by Tia Siren
Courtney’s hand landing on my knee pulled me from my trance, however, before I had enough sense to cut the car off.
“He’s not here,” she said. “It’s just us.”
“You ready for some of that wine? Because I am.”
“Then let’s get upstairs and get them open,” she said.
“And screw glasses. I’m just sticking a straw right into the fucking top of it.”
“That’s the spirit! Like a massive Capri Sun or some shit!” Courtney exclaimed.
“I want to hear all about this encounter with those twins you suddenly disappeared with. I wanna know how you got each and every one of those hickeys,” I said as I got out of the car.
“Oh, Lexi, you don’t have a choice tonight.”
Chapter 4
I woke up the next morning and made myself a pot of coffee. I had the day off because of the party last night, and I was looking forward to spending the time with Courtney. I poured myself a cup of coffee and drowned it in sugar, then sat back on the kitchen counter as I drank it down. The winter sun was pouring through the windows, casting a white ray across the stainless-steel refrigerator. I had to admit, I was a bit disappointed that none of the twins had messaged me last night, but then again, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Eight hot men to just fall at my feet?
Not likely.
A knock came at my door, and I sighed. Whoever it was pounded and pounded until it began to wake up Courtney, so I sat my coffee cup down and charged the door. I ripped it open, ready to cuss out whoever the fuck was standing on the other side of it. But all I was met with was an empty front stoop.
“Hello?”
I poked my head out and looked around as Courtney dragged herself out of her room. I heard her fumble with the coffee pot before it went crashing to the floor. She hissed in pain before I heard another crash, and I sighed as I turned my head.
“Can you not go one morning without making an insane mess?” I asked.
“I’m stealing your coffee. Did you pour a half a gallon of sugar in it?” she asked.
“Nope. Just a pint this morning.”
“Who the fuck was at the door?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but if they come back, they’re getting a face full of hot-ass coffee.”
I went to shut the door but a box caught my eye. I bent down and picked it up before shutting the door. There wasn’t a delivery or return address, and for a split second I thought maybe this wasn’t meant for us. Our neighbors had packages delivered all the time for heaven knew what. Maybe this was something they were returning or some shit.
But then why would they have tried to bang down our door?
“Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Open it,” Courtney said.
I ripped the box open, but it tumbled from my hands. A picture fell to the floor as I gripped a note in my hands. My eyes scanned the words as Courtney dipped down to pick up the picture. Tears prickled the backs of my eyes as the note pricked my fingertips. I took the picture from Courtney before I handed her the note to read.
It was a picture from the party last night. I was standing underneath the mistletoe with the twins, and we were all smiling. Logan had his hand on my back and all their eyes were trained on me.
Courtney’s voice pierced my mind.“You need to call the police.”
“Who the fuck took this picture?” I asked.
“You know damn good and well who did this. ‘You’re going to pay for this with your life’? The fuck kind of edge has Jeremy dove off?” she asked.
“Jeremy’s possessive, but he’s not murderous. This has gotta be someone else.”
“Wake up, Lexi. This is serious. Someone took a picture of you with those dudes and gave you a note that threatens your life. I’m calling the fucking police.”
I took the note from Courtney and ran through it again. The words were typed and there was nothing on the back of the picture. I had no idea what the police would do, but the more I studied the angle of the picture, the more I knew it had to be him.
Jeremy.
My ex.
“Yes, we need an officer to come down to our apartment. My roommate’s life has been threatened.”
I heard Courtney talking on the phone but paid it no mind. I kept scrolling across the words as tears rose to my eyes. The picture was taken at an angle, almost like the person had been standing in the back corner of the room. The camera had been off to my right, back behind the guys at the part of the dining hall that sat toward the front of the hotel lobby.
Right near where Jeremy’s office was located.
“Why is he doing this?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but a couple of officers are on their way. They told me to put the letter and the photograph in Ziploc bags. Gimme.”
I handed them over to her as I reached for my coffee cup. I tipped up the cup and drank the last of what Courtney hadn’t gotten already, then allowed a tear to roll down my face. How the fuck did things get so messed up so quickly? I just wanted to be free of Jeremy so I could do my own thing. Why did that have to make him so angry?
Another loud knock came at the door, and I jumped.
“Police.”
I grabbed the bags from Courtney before I went and opened the door. I ushered the officers in while Courtney made another pot of coffee, and then I handed them the two bags. The officers looked at the note before taking a look at the picture. Then the officer with a heavy southern accent spoke up.
“Did anyone else touch these things?” he asked.
“Just the two of us,” I said.
“All right. You know if y’all’s apartment complex has any surveillance or anything? Didn’t see any cameras walkin’ up. Didn’t know if you knew of any.”
“Not that I know of, but I can call down to the office and ask,” I said.
“No need. That’s our next stop. I’m gonna be honest, with this message bein’ typed and all, I doubt we’ll get much.”
“It’s her fucking ex,” Courtney said.
“Ya think so?” the officer asked.
