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I would address her concerns, but she’d just dropped a bomb that I couldn’t ignore.
“Who’s Preston?”
As her eyes opened, her hand went to her chest, as if she needed it to breathe. “A friend from work. One of the few I had.” She paused to take a couple more breaths. “Preston didn’t know the details of my relationship with David. I told no one. But he could tell I was torn up when we broke up, and to try to get my mind off things, he’d bring wine to my apartment or drag me out to a bar.”
“And David found out.”
She nodded. “He finds out everything. Always.”
Another topic I’d circle back to, but first, what was Preston’s role in her life?
She’d told me she hadn’t dated anyone or been with anyone since David.
That I had been her first.
Was that not the truth?
“What did he do to Preston?” I asked.
“David went to his apartment.” Her eyes turned into pools of tears, her lips quivering, even her fucking shoulders were shaking. “And he beat Preston to within an inch of his life.”
The news didn’t rattle me in a way where I was afraid David would do the same thing to me. David wouldn’t touch me. But it rattled me for Preston, who was clearly someone Lily cared about.
“Brady, he spent almost a month in the hospital—that’s how badly David had hurt him. I couldn’t even go see him. I was scared that if I did, David would show up there and do something even worse.”
She rubbed her hands over her thighs. “The thing is, Preston and I weren’t even together. Our relationship wasn’t anything like that or even close to that. We were friends—and Preston was in a relationship with another man. He was just a really good guy, Brady. I’d told David that a million times. He didn’t believe me.” She reached for my arm that was already around her. “I even showed David pictures of Preston’s boyfriend and the two of them vacationing together, and David claimed that I’d Photoshopped the picture.”
There was a bit of relief in hearing that Preston’s preference wasn’t Lily and that what she’d told me had held up.
But that David had almost killed a man?
That was some fucked-up shit.
The questions were multiplying in my head.
“How is David finding out these things about you? Is he following you? Tracking you?”
“I don’t know.” Her arms dropped to her sides. “Part of me thinks both since he seems to know where I am at all times—or at least some of the time.” She gripped the edge of the counter. “He’ll make random comments about my location or send photos of me walking into a hotel or getting off the plane, grabbing food, going to an appointment.” She glanced down, no longer looking at me. “It’s gotten to the point where I just stay in my hotel room. I’ve traveled to all these amazing places, and I don’t explore them. I’m constantly nervous he’s going to show up or come to my hotel room. I’m terrified of him, and I think he’s so angry about our breakup that he’ll hurt me. I don’t know … I don’t know what he’d do, but I don’t trust him. I …” She slowly glanced up, the movement causing the tears to stream again. “I feel like a prisoner.”
I fucking ached for her.
For what this despicable human had put her through.
For the anguish and uneasiness she had to live with on a daily basis.
“Two things. One, you’re no longer living that way. When you travel with the Daltons, assuming you’ll have time off, I want you out. I want you seeing every sight. I want you hitting up restaurants and boutiques. Whatever you would do if David wasn’t a concern, that’s what I want for you.” I put my face closer to hers. “What I expect from you.”
My hands went to the center of her thighs. “The second thing is, he will never step foot on any of my properties.” I tried to keep my voice even, but the thought of him showing up at a Cole and Spade Hotel made my blood pressure skyrocket. “You have nothing to worry about. He will be stopped before he gets anywhere near your room.”
She was quiet until she whispered, “But can you really stop him?”
I chuckled. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”
Stopping him would be one of the simpler pieces of this puzzle. But there were certain aspects I still didn’t understand. That made no sense even though she was opening up more than she ever had.
“Why didn’t David go to jail for what he did to Preston?”
“I told you, he’s untouchable.” She chewed the corner of her lip. “And when he does something, it’s untraceable. That’s who I got myself involved with. Out of all the guys I could have picked, I chose a man who’s over-the-top obsessive. Irrational. Dangerous. Who creates scenarios in his head that aren’t true. That’s why I can’t do this to you?—”
