Chapter Twenty Seven
Cocooned in John's embrace, Alice snuggled closer to his warmth. Everything was perfect. A giggle escaped her throat as sunshine poured through the windows. Despite how wild she was last night, this morning she was still herself.
The fear of being some crazy sex slave would never happen to her. The discussions her mother had said about orgies at the Morgan house created all that stuff in her head. This bunch of rubbish was instilled at a young age.
Alice bounced off the bed. So much energy coursed through her. She threw on John's t-shirt and headed to the kitchen to make them breakfast.
She hugged her arms as she strolled through the halls. Coffee, bagels, eggs.
Something dark caught the corner of her eye as she passed the living room. She stopped and her toes curled against the cold tile. Someone had hung a huge stuffed doll with her face painted on it right outside the big window, with red paint slashed across the neck.
The urge to throw up hit her hard and fast. She stumbled backwards and cried out.
John bolted through the hall and wrapped her into his arms. He cradled her head against his broad chest as tears spilled. He must have looked outside because his embrace became fierce. "Don't worry. I'll get that taken down."
A sigh escaped her lips. "How can I not worry?"
The smell of cedar and pine wafted in her lungs. Her pulse settled. "They didn't get in," he said.
She pulled back, her body trembling. "That's not enough. They were here. They could have seen us."
Her voice sounded weaker than she felt. He squeezed her hand. "Don't think about it."
In a twirl, she turned around and pointed toward the effigy. "Someone wants me dead."
He rubbed his jaw as she hugged herself. "It's always about you. It's strange that no one else is threatened."
As her leg brushed against the couch, she sucked in her cheeks. "That doesn't make me feel better."
He tried to offer her a smile, but no dimples appeared on his face. "I'm putting the pieces together."
Clues were good. She swallowed. "I'm nervous."
With a curt nod, he walked past her in the hall. "Go, take a shower and wash up. I'll get that down and then we'll have a nice, normal breakfast."
No. This wasn't okay. She took hold of his wrist and he turned toward her. "I'm not calm at all."
He reached for her shoulder and offered her a gentle squeeze. "Can you try?"
Those blue eyes of his still knocked her socks off, if she had socks. Perhaps she spent too much time with her mother. A small fire was set inside her that burned away the frigid air. "O…kay."
He kissed her cheek and her face grew warm. "That's my girl."
This was how everything started with him years ago. One kiss meant for her cheek had changed her entire life. He led back to his room and the shower. He tried to hide grabbing his phone and she averted her gaze to let him think he was smooth. With her head held high, she told him, "Don't get hurt if you go outside."
He nodded and stepped back. "I'll bring the security guard."
"Okay. Come right back."
The dimples showed on his face this time as he smiled. "I will."
His smile made her feel like she had sunshine bursting through her skin, so she smiled back. "We should make a plan over breakfast. I don't want to be stalked."
"Fair enough," he agreed.
"Security did a lousy job."
"I'll find out what happened."