“I know so,” she said. “Lexi broke up with him last night after three years because he’s a boring, possessive motherfucker.”
“That true?” the officer asked.
“His actions had escalated, yes. I felt like he was following me around town, running into me conveniently in places I knew he wouldn’t be. Out-of-town venues and stuff.”
“What else was he doin’?”
“He’d call incessantly until I picked up the phone, then berate me because I didn’t pick up sooner. Things like that. He wasn’t always like that, just in the past few months,” I said.
“How did the two of you know one another?”
“He’s my boss at work. I met him when I interviewed for my position at the Beacon-Ansley.”
“That where this photo was taken?” the officer asked.
“At the Christmas party I planned last night, yes.”
The other officer was furiously taking notes, trying to write down everything I said before he forgot it. I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the knots and tangles from the restless sleep I’d gotten. The apartment was cold with the front door still open, and I shivered before I pulled my robe tighter around my body.
I couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Well, here’s what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna go talk to the front desk, get any video footage they might have, and then I’m sendin’ all this stuff off to the lab. Did it come in anything?” he asked.
“This box,” Courtney said as she shoved it over to him.
“We can go have a talk with this ex of yours. What’s his name?”
“Jeremy Newberry. Manager of events at the Beacon-Ansley,” I said.
“Right. We can chat with him, but if he’s behind this, it might escalate him. Let us get all this stuff back to the lab. We can contact you in a few days. In the meantime, you keep an eye out. If he approaches you or starts harrassin’ you, you call m
e, all right?”
The officer handed me his card, and I slipped it into my pocket. It was better than I was expecting they could do, but I still didn’t have hope that they’d find much.
“With the note bein’ typed and all, I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy took other precautions, too. But, it don’t hurt to check. We’ll keep in touch, and call if ya need anythin’ or feel unsafe in any way.”
“Thank you, officers. I will definitely do that.”
Courtney escorted them out, but I could tell she wasn’t happy. She shut the door behind them before she turned around on her heels, her eyes boring into me as she drew in a deep breath.
“You know damn good and well it’s Jeremy,” she said.
“They need proof before they can do anything.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need proof.”
“And what are you gonna do? Yell at him until he has a heart attack?” I asked. “Just calm down already.”
“How the fuck are you so calm?”
“Because I don’t have any other choice, all right!? Welcome to the last four months of my fucking life!”
Suddenly, I was panting, gasping for air. I felt the walls closing in around me as Courtney’s hands clamped down on my arms. She maneuvered me to the couch and sat me down as the smell of coffee wafted through our apartment.
Jeremy was coming after me. I could feel it.
“Let’s get you some coffee. Just breathe, all right?”
I sank back into the couch and dug my phone out of my pocket. I had two missed text messages, one from Liam and the other from Logan. The Castle brothers. I smiled as I opened their messages, as both of them told me I had been on their minds last night.
“There’s that smile. Hear from one of the twins?” Courtney asked.
“The Castle brothers,” I said.
“Oh, both twins! Go, girl. What’d they say?” she asked.
“They’re asking me how I’m doing. Should I tell them? Or lie?”
“Honey, it’s your funeral. Right now, I think any male attention you feel safe around is gonna help mitigate what’s going on, but we need to figure out what we’re going to do today. They wanna do any freaky-deaky shit, it’s gotta be put on hold until tomorrow.”
I sent them both back a text message and told them what was going on. In a way, I felt they had a right to know, especially Logan since his hand had been on my back in the picture. I told them about the note and how I thought it was probably my ex, and then I waited for their responses. I took the coffee Courtney was offering and leaned back into the chair, but no sooner had I taken my first sip than my phone lit up again with a message from Logan.
“What’s it say?” Courtney asked. “Read it out loud.”
Giggling, I read it to her.
Have you called the police? You need to. In the meantime, if you feel unsafe, I can make sure you’re protected.
Then my phone buzzed with Liam’s message.
“That the other one?” Courtney asked, grinning.
“Yes. Listen to this.”
Do you need me to come over? It doesn’t sound like you’re safe. I can make sure you are.
“Sexy and protective. These the doctors?” she asked.
“Nope. The firefighters. Dark hair and eyes. Tan skin. Muscles for fucking days,” I said, groaning.
“Well, message them back!” she said.
I went to send a message back to Liam, but then a group message popped up. Logan and Liam’s names were at the top alongside mine, and I saw they were both typing.
Do you need us to come over?
What’s going on?
I turned my phone toward Courtney, and she practically lost it. She was covering her face and squealing, and I couldn’t help but allow a smile to grace my cheeks. Not only were the Castle brothers ruggedly handsome, but it seemed as if they were fiercely protective.
I could get used to something like this.
I’m all right for now. The police are doing what they can. Gave me their card with a number to call in case I didn’t feel safe. But honestly, I could use a distraction.
I waited for their response, then saw Liam typing back.
What are you doing tonight? he asked.
Hanging out with my roommate. We gotta figure out where to go with everything since the police are taking this seriously, I said.
