Page 79 of Ms Perfectly Fine
“The alarm should be enough to deter intruders, but I would install an outer camera as soon as possible. If they left the note, they might leave something else between now and the show.”
Elijah didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of installing one sooner. “I’ll get on it.”
Aiden’s phone rang, and he stepped out for a moment. In his absence, Elijah thought of Autumn having dealt with years of being harassed alone.
“Sorry, but we have to leave it here for now. I have to get to court,” Aiden said, returning.
“Thank you for your time. I appreciate any help.”
“If anything else happens, call immediately—my number or the station—and we’ll dispatch someone to you.”
“Do you think there’s any chance they might just give up?” Elijah asked.
Aiden rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, but they have held their focus for three years. I don’t think they’re going to leave Autumn alone any time soon,” he said sadly.
The statement crushed Elijah. He didn’t want Autumn to hurt anymore; he saw how much she struggled, how much she wanted to live her life as normally as possible. The thought of someone wanting to take the last ounce of peace she had made him want to spill blood.
All he wanted to do was go to her, but his phone buzzed in his pocket, telling him he had to get to the signing before Nirosoft backed out. He couldn’t help Autumn if his focus was elsewhere, and the sooner the deal closed, the sooner he would be able to focus.She’s safe at the theatre; her friends will protect her,he thought, getting on his bike outside the station. Francis and Nirosoft would be waiting.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Autumn
“HAVE A NICE weekend?” Nina asked as they pulled away from the curb.
Autumn watched Elijah head back inside with Brinkley and hoped he was okay. Seeing him so worried troubled her more than any pathetic attempt from a stranger to frighten her. He had his own company to deal with, and she didn’t want to add to the weight on his shoulders. He never made her feel like a burden, but she hoped she could be there for him in the future as much as he had been there for her.
“One of the best, but I don’t want to talk about me,” she said, not wanting to rub it in while her best friend was going through a breakup. “How are you? Did you hear from Garrett?” She tried to suppress her guilt for getting wrapped up in Elijah, both physically and metaphorically, and not calling her over the weekend.
Nina gripped the steering wheel before answering. Autumn realised she’d forgotten to take her phone off silent in case Elijah rang her after talking to his friend at the station. As she reached for her bag at her feet, her fingers grazed something soft.
“A rose petal?” She rolled it between her fingers, the red staining her fingers a bright pink.
“Must have missed one. Garrett came over last night and tried to make it up to me,” Nina said bitterly. “As though some flowers are going to make everything right.”
Autumn dropped the petal and took her phone off silent, remembering how Garrett had brought flowers to the theatre before. “Are you going to hear him out?” she asked, watching as Nina gripped the steering wheel.
“No way. He picked his side, and I’m not going to change just because he wants something from me,” Nina sneered, and Autumn could hear how angry she was. She’d expected her friend to be upset, but there was an anger emanating from her that made Autumn uneasy.
“I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but you deserve someone so much better who won’t pressure you into anything.”
“Don’t talk about it,” Nina snapped. “I just want to get to practice and forget about him.”
Autumn nodded. They spent the rest of the journey in silence, and it was a relief to get out of the car. She couldn’t blame her for being angry, but she had never seen Nina that way.
When they arrived, Aimee toldAutumn that their costume maker had finished her dress for the showcase and it was waiting for her in her dressing room.
She couldn’t wait to see it; she had fallen in love with the lilac chiffon the moment she had seen it. She’d opted for a full-length dress with tiny straps and a corseted bodice to support her during the long performances, since the showcase would run for a week. She usually went for a suit, but this was her comeback; she wanted to celebrate it and feel as confident as possible when she took the stage.
She didn’t wait even a moment to say hello to everyone before darting off to her dressing room. When she opened the door, only the dressing table’s mirrored lights highlighted the dark room. She jumped when she saw Heather lingering by the dressing table.
“God, you frightened me,” she exclaimed, placing her hand over her thudding heart.
“I swear it wasn’t me,” Heather blurted out, moving away from the dresser.
“What wasn’t—”
There was a glass vase of dead roses on her dresser.
