Page 38 of Her Prince in Disguise
Maybe she should just call the police?
She considered calling Laith, telling him everything and letting him know that he was in danger. But what if the person threatening his life was close by when he took the call? What if it was someone on his bodyguard team! What if…!
Andi stopped coming up with doomsday scenarios and grabbed a pair of scissors out of her junk drawer. Still, she stood in front of the box, unable to open it. For a long time, Andi just stood there, staring at the box.
“Damn it, this is stupid!” she muttered, then moved closer, grabbing the letter. She sliced it open and pulled out the single sheet of paper with her fingertips. The message was just as threatening as the last.
Good girl. You broke things off with him. Now, we can be together. You are going to enjoy all the ways I’m going to hurt you. It’s just a matter of time now.
Andi let the paper fall from her fingers. It rested precariously on the edge of her countertop for a moment, then fluttered to the floor. She stared at it, then at the box. Should she open it? Or should she call Laith? Maybe she should call Jonas and ask him for the contact number for one of the guards?
But what if Jonas was the one sending the creepy boxes and threatening letters? Jonas was always close enough to Laith to do him harm! And Jonas knew where she was all the time. Plus, Jonas hated her. He’d messed up her flight, hotel, and food orders for the past week. He was purposely trying to make her miserable.
Wondering if it was Jonas who was doing this to her, Andi tore open the box. When she lifted the lid this time, she gasped, staring at a male doll with the whip in one hand and a knife in the other. And the doll was staring up at her.
Andi screamed, terrified that the doll could actually see her through those creepy black eyes. For several moments, she just stared, her trembling hands covering her mouth. Finally,Andi slammed the lid back on the box, and shoved it away. She even took several steps away, as if distance might protect her.
When her cell phone unexpectedly pinged, Andi nearly tripped over her own feet. It took her several moments to realize what the sound meant, then another moment to find her phone, even though it was in her pocket.
When she pulled the phone out, Carys’ happy face was smiling at her, and she stabbed at the answer button. Because of her eagerness to hear her friend’s voice, it took her several tries to answer the call.
“Carys?” she gasped as soon as she finally connected.
There was a slight hesitation, then Carys demanded, “What’s wrong?”
Andi stared at the box, backing up another step. “Nothing…um…I just…need coffee.”
“Nope.” There were some unfamiliar sounds in the background. Then Carys said firmly, “I’m on my way. Do you need me to call the police? Are you hurt?”
“I’m not hurt,” Andi clarified quickly. But she backed up a few more steps. Finally, she felt the wall of her tiny kitchen behind her. “Just…hurry.”
“I’m on my way. I’ll stay on the phone while you tell me what’s going on.”
Andi opened her mouth to explain, but there weren’t any words to describe the box. It wasn’t even that bad. It was just…the message it implied was the terrifying issue. “Doll. Diorama. Box.” The words were broken, barely audible. Andi’sknees gave up, and she slid quietly to the floor, leaning against the wall.
Carys continued chattering about where she was, the things she was seeing as she hurried to Andi’s apartment building. She didn’t stop the commentary and, in a weird way, her friend’s words helped soothe Andi. She was able to concentrate on Carys’ words instead of the threat in the box.
Still, it was a surprise to see Carys walking into her apartment. Andi screamed, so startled by her presence.
Instantly, Carys dropped to her knees, soothing Andi. “It’s okay. It’s just me. It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together, okay?”
Andi threw herself into Carys’ arms and sobbed. “He’s going to kill him if I don’t leave him alone! And then he’s going to hurt me with whips and horrible things and torture me and I don’t want that but I don’t know who he is and I don’t know how he knows where I am all the time! He keeps finding me! How does he know? How can he find me so easily?”
Carys held Andi close and slowly, the sobbing and the incoherent blabbering slowed down. When the worse had passed, Carys pulled away slightly, leaning down to peer at Andi. “Okay, can you start from the beginning?”
Andi sniffed, then realized that she was on the floor, hugging her friend. She was cowering! Andi was too strong for this and she never cowered!
Grateful for the strength of her building rage, she pushed to her feet and straightened her clothes. “I’m sorry aboutthat. It’s just…the stress of the past few days has really gotten to me.”
“Got it.” Carys moved around the kitchen, making coffee. “Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me everything? Then I’ll decide if we need to call the police, okay?”
Andi laughed, then reached out and hugged her friend again. “You’re amazing,” she whispered.
While Carys made coffee and put in an order for a delivery of sandwiches, Andi explained the whole issue with the dioramas, and now the letters. Carys nodded towards the box still sitting on the counter. “That’s one of them?”
“Yeah.” She went on to explain the order of the boxes and the threat in the last box she’d received in London.
Carys walked over to the box and started to lift the lid.
