“Nick, this has nothing to do with you,” Levi says, turning to face him instead of me.
Nick grabs the knife on the counter and jumps toward Levi.
I scream just as he swings it forward, stabbing Levi in the stomach. Levi’s mouth drops open as he looks down at the knife. He falls to his knees, and I try running toward him, but Nick grabs me around the waist and starts dragging me from the kitchen.
“You’re mine. You’re coming with me.”
I’m screaming and thrashing against him, fighting to get back to Levi. But Nick is too strong. He easily overpowers me as he drags me through the living room toward the door.
“Dani, wake up. It’s just a nightmare. Wake up,” Levi says, shaking me.
My eyes pop open, and I sit up straight in bed, breathing heavily. My heart is pounding, and tears are flooding my eyes.
“Levi,” I breathe out, twisting to pull him against me.
He hugs me close. “Shhh, everything is fine. I’m here. I’m here,” he whispers in my ear as he lays us back down on the bed.
I cry into his shirt while inhaling his rich scent, trying to remind myself that it was just a dream. But it felt so real. I thought he was going to die, and I couldn’t help him.
Levi rubs his hand up and down my back in a soothing motion. All the while, he whispers in my ear, telling me how he’s here and how he won’t let anything happen to me. But in my dream, it was him that got hurt, not me.
I lean over and capture his mouth with mine, needing to taste him, needing to convince myself that he’s here. That the dream wasn’t real.
He pulls away and studies my face. I’m sure I look a mess with my watery, bloodshot eyes and puffy face from crying. Not to mention, I just woke up and know my hair is a mess.
“What was the dream about, Dani?” he asks, his voice taking a serious, worried edge.
“Nick walked in on us having sex, and he attacked you. He stabbed you, and I couldn’t help you. I tried getting to you, but he pulled me away. He wouldn’t let me help you.” Just talking about it makes my eyes flood with tears again.
“Shhh,” he says, rubbing his hand up and down my back again. “It was just a dream. He can’t get to you.”
I look up at him in the darkness. “I’m not worried about him getting to me. I’m worried he’ll come after you if he finds out the truth. I don’t want you hurt in this. This is my mess. I should never have involved you.” I shake my head.
He places his finger beneath my chin and tilts my head back until I’m looking in his eyes. “Dani, he won’t hurt me. We’ll be fine. I’ll keep you safe. You don’t have to be scared of him.” He kisses me deeply as he cups my cheek with his strong hand. It’s a long kiss that causes a spark in my heart to burn free. It burns its way through my body until there’s nothing left of me but a pile of ashes.
In the morning, I still can’t shake the dream I had, but it’s Monday, and we have to go to work. We both wake up with his alarm going off, and instead of getting up right away, he curls around me, brushing my hair from my face. “Wake up, sleepyhead,” he coos.
I smile as my eyes flutter open.
“How’d you sleep?” he asks.
“Good, once I finally got back to sleep.”
“Why don’t you go take a shower and get ready for work while I find us something for breakfast?”
I nod, and he moves to get up, but I catch his hand in mine and pull him back in for a long kiss. A kiss I desperately needed to convince myself that he’s real and here.
When I step beneath the water, I close my eyes and get flashes of that dream. Everything felt so real. I could smell the candles burning; I could feel Nick’s hands on me. I could see the pain on Levi’s face.
I let my head fall back, out of the water, and I suck in a deep breath. I need to shake this dream from my head. I need to move on. It wasn’t real. There’s no use in dwelling on it.
I quickly wash off and get out, heading to my room for some clothes. After dressing and styling my hair in a sleek bun, I walk into the kitchen to find Levi moving about. This morning, he’s prepared yogurt and fruit. He hands me a bowl with a quick kiss.
“Eat up before we’re late.”
I’m in a meeting when the phone rings. Maddie picks it up and talks quietly into it. She hangs up and looks at me. “Danielle, someone is down in the lobby asking for you.”
“For me?” I ask, pointing at my chest.
She nods before drawing everyone’s attention back to the projection once again.
I nervously stand up and smooth down my skirt before leaving the room. My gut is tensed and tells me what I’ll find, but my brain tells me Nick is in New York for the workweek, and he’d never bring this to my place of work. I step off the elevator and into the lobby. I look around until my eyes land on Nick standing in the waiting section.
I take a deep breath and push myself forward, coming to a stop directly in front of him.
“Nick,” I greet him.
“Danielle, can we please talk? I’ve been calling your phone for days. Hell, yesterday I dropped by Levi’s apartment, but you weren’t there. I need to talk to you.” His facial features are soft and smooth. He doesn’t look angry.
“Let’s go outside,” I say, motioning toward the fountain I always sit at.
He smiles as he leads the way, opening the door for me. Neither of us talks as we walk to the fountain.
I take my seat on the side like I usually do, clasping my hands together in my lap. “Why aren’t you in New York? Shouldn’t you be working?”
He slides his hands into his pockets and watches as he kicks tiny pebbles on the ground. “Yeah, I should be, but I couldn’t until this thing with us is fixed.” He looks at me now, like he is expecting me to fall at his feet.
