Tears of relief sprang forth, and I fought back a grin when Grant awkwardly patted me on the back.
“That sounds like her. Is Daisy out of the woods? How is Nori?”
“Nori is still shell-shocked and predictably refuses to leave Daisy’s side. Daisy’s vitals are stable; however, they want to keep her in the ICU for a couple of days for close monitoring. The bullet did a lot of damage, including nicking her heart.”
“Oh, my God,” I whispered, feeling the tears build back up.
“Let’s get you to the hospital,” he said, reaching for my suitcase. His fingers briefly grazed mine during the exchange, sparking a current that was difficult to ignore.
I followed him out of the airport terminal, and it wasn’t long before he navigated the roundabout that would take us to the expressway. It was nearing 4:00 in the morning—too early for bumper-to-bumper traffic but not too early for a heart-to-heart for Grant.
“Kiyah… can we talk?”
I shook my head sluggishly. I’d been operating on pure adrenaline since I received the news that Daisy and Nori hadbeen attacked, and I was still trying to wrap my head around the eerie standoff I had with Todd. That man had several screws loose, and I couldn’t help but worry about Pete being left in his care.
“Not right now, Grant. I’m not in the right headspace,” I mumbled, watching for the exit that would take us to the hospital.
“I understand.”
We rode in silence for a couple of minutes before he spoke again.
“Kiyah, I get that we’re no longer together, and I don’t have the right to tell you how to live your life, but you can’t go back to working for that guy. He gives me a bad fucking feeling, Ki, and I’m not the only one who feels that way. I firmly believe that he was stalking you and he had plans to lure you to Austin all along.”
He paused to gauge my reaction, throwing furtive glances at me occasionally. I swallowed roughly and asked, “What makes you think that?”
“Are you willing to hear me out and not be dismissive?”
“Of course.”
“I think he hacked your phone when he had it in his possession. Think about it: you didn’t start experiencing trouble with your phone until after he returned it, and he knew things that he shouldn’t have known.”
My brows knitted together in curiosity. “Knew things like what?”
“He knew that we were involved. Did you tell him?”
“No, I didn’t tell him.”
“My point exactly. How did he know when we’ve been fooling our family and friends for years? He also called me out for being an alcoholic, and I’m gonna assume you didn’t tell him that either.”
“I’d never.”
“Have you ever wondered how it was that he kept conveniently showing up at places that you were? And why our calls and text messages were rarely getting through to you? And as over-the-top and dramatic as this may sound, I think his objective was to isolate you from us. I spoke to Daisy and Nori, and they mentioned how often you’re traveling. Kieran swung by to see you, and guards turned him away.”
I didn’t want to admit he was right, but deep down, I knew he was onto something. Todd was a man who craved control; he made it his mission to be in charge of every aspect of my life, right down to how I dressed and where I went. If I stuck around, it would’ve been a recipe for fucking disaster. That man would’ve turned me into a victim.
“You don’t have to worry anymore, Grant. I’m not going back.”
“You shouldn’t have worked for him in the first place,” he huffed.
“That’s helpful, Grant,” I said sarcastically.
“I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I don’t want to fight with you, Kiyah. I just want you to be safe.”
“Thank you for thinking of my safety.”
“Always.”
“What are the chances that Daisy and Nori will let me crash with them while they recover?”