Page 22 of Unraveled Love

Regardless, I liked that he knew me so well.

And I was starving.

I grinned at him. “You too. Sit. Eat.”

“Your command…” he murmured, but he did what he was told with a lingering smile.

So I counted that as a win.

* * *

“Holy shit,Adrianna! Are you okay? I’ve been freaking out!”

Jillian’s voice rang so loud through the phone I yanked it from my ear. I wasn’t surprised.

Malcolm had showed up with my purse a few minutes earlier, handing it off to one of Jaxon’s men standing guard on the front porch. Lincoln was as buff and brawn as the rest of the men on his team, and he stayed on the porch, not even attempting to look inconspicuous—not that he could with his size and his scowl. Malcolm had said he couldn’t come in as he needed to get back to his office at his dance club, Glitz, so Lincoln brought the purse inside and handed it to me. As soon as he did, I turned my phone on, surprised it still had a charge. As soon as the home screen appeared, it was filled with the texts and missed calls from Jillian I’d suspected I’d have.

I wasted no time calling her, and her scream made me cringe.

There were only a handful from my mom, all sent before I contacted her the day before.

It was pathetic. I went missing, my father did as well, and my fiancé’s father was arrested, and only two people in my entire life bothered enough to call to check on me.

That thought didn’t last long as I took the glass of wine Shawn had refilled for me and nestled into a corner of the couch.

“I’m good. I swear, but it’s…well, it’s been a really shitty couple of days.” I laughed coldly.Shittywas a massive understatement for what I’d been though, but I wanted to talk about it with Jillian less than I wanted to relive it. If laughing about it could help her believe I was really okay, I’d laugh my ass off.

“I want to see you. Can I come up this weekend?”

I cringed and glanced at Shawn. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Jillian.”

“I don’t care.”

He shook his head and mouthedNo, like he knew exactly what she’d asked.

I probably should have kept my mouth shut when I told everyone how much trouble I was really in. Oversharing was the worst thing, and I’d never had a problem with it before. Yet for some stupid reason, ever since running from my wedding, I couldn’t stop telling everyone everything.

Now I knew that could probably end up with someone else I cared about dead.

If Daniel even suspected Jillian knew where I was now, her life was at risk. How crazy that I wasn’t overexaggerating.

“Adrianna—”

“No. I’m sorry, honey, but honestly, it’s just not safe for you to be here. Trust me. I can’t even tell you what happened, what I know, but I promise you, I’ll call and text you every day. We can FaceTime whenever you want to make sure I’m okay, but seeing me in person, being here? That’s the worst thing you could do.”

“Gosh,” she groaned, and I imagined her falling back on her couch, tucking her feet beneath her, and grabbing a glass of red wine. “I’m sure you’re right, but I’ve been so freaked. Who could have imagined all this stuff with them? And from what my parents have said, Charleston is a freaking wreck. Half the city believes it’s a lie, half the city is calling for his blood. They’re protesting in the streets. Last night a car was set on fire. It’s insane.”

“I’m sure.” I ran a hand through my slightly damp hair. “Try being the cause of all of it.”

Guilt weighed heavily on me. Whoever’s car had been set on fire, whoever would be injured because of this, it was all becauseIhad made a choice. If I had accepted my fate like the good little girl they’d believed me to be, none of this would have been happening. It was a choice I didn’t regret and never would…but all this was still because of me. On the other hand, also because of me, their sex trafficking operation was shut down, Matthew was off the streets, and for now, girls weren’t being sent in a shipping container to who knows where for who knows what.

A boulder the size of Texas grew in my stomach. “I should probably go,” I croaked, “but if you learn anything from your parents, or if Daniel calls you—”

“I’ll let you know immediately. I promise.”

“Thank you.” I breathed out a heavy sigh. “Love you, Jilly-bean.” I loved teasing her with the nickname Klaus had given her, the one she claimed she hated but actually loved.

“Call.Every day, okay?”

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