Chapter 36
I didn’t know where I was going.
1 just needed to leave.
I told the driver, “Anywhere. Just keep driving.” He didn’t ask questions, just nodded and started the engine.
My phone buzzed in my lap. I unlocked it and scrolled through my contacts. Natasha. My fingers hovered for a second before I typed
Hey. Can I come over!
She replied almost instandy.
Of course. You okay?
I didn’t respond. Just stared out the window at the darkening sky. My thoughts were spinning, looping through everything–Karl, the house, the fight. The weight in my chest hadn’t lifted, but at least I was away from it now.
Another text came in.
Here’s the address-
I copied it and passed it to the driver. He nodded again and made a turn.
I leaned back into the seat, arms folded, eyes on the passing buildings. My head was starting to pound from all the thinking. The stress.
The heat. The silence
Then something caught my eye.
A car.
Black. Sleek. A few car lengths behind us. I wouldn’t have noticed if it hadn’t made the exact same turn as us three times in a row,
I leaned forward slightly and looked out the back window.
Sull there.
I turned slowly back to fabe front, my fingers gripping the edge of the seat.
Maybe it’s nothing.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling
My eyes flicked to the side mirror again. Same car. Still there!
My heart beat a little faster.
“Can you take a slightly different route” I asked the driver, trying to sound casual. “Avoid the highway”
He glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Sure.”
We turned off the main road.
The
car behind us turned too.
My stomach twisted.
1 stayed quiet, breathing through my nose, trying not to panic. My eyes stayed locked on the mirror, watching tracking It wasn’t close enough to look threatening but it wasn’t far enough to be ignored either.
Who the hell was that?
And why were they following me?
I gripped the door handle tighter as the taxi swerved again. The headlights in the rearview mirror were still there. Still following. I leaned forward.
“Can you go faster?”
Chapter 36
The driver glanced back with a nod and pressed harder on the pedal.
Thisted in my seat, my breath caught. The black car was still behind us, close enough that I could make out the outline of the driver’s face. My fingers reached for my phone. I typed quickly to Natasha, telling her I might be delayed.
Another turn. Another glance.
|| test :
The car sped up, then suddenly swerved around us, cutting off the road just a few feet ahead. I screamed, my hand flying to my our taxi slammed on the brakes with a screech.
“What the bell the driver shouted.
The black door opened, and someone stepped out
My breath lodged in my throat
Karl
He was walking toward me fast. His blazer was unbuttoned, his brows drawn together, lips tight like he was holding back too much. He stopped by my window and pulled the door open.
What the hell were you thinking?” His voice wasn’t raised, but it was sharp.
I just stared at him, stunned.
He pulled me out of the car gently but firmly, shutting the door behind me with one hand while the other still gripped my wrist.
Iyanked slightly. “I thought you didn’t need me around,” I said, my voice barely holding steady, “since Gypsy was
He stared at me like I had lost my mind. His jaw flexed, his eyes cutting into mine
“Gypsy?” he repeated. “Kent took her to the hospital, she’s not even here.”
I blinked, caught completely off guard.
“I looked for you everywhere,” he said, stepping a little closer. “I had to check security footage just to figure out what direction you
went
I swallowed, lips parting, but nothing came out.
My pulse was still racing, but it wasn’t fear anymore. It was something else. Something warm and stupid and lodged deep in my
He looked exhausted. His hand was still wrapped around my wrist, not too tight, not letting go either.
“You came for me?” I asked.
His eyes narrowed. “You ran off alone in the middle of the night. What the hell else was I supposed to do!”
I stared at him,
n, heart thudding, he came for me and he didn’t send Kent.
He came himself.
chest,
He opened the backseat door and motioned for me to get in. I slipped inside quietly, tugging my dress down as I sat. The door shut with a soft thud. Karl walked around and got in beside me, shutting his own door with more force than necessary.
He didn’t speak right away. Just sat there, both hands on his lap, the tension in his jaw still visible from earlier. The driver glanced at the mirror, but Karl gave a slight nod, and we pulled off without another word.
I stared out the window for a while, watching the city blur by. My heart was still beating a little too fast, but for a different reason now, He had come after me. He had checked the cameras, traced the route, found me before anyone else could. I tried not to smile, but the elges of my mouth pulled anyway.
He turned slightly toward me, voice low. “You need to stop doing reckless things like this.”
I tilted my head but didn’t look at him yet. He went on.
“You’re still Mrs. Lever,” he said, like it was a fact I’d somehow forgotten. “Whether you like it or not, your name alone draws attention. The moment you leave that house alone, especially in the middle of the night, you’re a target.”
I finally glanced at him. He was watching the traffic, but his hand rested near mine on the seat. Not touching, but close. The same hand
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Chapter 36
that gripped my wrist earlier like he wasn’t lening go until I was safe.
“Anything could’ve happened,” he added, a hit quieter now, “You wouldn’t even know someone was following you until it was too
is too late.”
I leaned back slightly in my seat, arms folded over my stomach, biting down the grin threatening to spread. I shouldn’t feel this happy about being scolded, but something about it was reassuring. He was still playing the role. Still treating this contract like it mattered. Still protecting me like I meant something.
I looked back out the window again, pretending to focus on the street signs as I let the warmth settle quietly into my chest.
Maybe I was just overthinking everything. Maybe there was no Gypsy agenda. Maybe he was just.. Karl. Cold, overbearing, frustrating” but dependable. Honor–bound to this deal like he was to every business contract he’d ever signed.
1 let out a quiet breath and nodded to myself. Maybe I had been worried for nothing.
We pulled into the driveway, and the second the car stopped, I opened the door and stepped out. My feet hit the ground lightly, and for a moment, I was still smiling.
He followed behind me, his keys jingling loor in his palm. We walked toward the door together, not saying much. I could still feel the tension in the air from earlier, but it was softer now. Manageable.
The front door opened, and 1 stepped in first, brushing a loose strand of hair from my cheek. The lights in the living room were still on.
1 froze.
There, sitting calmly on the couch with her leg elevated and wrapped in a cast, was Gypsy.
She looked up from her phone like she’d been expecting me.
My smile faded instantly. My hand tightened around my bag strap. “What is she doing here?” My voice came out lower than I expected, almost fat
Karl stepped in beside me, unbothered, setting his phone on the console table. “Right. I forgot to mention,” he said, glancing toward the living room, “Gypsy will be staying here from now un
My chest stilled. I blinked once, twice, trying to process what he just said. He said it like he was announcing the weather.
I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t, my eyes stayed locked on Gypsy, who gave me the smallest, amused smile like this was just another fun little twist in the story.
I turned slowly back to Karl, waiting hoping for him to say something else but he was already walking toward the kitchen, like it was” final, like the conversation had ended before it even started.
What the fuck!!
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