gladys
I spent the whole evening cursing myself for not gathering more information while I had the chance. Since Elijah's brother stormed off, neither my hand nor my head had stopped hurting.
He was just as twisted as his brother. He tried to have me killed! How was I still alive? Why hadn't he already finished the job?
Maybe it wasn't true and he just wanted to scare me. He seemed pretty serious, though.
Then, there was also the matter that he'd been watching and stalking me for weeks. He probably reported back to Elijah each day about all the boring shit that comprised my life.
Was Cyrus the one who danced with me in the bar? But why would he do that when he was so attached to Jesse?
His interest in her struck a new chord of fear in me. He either cared deeply for her or wanted to own her in the same way Elijah wanted to own me. Given the hostile behavior I'd seen from him thus far, I felt confident it was the latter.
I wracked my brain for a solution. Imagining Jesse trapped in the same situation as me was physically painful. She deserved a wonderful, normal life. At least I was already fucked in the head when Eli found me.
As I lay in bed in the dark, my mind cycled continuously. I was stuck. I didn't know where or how to go from here. Most people would probably refer to their parent or guardian for advice, but I couldn't do that for obvious reasons.
The flames under my feet were burning hotter. I could feel the end was coming—whatever that entailed. Something just felt ominous about my life these last few weeks.
Perhaps that feeling was the reason I still hadn't mustered the courage to unblock Elijah's number. Ben could request my phone at any time. The smart thing would be to just hand it over to him and let him handle things with the authorities.
But what would happen to Elijah? Or what if he retaliated in some way?
Fuck that.
I had a sense we would be seeing each other in the future, probably sooner than later. I lived in terror of that moment. My mind was set but my heart was a fickle bitch.
The rationale was there; I knew the truth. He lied to me over and over. He didn't deserve my love and he would never earn my trust again. I'd been naive enough to fall for it the first time. I wouldn't survive a second time.
Some people were bad and that would never change. If he was having his homicidal brother stalking me, it was safe to assume he was just as bad as he was before. Jail did nothing to curb his evil ways.
Nevertheless, I knew I had to comply with Cyrus' bullshit unless I wanted to bring more trouble into the lives of those around me.
I picked up my phone and swiped the screen. After pulling up my contacts, I found the list of blocked numbers and unblocked the last one.
My phone dinged with a new text from a few days ago.
I swallowed hard and opened the text conversation. The texts from our conversation dropped like lead in my gut.
UNKNOWN: there is no such thing as a life for you that exists without me
GWEN: We'll see about that
My eyes ticked to the new messages that followed.
UNKNOWN: indeed. you'll be back in the devil's arms before you realize it.
UNKNOWN: it's time to talk.
UNKNOWN: you won't like what happens if you continue to ignore me.
I blew out a breath to ground myself. Just because I was complying did not mean I would turn soft for him again. No matter how hard it was, I had to respect myself and my family. The ones he'd murdered and the one now currently endangered.
Tears burned in my eyes. This issue between us was beyond our relationship now, though. He'd threatened and involved other people. I couldn't just continue pretending he didn't exist out of blissful ignorance; someone would get hurt.
Elijah was not a normal ex. He wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted. And for some unfathomable reason, what he wanted always seemed to be me.
Resigned, my fingertips twitched idly over my phone screen before tapping out a response.
GWEN: What do you want?
I stared at the screen, willing a text to appear. After a few minutes, I put my phone aside. He was busy, of course. How silly to expect an instant response from my stalker. Staring at the screen wouldn't make him respond any faster, though, so I tried to think about literally anything else.
My thoughts churned late into the night, constantly wandering back to Elijah's schemes. Finally, I reached a point at which I could no longer keep my eyes open.
The next morning, while I applied a few layers of mascara to my lashes, my phone vibrated on the bed. I didn't hesitate to snatch it up.
UNKNOWN: you.
I rolled my eyes, inhaling deeply.
GWEN: Where are you?
UNKNOWN: you know me better than that
GWEN: Are you on the run?
