Page 74 of Knot Like Other Girls

"What?" she says innocently. "I'm just saying, if you're not interested..."

"I didn't say I wasn't interested," I mutter before I can stop myself.

Skye's eyes widen, and I realize my mistake too late. "Oh my God, you are into them!"

"Shh!" I hiss, glancing around nervously. Troy and Liam are pretending not to listen, but I catch the way Troy glances at us, his eyebrows shooting up for a millisecond before he pointedly stares back at the pastries. "It's not... I mean, I can't..."

Skye's expression softens. "Bella, honey, listen to me. You don't owe Braxley anything. You don't owe your family anything. The only person you owe anything to is yourself."

"But what if I'm wrong?" I murmur. "What if I'm just... confused?"

"Then you figure it out," Skye says firmly. "But you do it on your terms. Not Braxley's, not your family's, not anyone else's. Yours."

The laugh bubbling up in my throat breaks off. "When did you get so wise?" I ask hoarsely.

Skye grins. "I've always been wise, babe. You've just been too busy playing Stepford Wife to notice."

I laugh again, feeling some of the tension ease from my shoulders. This is why I love Skye. She always knows how to cut through my bullshit and make me see things clearly.

But then her expression turns serious. "Now, tell me more about this Heather bitch. What exactly has she been saying? I know you couldn't say much over text."

I feel my stomach clench at the mention of Heather. It's been easier, somehow, to focus on my confused feelings for the Vanguard Pack than to think about the very real threat hanging over my head.

"It's... pretty bad," I admit, my voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Remember the fan who spilled a drink on me at that event?"

"Yes," Skye says warily.

"Well, she's been leaving these comments on Braxley's social media. At first, they seemed harmless. Just typical fan stuff, you know? But then they started getting more... possessive. Aggressive."

Skye's eyes narrow. "What kind of aggressive?"

I swallow hard. "She called me a slut. Used a knife emoji."

"That fucking bitch," Skye hisses, starting to shred the napkin she's been picking at on the table. "I'll kill her myself."

"Skye, no," I say, reaching out to grab her hand. "It's not... I mean, it's just words, right?"

But even as I say it, I know it's not true. The Vanguard Pack wouldn't be taking this so seriously if it was just an overenthusiastic fan. There's more to it. There has to be.

"Bella," Skye says, her voice low and intense. "This isn't just words. This is a threat. A very real, very dangerous threat. You can't brush this off."

I nod, feeling the weight of the situation settle over me once again. "I know. The pack... they think she might have been involved in the shooting in Spain."

Skye's eyes widen. "Holy shit. Are you serious?"

I nod again, my throat tight. "When she spilled that drink on me, she insisted on helping me clean up in the bathroom. And she kept asking all these questions about Braxley, about our relationship. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now..."

"Now you realize she was pumping you for information," Skye finishes, her face grim.

I nod, feeling sick to my stomach. "God, Skye, I was so stupid. I should have known something was off."

"You are not stupid," Skye says firmly, reaching out to grab my hand. "This is not your fault, Bella. You hear me? This psycho bitch and whoever she's working with are the ones to blame. Not you."

I squeeze her hand, grateful for her unwavering support. "I just... I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Skye's eyes flick to where Troy, Liam, and Savva are standing, pretending to be interested in their coffees. Savva's the only one who looks like he belongs in a coffee shop. "Well, at least you've got some seriously capable protection. And let's be real, they're not hard on the eyes either."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I can't help but laugh.

---