Page 28 of Haven Bound
“This isn’t something I can be open to, Mom. I refuse to let him back into my life in any way.”
The line is silent, and after a moment, I hear the faintclicksignaling that my mother hung up on me. That’s not what bothers me though. This isn’t the first time she’s gotten upset and hung up because I said something she didn’t want to hear. What’s bothering me is how easily she’s falling back into his grasp and she doesn’t even care how dangerous that is.
The clothes I’m wearing suddenly feel suffocating, and I feel like there's a thick layer of dirt and grime coating my skin. My skin crawls as memories of bruising grips, painful words, and bloody gashes flood my mind.
22
Austin
Leaving Chelsea last nightwas the last thing I wanted to do. But as soon as we all piled onto the hotel bed with Ethan sprawled across the foot of it and put onFriends, her comfort TV show, she was asleep after only two episodes. I could’ve stayed like that all night, sitting up against the plush headboard with Chelsea’s head in my lap while I ran my fingers through her long hair.
After she was asleep, I carefully slid out from underneath her and made sure she was lying in a comfortable position.
Ethan and I said our goodbyes to Hailey, who gave me a concerned look as I was leaving, no doubt wondering where my head was when it came to her best friend. I told her that I’d be back at some point today. I have no intention of letting Chelsea return to Hailey’s after all the shit that’s gone down recently. I’d prefer that Hailey stay at the Elysian as well, but at least I know that she’s fully capable of protecting herself if the situation calls for it.
Chelsea is a lot stronger than she thinks she is, but I doubt she’s ever had any kind of self-defense training. I’m mentally adding that to my to-do list, right up there with making sure she understands how critical her current situation is and that she won’t be going anywhere alone anytime soon.
Zack’s been monitoring the cameras surrounding Buttersweet since yesterday’s incident, and it appears that the same vehicle has been driving past the building occasionally as if to check whether or not Chelsea is there. As if that wasn’t already enough to have me on edge, the facial recognition scans came back confirming that the driver is none other than Jason fucking Reed.
Chelsea’s ex-boyfriend.
The same guy I saw talking to her step-father in Rivercrest. The same guy who threatened her at the club and left her crimson roses. Assholes like him don’t deserve to continue breathing.
This whole fucking thing is one huge mess. I don’t even know how to begin having this conversation with her. What I do know is that I can’t keep her in the dark any longer.
The only solace I have at the moment is knowing that Chelsea is currently at the Elysian, where Zack has surveillance running twenty-four hours a day. There’s never a time when security guards aren’t present. It’s the safest place for her to be right now. I just need to convince her of that.
Which is why I found myself back at the hotel first thing this morning. My fist bangs against the office door a little harder than I’d intended, and seconds later, it swings open to reveal an expectant Zack.
“Was wondering when you’d be back,” he says. He nods for me to close the door and turns to walk back towards his desk where various documents and photographs are displayed across several connected computer screens. I step over to the wall of security feeds and examine them all for a moment, checking to make sure that nothing seems out oforder. I notice that he has already pulled up a view of the hallway where Hailey’s suite is located.
“Hailey just left the suite a little bit ago, but Chelsea is still in there,” he says, noticing where my focus has snagged. I nod and turn my attention back to him, walking over to stand behind where he sits at his desk.
“What have you found?” I cross my arms over my chest and begin to scan over the various documents he has pulled up on the screen.
“Jason Reed, twenty-six years old, was issued a dishonorable discharge for sexual assault charges. Looks like his father died recently and…” Zack continues to rattle off information about Chelsea’s ex, but my mind is stuck on the last nameReed.
“You said his father died recently?” I ask, knowing that it’s not an entirely uncommon last name. But for some reason, my mind is shouting at me that this situation is a lot more fucked than I thought it would be.
“Yup,” he says, popping the "p". His voice is laced with amusement as he adds, “I’ll give you one guess who his father was.” He spins his chair around to face me.
“Officer Sean Reed,” I guess, not needing his verbal confirmation to know that I’m right.
Zack nods, and my stomach sinks.
Motherfucker.
My vision clouded in a red haze the moment Zack confirmed Jason’s connection to Dan. I knew that I couldn’t wait any longer to confesseverything to Chelsea because the longer she remains in the dark, the bigger of a threat she faces. She thinks that she has brought this danger upon us. Little does she know that my return to Haven Beach was for this exact reason.
Never would I have imagined that I’d be helplessly falling right back into love with her or that removing her piece-of-shit ex would somehow become part of this mission.
Storming through the hotel, I find myself hesitating at the suite door, preparing myself to completely shake the foundation of her life. Raising my hand, I knock the knuckle of my index finger firmly against the door a couple of times and wait for her to answer. When she doesn’t, I knock a little harder with my fist this time.
There’s still no answer.
“Chelsea, it’s Austin,” I call out, thinking she may be hesitant to open the door when she doesn’t know who is on the other side. After waiting a few minutes, worry starts to build in the pit of my stomach and I have this sinking feeling that something isn’t right.
“Chels!” I say her name a little louder, not caring that other hotel guests can likely hear me shouting. I have a key card in my wallet that grants access to all of the rooms at the Elysian. Something only my family and our security team have, but I don’t want to enter her room without consent. I’m about to give up and walk away when a loud crash comes from her side of the door.
