Page 71 of Save Her from Me

It took a moment for her to reply. “I’d like that.”

I dropped her off and retreated to park at a lay-by further down the track. There, I waited, unsure for what but not wanting to leave Ariel’s orbit. Imagining I heard an engine. Picturing someone creeping across the slopes of the glen.

She was safe, locked in Daisy’s house. I had work to do with Ben and Valentine.

Still, I lingered.

I couldn’t shake the feeling Ariel was in constant danger, despite the fact I had no reason to worry about Daisy’s place. It was set alone in a quiet glen, a few other houses down the road but far enough away to give a sense of isolation.

Nothing had happened there.

My phone buzzed. Another dragon model picture from my best friend.

Raphael: This one has armour. That do it for you?

I laughed, needing the distraction like never before.

Jackson: Eyes on the skies, my man.

Raphael: You think I’d text and fly?

Jackson: What’s the number one biggest problem for aviators?

Raphael: This is a joke, right? For fuck’s sake. Hit me.

Jackson: Bad altitude.

I put the Toyota in gear and hit the road, unstuck from my paranoia even if I couldn’t stop thinking about Raphael’s sister.

She’d be fine.

If she wasn’t, I’d be able to find her.

Back at the hangar, I joined a meeting with Ben and Valentine plus some guy who ran tour security in the US. When Leo next played over there, we’d be his personal team but we’d buy in the extra bodyguards we’d need to ensure his safety.

But try as I might, my focus kept slipping. I had my phone on vibrate so I couldn’t miss her call, but still, the what-ifs hit me. What if she wasn’t able to text me? What if she and Daisy were both in danger?

In the seat next to me, under the cover of the table, Valentine tapped out a message to someone.

My phone buzzed.

Valentine: Just pull up her fucking tracker, dude.

I breathed out and did as he suggested. The dot on my phone’s map pulsed, showing me she was still in the glen.

Thank fuck for that.

Another message came in from my housemate.

Valentine: Has she seen you nakey yet? How did the tattoo go down?

He’d laughed up the tattoo across my ribs after seeing me emerge from the shower a few days earlier. From what we knew about Larson having Ariel’s name on him, I knew this question would be coming.

But I wasn’t about to answer now.

Ben glanced my way, his brow furrowing at what was on my screen. How I was tracking her. He’d recognise the view for sure. In my interview, he’d made the point of asking me how I’d handle a man threatening a woman under my protection. Implying I had the potential to become unhinged.

He wasn’t wrong. No matter what I’d assured him, when it came to Ariel, I couldn’t keep my reason.

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