Page 20 of Unraveled Love

“Thank you,” I whispered, grinning at him.

“Any time, honey.”

* * *

As we pulledinto Shawn’s neighborhood, two of the SUVs continued on the main road while the remaining three headed to Shawn’s townhome.

“Stay here a minute,” he said.

As he spoke, the four men who had been in two of the other SUVs unloaded. With their guns drawn, they entered his home, one holding a key Shawn must have given him.

“What are they doing?”

“Making sure it’s safe and that no one’s been inside and there’s no one hiding outside.”

Oh. My fingertips tingled with nerves that slowly slid up my arms as my reality continued to surprise me.

Cort, who stayed in our SUV and kept it running, grabbed his phone. “All clear text came in.”

With that, he turned off the engine, opened his door, and hopped out, heading toward my side of the vehicle.

With Cort on one side of me, Shawn meeting up with us and taking my other, they escorted me into his home, where the other men stood in the kitchen, talking with muted voices.

Once inside, Shawn turned to me and cupped his hands over my shoulders. “We’re going to be busy setting up some more security around here and figuring out a schedule for who will be helping guard you. Why don’t you go upstairs and take a bath, and I’ll order some food for when you’re done.”

I considered arguing, reminding him I wanted to know everything, but truthfully, sitting in a bath sounded like a much better way to spend the next hour instead of in a room bulked up on testosterone talking about me and my problems.

A break from them sounded perfect, even if it’d only be in my head.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Any requests for lunch?”

I’d barely had anything to eat since we reached the hotel the day before. A few bites and some broth at dinner then a couple of eggs and sausage this morning. My stomach was still too knotted to eat, but as I considered what I’d like, my stomach grumbled.

My hand flew to my abdomen, and I chuckled. “I guess that answers whether or not I’m hungry. Can we order Chinese? I’d love some shrimp lo mein.”

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. “Then that’s what you’ll get.”

My eyes closed as he gently held me, comforting me and taking care of me.

“Thank you.”

He guided me toward his master bath, where a soaking tub larger than I expected to find in such a modest townhome caught my eye, along with a couple jars of bath salts stacked in a corner.

“You take baths?” It was so…not a thing I’d think a man like him would do.

“Gift from my mom, but I bet you’re happy I have them.” He playfully tapped my ass then bent over, plugged the drain, and started the water. “I’ll set out some clean clothes for you, but take your time. Listen to music. You’re safe to relax here, Addi.”

At the mention of music, a thought popped into my mind, and God, how had I been so distracted I hadn’t thought of it earlier? “My purse,” I murmured. “Do you have that? I don’t…I don’t have it, and I should probably call Jillian.”

I’d been a horrible friend. She had to have seen the news by now and must have been freaking out. I could only imagine the texts and missed calls I’d have on my phone from her. I thought I should probably call my mom again, too, see how she was.

So much for taking a break from my problems with a bath. I had a feeling they’d be rolling through my head on a non-stop loop for the foreseeable future.

Which sucked some major balls.

“I’ll take care of it for you. I’m assuming it’s still in the breakroom at Dreammaker’s, but I’ll call Malcolm and see if he knows for sure. I should probably give him an update too. He’s probably lost his mind with worry.”

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