Page 38 of Pretty Threats

He inclines his head. “When you cram, you treat yourself. That’s what you drink, right?”

“Yes, but how do you know?”

He switches gears, revving through the traffic. “I just do.”

If he’d been in the small coffee shop physically at the same time I was, I would’ve spotted him. He’s impossible to miss. Which leaves one other option—hacking. Has he figured out how to see even my credit card statements? And how long has he been back to monitoring me? Did he start up again when he got to GU?

I want to confront him, but what would it accomplish? Besides, sometimes, I think being able to follow me around electronically keeps him from doing it in person. Which would be worse. I take the first sip of my latte and sigh, partially because it’s delicious and partially because all my efforts at keeping a low profile so he’d forget about me were clearly pointless.

He drives a block and then parks on a street full of boutiques. I glance at the clock. First of all, these businesses are barely open. And second, I don’t have time for tons of errands.

“I’ll get you to class on time,” he says as if reading my mind. Then, opening the console, he takes a tan plastic rectangle from it. It’s about the size of a brick. “Wait here.”

I stare after him as he climbs out and presses the fob to lock me safely inside. The morning just keeps getting stranger. And after the night I’ve had, that’s saying something.

Using the opportunity to sip more of my drink, I spend the following fifteen minutes in caffeine nirvana before Killian reappears on the sidewalk, casually carrying a white box in one hand and what appears to be a folded bundle of cash in the other. My brows crinkle. What did he do? Rob the store?

No, the plastic-covered rectangle—which I now realize was the length of a U.S. bill—is gone. Was that packet all money?

Killian opens the door and drops into his seat. The money he’s carrying is a wad of hundred-dollar bills. I can’t even imagine how much was in the original stack.

He extends the box toward me. “Let’s trade, so you can open this.”

I stare at him, unmoving. “What’s going on?”

He drops the remainder of the money into the console. It lands on top of another sealed tan plastic rectangle. My, God. When he closes the console, my brows rise.

“So much money.”

“Yeah, I got a bonus.” His fingers close around the rim of my cup and pull it from my grasp. With his other hand, he sets the square white box on my lap. “Open that, so I can give you back the cup while I drive you to class.”

After a beat, my fingers lift the lid, revealing a stunning gold and gemstone necklace. Its design is nature-themed with small vines sprouting out from a main vine in the center. There are small, sparkling yellow and brown gemstones on each offshoot. “Yellow topaz and smoky quartz?” I murmur.

“Yellow topaz and chocolate diamonds. To match your hair and eyes. Wasn’t sure about the plant theme, but you’ve got the gold disc with the leaf stamped on it. Figured you might like this. If you don’t, you can trade it for something else.”

“Killian… It’s exquisite. I love it, but I can’t take it.” My voice is soft and forlorn. “Why would you buy something like this for me? Or anyone?”

“Look,” he says in that dark tone he gets when he’s on the edge of anger. “Other than myself, you’re the only person I’d spend my money on.”

“How about your brothers? Your nephew? Or Marianne, who’s been a mom to you for years?”

“My brothers have plenty of money. I’ll get my nephew presents for his birthday and Christmas. Ditto for Marianne. Other than that…”

“You don’t have to spend your bonus money at all right now. Because this makes no sense. I’ve been avoiding you for a year. I do my best not to be anywhere near you. Ever since we hurt each other, I’m the last person you should be giving a gift to. Any gift.”

“Because we once cut each other?”

“Of course. Something about me brings out the worst in you.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is!” My voice rises to an uncomfortably high pitch, and the sound makes both of us scowl. “That’s why we shouldn’t do things that’ll bring us closer together. You know this, Killian. I said?—”

His voice is curt as he cuts me off. “I don’t care. Do you think I listen to you? About that?” He rolls his eyes. “I don’t need to give you a necklace to get close to you, Raine. We’re never fucking apart. Wherever you are, I’m there. Whether you see me or not.”

I suck in a breath. There’s the confirmation. No more wondering. He seemed to be gone but never was.

“I thought you were going out with other girls?” I mumble, my head still buzzing with alarm.

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