I waited for several minutes and realized he wouldn't answer. Huffing, I tried a different approach.
GWEN: Why didn't you ever tell me about your brother?
My heart throbbed at the base of my throat. It felt so good just talking to him. Even knowing I shouldn't, I couldn't help myself.
Again, no response came. I waited a few minutes before realizing I'd stayed in bed ten minutes longer than usual.
"Shit," I cursed, dropping my makeup utensils to yank on my scrubs.
I dragged through the rest of my morning routine. Unable to help myself, I compulsively checked my phone every few minutes. He still hadn't responded by the time I was strolling out into the bitter cold morning.
The moisture in the air was bone-chilling, the entire sky blanketed in gray- and plum-colored clouds. That ominous feeling in my gut quadrupled.
Since I was running behind, I didn't have time to brew coffee this morning and there was no way in hell I'd return to that coffee shop. I'd just make do with the terrible instant coffee at the clinic.
My phone beeped as I trudged down the main street. As much as I appreciated Jesse's friendship, I would not be deviating from my path to get her coffee today.
Only as a few flurries landed on my screen did I realize it was snowing. I cursed under my breath.
It wasn't even supposed to snow today! Damn you, Colorado.
Sighing, I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the screen. After fighting with my phone screen, I managed to unlock it and view the notification.
UNKNOWN: picking you up. get in
I looked around on instinct but didn't see any cars directly approaching me. A black Charger turned onto the street. I kept walking, praying the car would pass me. My heart jumped into my throat as the purring vehicle slowed down beside me.
I continued walking down the sidewalk, increasing my pace. Cars began to pile up behind the creeping vehicle, now honking.
The Charger kept pace with me, however. I jumped at the sound of the passenger door window rolling down.
"Get in," commanded a masculine voice.
My feet automatically turned off the sidewalk and moved toward the sleek car. I opened the passenger door and slid into the leather seat without a word.
"Are you always this stubborn?" Cyrus mumbled.
I rolled my eyes. "Are you going to kill me?"
He peered at me through his peripheral before saying, "No."
My guard flew up. Why the hell did he hesitate?
"Where are you taking me?" I asked.
He wore a puzzled look. "To work . . . ?"
I was quiet after that. I didn't particularly enjoy Elijah's brother's company. He was an asshole.
To be honest, I didn't see what charm he'd enchanted Jesse with, though I supposed it was probably a switch he turned on only for her.
Elijah probably did the same for me. I had no clue he was a psychotic-mob boss-serial killer until it was too late.
He never said he was a good guy, but shit. He'd been generous and affectionate and kind with me. I believed he was just a nice, upstanding-ish guy.
I should have known that a man like that could never love me. A nice guy wouldn't want someone this plain and broken.
While I was glad Ben believed in love and wanted to start fresh with someone, I wasn't sure if that would ever be in the cards for me. It surely wouldn't so long as Elijah remained hung up on me.
We pulled up at the shopping plaza where the clinic was. Cyrus parked in front of the electronics store next to the dental clinic where I worked. I remembered then Jesse mentioning he worked there.
"Wait five minutes," he told me. "I don't want Jesse seeing you get out of my car."
My lips pursed. Of course.
Before he could get out, I held out a hand to stop him. He paused and glared at my fingers. I retracted them back to my lap.
Clearing my throat, I said, "Why did you pick me up?"
His stern gaze met mine. "It's fucking freezing out and you walk to work."
"I just don't get it, I guess," I admitted. "If we have to pretend like we don't know each other, why take the risk of giving me a ride?"
"You ask too many questions." He waved a dismissive hand at me. "Wait until I'm inside the store before getting out."
And with that, he got out and walked off. I watched him disappear into his store. Since I was early now, I pulled out my phone and opened my texts.
My mouth twitched at seeing Elijah still hadn't responded. I shot him one last message before clambering out of the Charger and marching off to work.
GWEN: You wanted to talk. So let's talk. In person. Those are my conditions