Page 53 of The Voicemail

Nico stays on the phone the whole time, narrating everything as it happens. Elena hasn’t said a word against my security team being right behind her. She either expected it or is too grateful to complain. Maya is shaken and keeps apologizing. The two women sit in my security team’s SUV, waiting for me to arrive.

As desperate as I feel to see Elena, I’m apprehensive about her attitude. I have no idea where her head is at. She’s apparently giving Nico nothing.

“Put Maya on the phone,” I tell him.

He chuckles into the speaker. “I don’t think you want to talk to her. As sorry as she is for almost getting Elena hurt, she’s got nothing but awful things to say about you.”

I roll my eyes. “Put her on the phone, Nico,” I instruct.

“Your funeral.” He laughs, but I hear the shift as the phone is handed over.

“What do you want?” Maya snaps.

“We’re ten minutes away,” I tell her. “I just want to know how Elena is.”

“That’s none of your business,” she says coldly. “As far as I can tell, her life was a whole lot better before you came into it.”

Elena’s voice in the background twists something in my gut. She’s telling Maya to go easy on me. I didn’t expect that, not after everything that happened this morning.

“She says she’s fine,” Maya says a moment later. “And that you don’t need to come here. And if your goons would let us out of this car, we could be on our way.”

“Maya, listen to me,” I say as patiently as I can. “I’m sorry, but you can’t stay at your place. Elena’s stalker knows where you live now. It isn’t safe for her or for you.”

Maya must drop the phone, because a burst of muffled noise comes through and then she’s shouting at Nico. If I weren’t so afraid for Elena, I might admire her fire. As it is, all I can think about is getting to her. The damn traffic is crawling.

When we finally reach Maya’s street, I see two of my vehicles idling at the curb. DeSantis stands near a bodega entrance with blood on his shirt. Raul is talking to one of the building residents, who looks both terrified and overly invested in the drama that’s just unfolded. I push open the door before my car even rolls to a stop.

I make a beeline for the SUV where Elena and Maya are waiting. When I open the door, Maya blinks against the sunlight, pale and furious. Elena sits quietly beside her, looking down at her hands. Silent tears stream down her face.

“It’s okay,” I tell her quietly. “This wasn’t your fault.”

She looks up at me sharply, with so much pain in her eyes it guts me. “Of course it is,” she answers hoarsely.

I crouch beside the SUV and carefully place a hand on her knee. “It isn’t, Elena,” I say as firmly as I can. “It isn’t your fault that this creep won’t leave you alone. You didn’t do anything to bring this on. Please don’t blame yourself for this.”

She shakes her head and more tears fall down her face. “I shouldn’t have left,” she says in a small voice. “I was so angry with you, I didn’t think about the consequences. Now my best friend is in danger.”

“We’ll protect her,” Luca says from behind me.

“Just tell me what you want to do,” I say. “The choice is yours, Elena. I’ve taken enough from you. If you want me to find you a different safehouse far away from me, I’ll do it. Whatever you want.”

Her eyes meet mine then, and something in her seems to settle. “I want to go back to your penthouse.”

17

ELENA

Going back feels like losing. I know that logically it’s the right choice. Maya’s apartment clearly isn’t safe for either of us. Alex’s penthouse has guards and cameras and private elevators. We’d be protected there.

Still, when I say I want to go back, it feels like handing him an undeserved victory. Maya, for her part, doesn’t take it well at all.

“Absolutely not,” she answers immediately. “I didn’t go through all of this just for you to go back to the man who broke your trust this morning. You deserve better, Elena. You know that, right?”

“Maya,” I say under my breath.

“Don’t do that voice,” she answers pointedly. “That’s the voice you use when you know you’re going to win.”

Luca coughs behind Alex and it feels oddly directed at me. Alex ignores him.