decorated, and beautiful in a way that was cold but impersonal. He had the lavish touches one would expect from someone of his wealth, such as a private rooftop pool and a state-of-the-art gym down the hall from the den, but my favorite room was the library. Piles of cushions turned the deep windowsills into sunny reading nooks while modern orange couches added an unexpected pop of color.
Hundreds of books lined the customized black shelves, and I could tell by their worn spines that Christian actually read them instead of using them as props. That was where I chose to bite the bullet and call my friends. I’d been putting it off all day, but I couldn’t stall much longer. I called Ava first. Bridget lived in Eldorra with plenty of protection, and Jules already knew about the stalker, so it wouldn’t take long to update her. “Hey!” Despite my less-than-ideal circumstances, Ava’s bright voice made me smile. “What’s up?” A lot. “Not much. Are you home?” I wanted to make sure she wasn’t in transit when I dropped the bombshell. “Yep, just got back.” I heard the closing of a door and a faint masculine voice in the background. I assumed it was her fiancé Alex. I felt better knowing Ava had Alex by her side. Alex Volkov was a force of his own, and while he made me a bit uneasy—I was almost certain he harbored psychopathic tendencies—
he would put his life on the line to protect Ava. “Great.” I twisted the bottom of my shirt. I should’ve scripted how I would break the news to her, but it was too late now. “How was work?”
“Fun, but beyond busy. We have our annual Best Of feature coming up, and…” I half listened as she told me about her latest photography assignment, her upcoming wedding, and my Delamonte deal. I needed to discuss the contract with Brady, but with everything that’d happened over the past twenty-four hours, it’d completely slipped my mind. Closing the Delamonte deal had consumed me for months. Now that I finally had it, it was barely a blip on my radar. The universe had a messed-up sense of timing. “What else is going on besides Delamonte? How are things with Christian?” Ava asked. “You haven’t posted about him since the art gallery photo. That was super cute, by the way.” There it was. The opening I’d been looking for. My phone slipped against my palm as I forced my next words past the lump in my throat. “About that. I, uh…” I coughed. “I moved in with him yesterday.’ There was a beat of silence before a disbelieving “What?” boomed over the line.
I winced and held my phone away from my ear. For someone so small, Ava had a powerful voice. “You moved in with him? I thought you were…” She dropped her voice to a whisper. Alex must be nearby. “Only fake dating. Why are you suddenly living with him?” “That’s the other thing.” My chest expanded with a deep, fortifying breath. “I…” I have a stalker. The words sat on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t get them out. I’d been keeping my secret for so long, the idea of sharing it with my friends made my heart kick like a trapped animal against its cage. Christian and Jules knew the truth, but only out of necessity—Christian because he found me the night I discovered the note, Jules because we’d lived together when the stalker made his first appearance. And she didn’t know the stalker was back. “I, um…” Just say it. I stood and paced the room, too restless to sit. “I moved in because I…I have a stalker. And he broke into my apartment yesterday.” The words finally spilled out and landed on the floor with a heavy thud.
The force of it reverberated through my bones, but the ensuing silence was so thick I could taste it over the line. “What?” Ava breathed. Softer this time, and dizzy with shock. I stopped next to the potted fern. The earthy smells of soil and greenery worked their way into my lungs,
grounding me and giving me the fortitude to explain the situation. I started with the notes from two years ago and ended with my discovery yesterday. The more I talked, the easier it was, though a whisper of unease lingered in my stomach. I hated worrying my friends. “So that’s why I moved in with Christian,” I finished. “It’s the safest thing to do while the stalker is still on the loose.” I rubbed an absentminded thumb over my necklace—amethyst, for calming energies and stress relief. I’d hunted it down immediately after the movers brought my stuff up. I needed all the stress relief I could get. “Yes, but…” Ava blew out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I still can’t get over the part where this started three years ago, and you didn’t tell me. This isn’t a secret boyfriend or…or a side gig moonlighting as a dancer, Stella. You’re my best friend, and your life was in danger.” She didn’t sound angry; she sounded hurt, which was even worse. “I would’ve helped you.”
“There was nothing you could’ve done. If anything had happened to you because of me, I never would’ve forgiven myself.” Another long pause. “Do Jules and Bridget know?” My teeth sank into my bottom lip. “Jules knows about the first batch of letters since we were living together at the time. Bridget has no clue. The notes stopped coming after a few months,” I added. “So it wasn’t an issue for too long.” Until they restarted. “God,” Ava breathed. “This is bananas.” “Not more bananas than getting kidnapped by your boyfriend’s psycho uncle, right?” I hid my nerves with a shaky laugh. Despite her sunny demeanor, Ava had lived through more traumatic events than I have. “Right. They could make soap operas out of our lives,” she said dryly. “Listen, just stay with me until you catch this guy. Alex won’t mind, and he’ll sort things out. Actually, let me get him.” She raised her voice. “Alex, can you come over here? I have—” “No! Don’t tell him.”
Involving Alex in something like this was a bad idea. He was as liable to murder someone as he was to help them. “I’ve got this under control. Besides, Christian is the security expert, and you have enough on your plate with the wedding.” “Screw the wedding—crap. Hold on.” Ava must’ve covered the speaker because her words became muffled. “No, honey, of course I still want to get married! I was talking to Stella about the, um, wedding planner…no, don’t fire her. She’s great. I was just frustrated in the moment. Bridal nerves, you know. I’m fine now. Yes, I promise…why did I call for you? Uh, I’m craving those new raspberry lemon cookies from Crumble & Bake. Can you please run down and get some for me? Thank you! Love you.” Ava returned, sounding breathless. “Sorry about that. Alex has been so on edge about the wedding.
He made our florist cry the other day.” She sighed. “We’re working on his interpersonal skills.”
Usually, brides were the ones who obsessed over every detail, but Alex was type A to a fault.
“Anyway.” Ava turned serious again. “Are you sure you don’t need help? I know Christian probably has it handled, but Alex knows everyone.” “Yes, I’m sure. There’s no need to drag more people into my mess than necessary.”
The situation had already ballooned out of control, with the move and a bodyguard and God knew what else. The last thing I wanted was for it to turn into even more of a circus. “You’re not dragging us anywhere. We want to be there. You’re our friend, Stella,” Ava said gently. “If you’re in danger, we want to help. That’s what friends do. That’s what you would do for us.” A knot of emotion formed in my throat. Natalia and I were sisters by blood, but Ava, Jules, and Bridget were my family by choice. We’d been there for each other through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and even if I’d shielded them from the worst in my life, just knowing they were