Page 6 of Saved from Obsession

Oh.

I’ve always been the big, scary guy. It doesn’t matter that I’m quiet most of the time, happier to listen than to be the one talking. Or that I prefer the company of computers to people, aside from my close friends and family. I’m seen as the huge guy you want to have your back, and never want to go up against.

That part is true, but it’s notallI am.

But if ColeandMaya think I could be the best person to help Georgia… Determination surges through me, the confidence of my friends pushing away any doubt. “You can count on me.” I give Cole a quick chin lift. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

CHAPTERTWO

GEORGIA

I’ve been staring out the window for the last half an hour, and I can’t remember a single thing I’ve seen.

Just a blur of green flying by, interrupted by colored flashes of cars and road signs I don’t even try to read. I can’t think of anything except the same two questions spinning through my head.What if they don’t believe me?What if they say no?

There’s a tiny acrobat that’s taken up residence in my stomach, forcing me to take deep breaths to stop myself from vomiting all over my best friend’s rental car. My legs won’t stop jittering. Whenever I command one leg to stop, the other one picks up the same rapid rhythm. I can’t figure out what to do with my restless hands—I know the incessant tapping has to be incredibly annoying—until I finally give up and just sit on them.

I’m more nervous than I was when I went for my first go-see at seventeen, still in high school and so in awe of New York City, I almost fainted with the excitement of it. But that was a different kind of nervous—Iwantedthe job, but my life didn’t depend on me getting it. The decision I’m getting at this meeting today is literally life or death for me.

Which is why I’m a complete wreck, and that’s saying a lot considering what the last few months have been like.

“Gigi, you need to relax.” A cool hand comes down on my forearm, gently squeezing. Hayden glances away from the road, her dark green eyes narrowed in concern. “You’re going to end up having a panic attack.”

“I was actually more worried about throwing up all over the car.” Breathing through my nose and out my mouth, I try once again to convince my stomach to settle.

My best friend of over twenty years sighs at me. “I told you, G, they’ve already agreed to take your case. I understand why you’re stressed about the other stuff, but you don’t need to worry aboutthat.”

“What if they don’t believe my story?” My voice wobbles, my chest getting tight at the thought of it. “Just because they believeyoudoesn’t mean they’ll trustme. They could think I’m crazy, just like the police did.”

Hayden flicks another quick glance at me before focusing back on the road. A moment later, she clicks the directional and crosses two full lanes of traffic without slowing, her confidence showing even as she does something as simple as exiting the highway. Having lived in New York City since I was eighteen, my driving is nowhere near as competent.

Now that we’re getting off the highway and nearing our destination, I actually pay attention to the exit sign as we pass it. It announces that we’re headed to Sleepy Hollow, New York, and I briefly wonder if having this meeting in such a well-known and creepy location is a bad omen for me.

“They already believe you, Gigi. I talked to Cole and explained everything. We aren’t coming here for them to interrogate you. They just need all the details so they can come up with the best plan to protect you.”

Ever since Hayden told me about Blade and Arrow Security, and how they provide protection to people even when the police have turned them away, I’ve been clinging to the desperate hope that they’ll help me. It was founded by a friend and former colleague from the San Antonio police department after he got discouraged by the limitations put on officers simply because of red tape and bureaucracy.

Before he was a police officer, Cole was in Special Forces—the Green Berets—and he asked his old teammates to join him. They only take on a couple of pro bono cases each month, and there are way more applicants than they can accept. If I wasn’t friends with Hayden, I’m not sure they would be taking my case, so I think that’s part of why I’m so scared they’ll change their mind and decide to take on someone more worthy.

But they’re my last hope. The police wouldn’t help me, not with the first stalker or this new one. I don’t have any money to hire security myself—after hospital bills, a long recovery, specialists, not to mention all my regular expenses—I’m barely scraping by. And my career as a model is definitely over.

The six-inch scar running down my face took care of that.

That’s another reason why I’m nervous about this meeting. I can barely look atmyselfin the mirror. The idea of meeting total strangers, watching them flinch as they see my face—it makes me feel sick all over again.

“We’re here.” I was so caught up in my thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed that the car had stopped. We’re parked in front of a large brick building that looks—aside from the imposing black metal fence around it—much like an ordinary office building.

Hayden lightly hops out of the car and comes around to my side, standing protectively between me and the street. In full cop-mode, she scans our surroundings before she nods at me to get out of the car. As we walk toward the building, she taps out a quick text, and the tall gate swings open for us.

In any other circumstances, I’d chuckle at the sight of my several inches shorter friend acting as my bodyguard. But considering what I’ve been through over the last several months, I’m so grateful I want to hug her.

Once we pass through the gate, the next few minutes are a blur. A tall brown-haired man with just the right amount of stubble greets us at the entrance, his handsome face breaking into a grin as he sees us. After hugging Hayden, he introduces himself to me as Cole, and reaches his hand out to shake mine.

As we follow him into the building, another handsome man walks past us—this one also tall, with icy blue eyes and thick black hair. Then we enter a large conference room and I’m faced with two more arrestingly handsome men and I’m wondering if being attractive is a requirement to work here.

They’re both tall—one dark-haired and one blonde—and both of them get up from their seats as we walk into the room, standing at full attention. They nod at Hayden, small smiles crossing their faces, then turn their gazes to me. Neither of them makes any visible reaction to my appearance, but given their military training, I imagine they are disciplined enough to hide any sort of emotion.

Hayden heads for the opposite side of the table from them, and I follow her lead. Before we can sit down, the shorter of the two men stretches his hand out to me, a smile breaking out across his face. His expression goes from serious to friendly at once, his bright blue eyes crinkling up at the corners.“Hi Georgia. I’m Rylan Jacobson. I’ll be working on your case with Cole and Leo.”

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