AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I think he’s angry. He also might be suffering from a mental health disorder. I mean, with my family history, it’s possible.”
“But Chase, he could hurt us. You, CJ, me. I would die if anything happened to you.”
“As would I if anything happened to you or CJ. I think you two better stay away from me for a while. Until I can figure out how to reach Barrett, it’s not safe.”
“You think I want that?!” I cry.
“No more than I want it, but I need to protect you. He doesn’t want you; he wants me. He has a score to settle though I don’t know what over.”
“So we stay apart until you can figure it out? How do you think I’m going to deal with that? How about CJ? He’s gotten used to you being around.”
“I know, but I don’t want to endanger anyone. I can hire another private investigator to track him. If he’s watching you and CJ, then he’s watching me. Barrett wasn’t stupid; he wasn’t book smart. For all, we know he’s been spending the last twenty years learning to be invisible. I don’t know how he survived without his trust fund, but he did.”
I start crying because the last thing I want is to be separated from Chase. That and I have my own turmoil to face at work on Monday. I need his support because I don’t know how the rumor of me being with Chase is going to play out.
He pulls me onto his lap and cuddles me he would CJ.
“Don’t cry,” he begs. “I can’t stand to know it’s because of me.”
“I can’t help it. We just got back together, and now you want us to be apart?”
“It’s for our safety. Maybe I can draw Barrett out. I’m going to call the PI I used in Atlanta. He should be able to recommend someone up here. If my brother is watching you, then he must be lurking around the hospital or my apartment.”
“What if he wants to kill you?”
“Then he’ll do it, but he won’t have an easy time. I’m not going to lie down and take it. Don’t worry; I’ll be careful.”
I continue to cry into his chest as he softly sings to me, which I find soothing. I love him so much, and the thought of losing him is too much to consider. When I calm down, Chase eases me off his lap, and I move onto my side. He snuggles against me, and I fall into an uneasy sleep.
“Barrett, no! Stop it! No!”
I wake, and it’s still dark. Chase is no longer next to me, and the sheet is stretching tightly over my body. I switch on the light, and spot Chase curled up in the corner of the bed, clenching the sheets. His eyes are tightly closed, and he keeps repeating Barrett’s name.
I call to him, softly at first, then louder until his eyes pop open. Terror is etched on his face, and he looks around wildly until he realizes where he is.
“Baby, it’s alright,” I tell him. “I’m here.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry I woke you up.”
“What was that about?”
“Nothing. Just a bad dream.”
“You were screaming Barrett’s name.”
“It must have been because we talked about him before bed. I had a lot of nightmares about him after the accident. Carrie didn’t want to sleep in bed with me because they became almost a nightly thing.”
“Did you speak to anyone about them?”
“A psychologist friend at the hospital in Atlanta, yeah. They stopped after a while anyway.”
“What were they about?”
“Nothing. There is no rhyme or reason to them. I want to go back to bed.”
At his dismissal, I turn out the light and expect him to snuggle against me again, but he doesn’t. He stays on his side of the bed. Whatever Chase is worried about, I hope they locate his brother soon. The thought of being separated is less than appealing.
The next morning, Chase is once again not in bed when I wake up. I get up expecting to see him in the living room or the kitchen with CJ, but he’s not. CJ is still sleeping in his crib. I search around for a note but find nothing. Since we got back together, it’s unlike Chase to not let me know where he went.