I shake my head in bewilderment. “This thing between us isn’t getting fixed, Nick. It’s broken beyond repair. You broke it.” I level my eyes on him.
He sits down beside me and takes my hand in his. “Danielle, I fucked up. I know I did, but I’m sorry. I love you. I miss you. And I won’t rest until I have you back, back at home with me.”
“No, Nick. Don’t you get it? You cheated on me. You broke my trust. I can never trust you again. I’m not coming back home. I’m not getting back with you. All I want is for you to leave me alone and let me move on. I never want to see you again.” I stand up and start toward the building, but he catches my wrist, stopping me.
“I won’t stop trying to win you back, Danielle. And please, watch out for Levi. He’s always had a thing for you. You’re hurt—I hurt you—and I’d hate for him to use that against you and trick you into something you’re not ready for.”
I tug my wrist out of his hand and walk into the building without looking back.
When lunch rolls around, I head outside and sit at the fountain, waiting for Levi. But the guy that walks up isn’t Levi. It’s Nick. He towers over me, blocking the sun.
“What are you still doing here?” I ask, closing my book.
“I thought we could go to lunch together.” He offers up a wide smile.
Levi walks up seconds later. “What’s going on here?” he asks, looking between Nick and me.
I take a deep breath and stand up. “Nothing. Ready for lunch?” I ask, only looking at him.
His eyes bounce from me to Nick, and back. “Everything okay?” he asks, studying me.
I nod and force a smile. “Yeah, Nick was just leaving.”
Nick steps up. “I was not. I’m not leaving until you give me another chance,” he states flatly.
“You’re going to be waiting a while,” I say, looking directly at him. “Come on, Levi.” I walk away without another word. I’m almost to the street when I turn and look over my shoulder to see Nick and Levi still talking. I wonder what they’re talking about. Instead of crossing the street, I stand and wait for Levi.
Minutes later, he comes walking up while Nick walks away from the both of us.
“What di
d you say to get him to leave?” I ask as we cross the street.
He takes a deep breath. “Nothing. I just told him that stalking you isn’t going to make you take him back.”
“So, you didn’t tell him about us?” I ask nervously.
“No, of course not,” he replies.
“Good,” I breathe out.
Levi looks over at me, and he gently squeezes my hand, but he doesn’t hold it. He lets go so we can walk into the restaurant.
I’m leaving the office and bump into Maddie. “Hey, is everything okay?” she asks as I step into the lobby.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
Her eyes flash over to the doors, and I follow them to see Nick standing outside.
“If he’s stalking you, we can have him forcibly removed from the property,” she offers.
“Stalking me? No, we broke up, and he’s just not accepting it the way he should. He’s not harassing me or anything…yet. How’d you hear about this?”
She moves her head from one side to the other. “Bennet and Levi had a meeting today, and it just happened to come up. Since I married Bennet, he brought it up, just so we’d have eyes on you, and you’d stay safe. That’s all. It’s not gossip, and nobody else knows.”
I take a deep breath. “I’ll handle it,” I tell her, pushing past with my eyes locked on Nick’s.
I step outside, and the moment he opens his mouth, I cut him off. “No, it’s not your turn to talk. You did that earlier. This time, it’s my turn. Got that?”
He snaps his mouth shut and nods.
“You cannot keep coming here, Nick. My boss has caught on, and she’s willing to have you removed from the property to keep me safe. Do you understand that? We’re done, and you have to stop this. Now, go home. I don’t want to see you again.”
“Danielle, just let me explain.”
“Explain what? How you were tricked into sleeping with that girl? How you thought I’d never find out? No, it doesn’t matter what she said to get you into bed. It doesn’t matter how you were feeling. The only thing that matters is you stepped out on me. We’re done.” Without another word, I start walking toward the street, no longer worried about catching Levi. Right now, all I can think about is getting away from Nick as quickly as possible.
I flag down a taxi and climb into the backseat since I rode to work with Levi. I pull out my phone and send him a quick text, so he doesn’t stand around waiting on me.
Hey, I got a taxi back to the apartment. Nick was outside, and I couldn’t wait for you any longer. See you at home.
I slide my phone back into my purse and stare out the window. When the cab pulls up to the apartment building, I hand over some cash and climb out. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, but I tell myself that I’m just upset about Nick and the way I keep running into him. I push myself to walk faster into the building, noticing that Levi’s car isn’t here yet. I know I would feel better walking into the apartment if he were in there, but I know I would feel worse just standing out in the hallway alone than behind a locked door.
I get into the elevator and push the button for the fourth floor. It only takes seconds before I’m stepping out. I walk around the corner and stop at the door. I slide the key into the lock, and the door easily opens. As I’m stepping in, someone pushes me and slams the door closed behind us. I fall to the floor and roll over to see Nick leaning over me.
11
Levi
I’m at my desk and my phone chimes from beside me. I quickly glance over and read Dani’s text message. My eyes jump to the computer screen to see that it’s already five-thirty.
“Shit,” I mumble, jumping up and gathering my things. I stuff what I need into my briefcase and shut down the computer. As I’m rushing out my office door, I bump into Maddie.
