Page 28 of Bookgasms
We watch him stomp away before Officer Ellsworth turns back to me. “I’m sorry for his behavior—”
“Never apologize for someone else’s behavior,” I tell her, cutting her off. “Especially not a man’s. Women have done that enough in history, and it’s about time we stop doing so, don’t you think?”
She grins, nodding. “Too right you are. Okay, let’s get back to business so you can head back to your apartment.”
I run through the timeline once more before hesitating. I have to tell her about everything else, don’t I? They might not be related, but they could be.
“Is there something else?” Officer Ellsworth asks softly, and my eyes flicker to Maya, who’s watching me with a cocked eyebrow.
“Hmm…yes. I guess there is.” I tell her about everything, feeling tension from the others growing with each admission.
She sighs, closing her notepad when I finish. “How long has this been going on, Miss Williams?”
I shrug. “About a year, I think.”
“You should’ve reported it. They wouldn’t have been able to do much about it, but then it would’ve been on file.” She shakes her head. “Sorry. I’ve just seen this play out badly one too many times. There’s always a chance that this is unrelated, but that seems unlikely. I’ll file a second report including all of that information. If this is the same person, they’re likely to continue to escalate now that they’ve been drawn out.”
I fight back a shiver, fear heavy in my stomach. “What do I do now?”
“Now, you have the car towed and repaired. It’s good that you live here.” She nods toward the building. “This place is practically impregnable, but I would talk to the head of security about getting a plan in place. You shouldn’t go anywhere alone—just in case. Or if you are going out alone, you should have someone walk you to and from your car. I’m sure they’ll be making improvements here, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s hard to predict how quickly this person will escalate now, but there’s a chance that they’ll try to kidnap you since they view you as theirs.”
She shakes her head. “They’re likely to assign a detective to the case, who will want to talk to you in more detail. If you’ve kept any of the stuff that’s been sent to you, they’ll want it.”
“Of course.” I nod. “I appreciate you.”
Officer Ellsworth nods her head, eyes moving to my friends. “It’s good you have friends. You’ll need them now more than ever. Be safe, Miss Williams.”
Then she’s gone, leaving me alone with Maya, Andrés, Jason, and Victor.
“I fucking told you,” Maya hisses. “I told you that you needed to go to the police.”
I nod. “You did. I should’ve listened to you.”
“Why didn’t you tell us, darling?” Jason’s face is filled with concern, and I hate it.
This is the exact reason I didn’t want to tell them. There was no way I could keep it from Maya, considering how often she’s over at my place, but I didn’t want the others to worry. I also really didn’t think it was all that big of a deal.
Apparently, I was very wrong.
“I just…” I shake my head. “Can we head inside? I don’t really feel like being out here longer than I have to.”
Victor is beside me in a second, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. “Of course. We can talk inside your apartment.”
He steers me toward the building, pausing when Ben steps into our path. “Miss Williams, the board has been notified of the incident. They’re planning an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss additional security. Going forward, either I or one of my men will escort you to and from your car. If you’re okay with it, I’d like it if you’d give your permission for us to open your packages to be sure they’re safe before delivering them.”
My mind flits to the order of toys that should be delivered soon, my face flushing slightly. “That’s fine, but I don’t want tohear about anyone being traumatized when they open up my box of dildos.”
Ben chokes, eyes going wide before he clears his throat and nods. “It might be best if you notify us of what packages you’re expecting. Here’s my card. You can email me directly, and I’ll be sure to pass it along to David on the day shift so he can be sure the guards are aware.”
“Thank you, Ben.” I take the card from him. “I’ll email you a list tomorrow… Or later today, I guess.”
He nods. “Get some sleep, Miss Williams.”
Ben hurries ahead to open the door for us, gesturing for us to go-ahead.
Victor leads us to the elevator, and I wave at Harrison behind the desk. His face is grim as he returns the gesture.
A few minutes later, we step into my apartment, and I lead them to the living room.
