’m not in any danger. Ethan won’t want to physically hurt me now that he knows I’m pregnant.”

Nic glances away, and I can tell he is battling inside between giving me my freedom and locking me away in some proverbial tower.

“Men like me always have enemies, Claire. Even if they take their time revealing themselves. Going public with our relationship will only make it obvious to anyone against me that I have a weakness, yet I want the whole world to know that you are mine. Only mine. I am done taking things for granted, but I refuse to keep this a secret for much longer.”

“I can take care of myself, Nic. I’m not some clueless bimbo.”

“I know that, baby.”

“Why do I get the feeling you aren’t telling me everything? Has something happened? I know Angie told me that there were some security breaches at HH.”

“I don’t want you to worry about it, baby. I’m handling it and have people I trust working for me to handle it.”

“But you and Graham are in danger? Again?” I probe.

Nic sighs and runs a hand down the back of his neck. I can see the slight tic to his jaw and the way his breathing gets more labored. “I can’t go about my day if I don’t know that I have taken some safety measures to keep you safe. It is imperative that I do.”

“Like tracking me?” I inquire, propping my hands on my hips.

“That’s part of it, yes.”

“I can’t do a shadow,” I protest. “Please. Having someone following me will make me paranoid. I already feel extra eyes on me at HH. It makes me twitchy.”

“How about if you don’t know they are around?”

“I’ll know.”

“You don’t now.”

I let out a long exhale and I am about to ask him to repeat himself, but I heard him loud and clear. “I thought we just fought about this. Did you not learn anything from that conversation?”

“I never agreed to not keep tabs, baby. I just promised myself to be extra discreet.”

“No,” I say flatly.

“No?”

“If you are going to insist on doing this to me, then you need to tell me everything so I at least feel like you are not invading my privacy. Who is watching me? Where are the trackers? How long have you been keeping tabs on me and will you stop if you find that I am actually safe?”

“You really want to hash this out now?” Nic asks with a sigh. “Before you eat?”

I narrow my eyes at him. Does he think I’m cranky and less flexible if I don’t eat? Well, he does have a point, because I am. “Yes.”

“Then get in the shower and we can do it while I wash your hair.”

I start the water and give it a minute to warm. Nic goes in first and pulls me to him. “Don’t get distracted,” I warn, as he runs soapy hands up and down my arms and back.

“I do not have someone regularly following you at HH, but ever since you got a new phone, I have lost access to the tracking device I installed on your old one. I still have one in your car.”

“Why?”

“It started out as a way to make sure you were not used as a bargaining chip to harm Graham or Angie. Being best friends with my brother’s wife makes you an important person of interest. Graham and I made some enemies when we took down the ring last year, and while we are trying to keep a low profile and never had to testify, we are still overly cautious about any retaliation.”

I allow the water to cascade down my face as I listen to Nic share the details that I should have demanded long ago. “You said it started out that way, but what changed and what are you doing now?”

“I became obsessed. It was comforting to know you got back to your apartment or you arrived to work or you got to the gym on schedule. I used the added knowledge as a way to cope with my own insecurities, masking everything under the umbrella category of it-was-for-your-own-good. Then after Vegas, I couldn’t resist any longer. I knew Ethan was a horrible match for you. While I was very commitment-averse, I still wanted to pursue you for selfish reasons and make sure that you had everything you needed. The tracker was just a bonus to me being able to find you at all times. What started out as a favor to Graham to make sure you were not used as a weapon to harm his fiancée later became my way of being able to sleep at night—knowing you were safe. But with this level of insight, also came a jealous rage when I found out you were still accessing the Entice Escorts database and pursuing dates for money.”

“My parents were supposed to be paying for my college tuition,” I explain. “For years I believed that, but then my mom dropped the bombshell on me right before Vegas that I was really the one stuck with the bill. With interest being elevated due to the length of time it would take me to repay back the loan, I knew I was going to have to get another job. Being an escort is a quick way to make money and not have to commit to a nine-to-five job.”

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