“Whoa, sorry. Are you okay?” I ask, placing my hands on her arms to steady her.
Her balance levels out, and she nods before straightening her jacket. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was hoping to bump into you…just not literally,” she jokes.
I force a smile. I don’t mind talking with Maddie, but I am in a hurry. Dani has already left, and there’s no telling where Nick is or if he got the message and left her alone. I don’t want her being alone until Nick is under control.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Oh, well. It’s about Danielle and that guy she was with,” she whispers so nobody can overhear her, even though I think we’re the only people left on this floor.
“What about him?”
“Bennet told me what you two talked about, and I thought you should know that in our meeting today, there was a call for Dani. She had a visitor she went out and met with. And then when she was leaving just a bit ago, he was here again. I’m not sure if he ever left. I told her I could have him removed from the property, but she insisted it was unnecessary.”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to him. I’m sure we don’t need to go to those lengths. But thanks, Maddie.” I turn to leave.
“Levi,” she calls out after me.
I stop and turn to face her. “Yeah?”
She closes the two steps I took so we’re directly in front of each other. “I watched her talk to him. I watched her walk away and get into a cab, but I also watched him rush to a car of his own. I’m not sure, but it looked like he could’ve been—”
“Following her,” I finish for her.
She nods. “I don’t want to upset you, but that’s what it looked like anyway. You know how things can get misconstrued when you don’t know what’s going on.”
“Thanks, Maddie. I gotta go.” Without another word, I take off in a sprint toward the elevator.
I rush out of the building, hoping to find Dani sitting on the concrete fountain like usual – even though I know she took a cab – but it’s empty. I turn and run toward the parking lot. I climb behind the wheel and shift into drive. Hitting the gas causes the car to jump forward, and the moment I’m on the road, I press the button on the steering wheel, calling her back.
The phone rings and rings until it goes to voicemail.
“Fuck, Dani. Answer the phone.” I try to convince myself that she’s just taking a shower or changing out of her work clothes, but there’s a pit in my stomach that tells me otherwise.
On the drive home, I call her cell over and over until I’m pulling into the parking lot. I grab my briefcase and run inside. I get in the elevator and hit the button for my floor. The door closes too slowly, and I stand there bouncing until they open again.
I turn the corner and run down the hall to my door. I stop just outside it, listening. I hear soft whispers from the other side, so instead of barging through it, I twist the knob calmly. The door opens, and I step in, finding Dani and Nick sitting on the couch.
“Oh, hey,” I say, pausing and setting my briefcase down. “What’s going on?”
Dani’s eyes are wide, and they move from mine to her busted phone on the floor. It looks like it was thrown against the wall and shattered on impact.
“What happened to your phone?” I ask, looking between her and Nick.
“It wouldn’t stop ringing. Why the fuck were you calling so many times?” Nick asks, standing and turning his body so he’s facing me.
“Maddie, at work, told me there was an issue with you today. And that it looked like you could be following Dani. I was worried.”
“You thought I’d hurt her?” he asks, pointing at his chest.
“Well, you are the guy who picked her up by her throat. Are you not?” I feel anger surge my veins.
“Man…fuck you. Why are you even in this? This is our business.” He turns back to Dani. “You know that was a mistake. I apologized for that.” He sits down and takes her hand in his. Just watching him touch her has my heart pounding. It pumps the anger twice as fast.
“Nick, you need to leave,” I say sternly.
His head whips around in my direction again. “What? Why?”
“She broke up with you. She called
off your engagement. This is stalking. If you don’t leave her alone and stop showing up at her work, we’ll get a restraining order.”
My eyes flash over to Dani, and I see her bite her lower lip as she inspects her wrist. It’s red and swelling. There are marks I can clearly see from across the room that are blue and purple.
“What happened to your arm?” I ask, pushing past Nick and bending down to examine it.
I look over my shoulder at him. “Did you do this?”
“It was an accident.” He waves his hand through the air.
I stand up and march over to him. “Get out and leave her alone. You’re done.”
“What if I don’t?” he challenges.
I shove against his chest, and since he’s a lot bigger than me, he swats me away.
“Stop!” Dani yells, standing from her place on the couch. She moves between us. Tears are filling her eyes. I know the only thing she’s thinking of is her dream from last night. The one that scared her. The one that had me holding her all night. Not him. Me.
She turns toward Nick. “I want you to go. I’ve already told you that we’re done. And Levi is right. If you don’t stay away, I will get a restraining order. You’ve hurt me enough. Now go before I call the police.”
Nick looks hurt as he looks between her and me. “I can’t believe this. You’re my best friend,” he says, looking at me as he backs toward the door.
I shake my head once, keeping my eyes trained on his. “Not anymore.”
He turns and storms out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Dani quickly runs up to it and locks it before rushing into my arms.
I hug her close, inhaling her scent. For the first time, I don’t think about what could happen to me because of Nick. I think about what could happen to her. It’s obvious that Nick is more concerned about winning her than he is for her safety. All he wanted to do was talk, and now, look at her arm.
“Come on. Let’s wrap that arm and get some ice on it,” I say, leading her toward the kitchen.
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