What about tomorrow night? Logan asked.
I’m free tomorrow night. What were you guys thinking?
“Oh, holy shit. They’re gonna ask you out on a shared date. Girl, if you come back to this apartment before eleven o’clock, I’m gonna be sorely disappointed in you,” Courtney said.
Let Logan and I take you out tomorrow night. You know, to get your mind off things.
I second that notion. Come out with Liam and me. You’ll be safe, and you’ll have a good time.
“I don’t doubt it for a fucking second,” Courtney said.
“Shut up,” I said, grinning.
Actually, I think I’d rather spend the weekend with Court right now, if you guys don’t mind. What about Tuesday night? Where would you like to meet?
Tuesday’s fine with me. And don’t worry, it’ll be fine with Liam, too. And not a chance. We’ll come pick you up. Say around five? Logan asked.
Five sounds fine to me. I’ll shoot my address over to you guys tomorrow, I said.
“Holy hell, I’m jealous,” Courtney said.
“You had your twin action last night. I get to Tuesday night.”
Yes. Tuesday’s good for me. Can’t wait to see that beautiful smile of yours. This from Liam.
Not to be outdone, Logan chimed back in. I prefer her eyes. Can’t wait to make them sparkle in the moonlight.
“Oh, they’re good,” Courtney said. “They’re very good.”
“So, what are we gonna do?” I asked.
“Get you a new fucking outfit,” she said.
“I meant about Jeremy.”
“We can talk about that shit while we shop. Come on. Half the day’s been slept away already,” she said.
Courtney dragged me from shop to shop, and all afternoon I got messages from the rest of the twins. All of them messaged me and created group messages with their respective twin. And once they found out about the note and photo, all of them started getting worried. I was getting exhausted, flipping back and forth between all the group chats, but it felt wonderful to have men who were worried about me. The Wolf brothers were ready to put a protective detail on me if I didn’t let them come over to see how I was. The Oakley brothers were ready to snap Jeremy at the kneecaps, and the Jameson brothers were two steps away from walking out of their practices to come find me around town. I simply kept assuring them that I was fine, that I was with Courtney and we were coming up with a plan, but all of them wanted me to keep them in the loop.
So, I did.
“Holy fuck, you have all of them eating out of your hand. I need to know your secret,” Courtney said.
“Date a psycho man for a while, then leave him and have him threaten your life. That’ll do it,” I said.
“This is all gonna be all right. Right now, just keep yourself occupied by focusing on your evening with the Candy brothers.”
“The Castle brothers.”
“Whatever,” Courtney said. “Slobber all over them like candy, then just sit back and let them ravish you. Trust me, it’s worth it.”
“That what happened to you last night?” I asked.
“Oh, Lexi, I didn’t even tell you the half of it.”
Chapter 5
The night came and went with absolutely nothing happening. Courtney stayed up with me and we watched movies until we fell asleep on the couch, but I kept startling myself awake. Every little sound and each little noise made me flinch, and by the time I finally rolled off the couch, it was well past lunchtime. I could smell food coming from the kitchen as I stretched and yawned. Then I heard the glorious sound of a plate of food being unceremoniously dropped onto the
coffee table as my eyes slowly peeled open.
“Eat,” Courtney said.
“What time is it?” I asked.
“Time for you to get your ass up,” she said.
My back hurt and my limbs were sore. I checked to see if I had any messages or missed phone calls, and sure enough all the twins had messaged me. They all had their various versions of good morning wishes and inquiries about my sleep, but the Wolf brothers had taken it to another level entirely.
Love, you’re worrying me. Let me know you’re all right. This from Tony, followed by a response and plan of action from Terry.
She’s probably just sleeping, Tony. Let her rest. If we haven’t heard from her by lunchtime, I’ll call.
They were talking back and forth with one another in the chat, and it made me smile. Courtney sat down next to me on the couch before she turned on the television, but I could feel her lurking close to me, looking over my shoulder.
“Ah, the animal-named brothers. Those the rich ones?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said, giggling. “Wolf Energy.”
“They should’ve bought you a new outfit for this date,” she said.
“They’re not gonna buy me a fucking outfit for a date with some other dudes. That’s just…weird,” I said.
“Is it really, though? They might be into that kind of shit,” she said, grinning.
Good morning, Tony. Good morning, Terry. I’m all right, I promise. Just didn’t sleep well last night, so it made for a late wake-up call. It felt strange texting in pairs like this.
I bet you look radiant sleeping, Tony wrote back.
You probably didn’t get enough REM sleep. When doctors say people need eight hours of sleep, a certain portion of that needs to be REM sleep. For someone in your current state, that could translate into ten or more hours of sleep, because the body doesn’t automatically slip into REM sleep the moment your eyes close.
I giggled at Terry’s message. He was definitely the brainy one of the bunch. But, there was something endearing about his ramblings, something that made him ironically innocent given their intense, darkened stares.
What my brother is attempting to say is that it’s good that you overslept. After what you’ve been through, darling, you need it, Tony wrote.