Page 43 of Shattered Reign

The coin in my hand with the Chevalier emblem on it sent a cold shiver down my spine.

I’d gotten cocky in a way. I’d thought because we didn’t notice anything weird about my apartment when we got back from Italy, my stalker wouldn’t bother trying to break in.

But now they had.

I’d only been gone overnight, giving my stalker less time to break into my apartment. But he’d done it, nonetheless.

“But why now?” My hands trembled as I stared at the coin in my hand as I sat in the passenger seat of Easton’s SUV.

“Call Nash.”

“Say what?” I said as I was jerked out of my thoughts.

“Call Nash. He needs to meet us at Chevalier Manor.”

I placed the coin down in my lap and picked up my phone. I was a little bit klutzy when it came to finding Nash’s number, but I managed to call him and put the call on speaker.

“Hello?”

“Hey. Easton is here with me too, by the way. Can you meet us at Chevalier Manor?” I asked, and I was proud that I was able to keep my voice steady.

“I’m already here. What’s up? Are you okay?”

“Um. Are you alone?”

“No. Let me step outside.”

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as if it was going to burst out and leave my body. I waited patiently for Nash to tell me that he’d ventured outside, and it felt like a lifetime had passed.

“I’m alone. What happened?”

I took in a deep breath to try to calm myself so that I could get the story I needed to tell out. “I unlocked my apartment door, and as I was about to walk in, I found a gold coin with the Chevalier emblem on it.”

Nash didn’t respond, and I wasn’t surprised. He was probably running through every scenario about how that coin had ended up in my apartment. “How long will it take you guys to get here?”

This time, Easton spoke up. “We are about ten minutes away.”

With how fast he was going, I wouldn’t be surprised if we got there in half the time.

Rain hit the windshield and I was a little concerned that we might crash, given the speed we were traveling and the weather. The wipers swished back and forth in a rhythm that could have been therapeutic at any other time.

It took a few minutes, but the trees seemed to part as if they were giving us a path to Chevalier Manor. The quiet and eerie atmosphere was enough for me to stay on edge even though it was daylight.

When we were a couple of minutes away, I saw the old mansion, and it gave me the same vibes that Westwick University tended to give me: the fucking creeps.

Easton pulled to a stop in a parking spot and turned to look at me. “You know, it would be safer for you to stay out here in this car with everything locked down.”

“But you know there is no way I would willingly stay here. We don’t even know if whoever is doing it is at Chevalier Manor right now.”

“Which is why I didn’t tell you that you were staying here and that was final.”

“Even if you did, I wouldn’t listen. You can tell me what to do in bed, but I draw the line at you trying to boss me around when we’re out of it.”

“It’s not bossing you around if I’m keeping you safe.”

I sighed. “Nash is going to be there too. Between the two of you, I’ll be fine.”

“Then let’s go.”

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