Dane used his key to get into Blythe’s building. He took the stairs two at a time to get to her apartment on the second floor. He couldn’t get to her fast enough. He had been shopping for the cafe at a local restaurant supply when her call came in. He told the cashier he had an emergency, and asked if he could call his manager to finish up. He hadn’t heard the answer as he rushed out the door to his truck.
Nothing mattered except getting to Blythe. If anything happened to her because of that psycho Leo, he would never forgive himself. He was intimately familiar with Leo’s brand of violence and the lengths he would go to control and punish Blythe.
He had promised Devon he would look out for her after he had taken the job in Sacramento. Of course, her family still lived close by, but Blythe wanted freedom. She moved an hour and twenty minutes south to Chico from Redding. At the time, both Dane and Devon had lived here. Then Devon had gotten a better job offer, so he moved ninety minutes south to Sacramento.
As Dane rounded the corner, he heard Blythe’s sobs and saw the open door. He could smell the roses before he saw them. Terror crept down his spine as he ran to Blythe.
“Son of a bitch,” Dane whispered. There wasn’t an inch of available surface space not covered with roses. There had to be well over two thousand red roses in her place. Leo hadn’t spared any expense announcing his arrival back into her life. How many florists did he have to call to pull this together?
He turned to Blythe, who was sobbing in the entryway and smashed her to his chest. “I’m here. I’m here, Bly. I’ve got you.”
His heart broke when her red-rimmed terror-filled green eyes, swollen from crying, locked on his. “Edith, my landlady, thought it was a romantic surprise.” She let out a bitter laugh. “He’s never going to leave me alone.”
Dane looked around at the roses and had to agree with her. She had restraining orders against Leo, but when you were born a millionaire and your father was a Congressman, there didn’t seem to be consequences. She edited and wrote under a pen name. Nothing was in her name in an effort to keep her safe, they had done everything possible to erase her presence. She wasn’t on social media, and everyone was careful to not post anything with her in it on any of the sites.
It had taken him almost three years to find her this time. Dane was pissed. During his time in the Air Force’s Special Warfare branch as a member of the special reconnaissance unit, he had handled any number of high-intensity life-and-death situations. There were times when he was the only person deployed into an area and had to pave the way for other elite sister military assets to come in. He had lost brothers and sisters in arms to unknown enemies, but this situation with Blythe was more terrifying in ways.
He knew his enemy, knew how much money and power he had; and yet, there was nothing he could do to protect her from Leo. He had the skill set to keep her safe, but he could never fully eliminate the threat to her safety. Leo’s obsession with the one that got away never seemed to end. He was featured in countless magazines with new women all the time, but still, his singular focus always returned to Blythe.
“You’re wrong. That bastard is going to leave you alone,” Dane vowed.
“How?”
“I’m working on it. But I won’t let him hurt you again.”
Blythe relaxed in his arms as his words washed over her. Dane would take care of Leo. He always knew what to do. If anyone could get Leo to back off, it would be him.
“Let’s pack you a bag. You’re staying with me for the next few days at least,” Dane announced.
Blythe nodded and let him lead her to her bedroom and closet. Once there, she grabbed her luggage set and began packing as much as she could. Dane didn’t say a word as she worked. He grabbed her small toiletries case and walked into the bathroom. It wasn’t lost on him that the roses extended into the bedroom. It was that bastard’s way of sending her a message by claiming the private sanctuary of her most intimate space.
In total, Blythe packed three suitcases, her tablet and laptop, as well as her chargers, and toiletries from the bathroom. She double-checked she had everything before following Dane out of her apartment. He took the two largest pieces of luggage, leaving her with her laptop case and toiletries case.
Edith opened the door to her apartment when she saw Blythe and Dane in the hall with her luggage. Blythe was attempting to lock her apartment door but was failing because she was shaking. Dane took the keys from her as Edith came over.
“You’re leaving?” Edith asked with a perplexed look on her face.
Dane turned to the woman, careful to his facial expression neutral. He wanted to throttle the middle-aged busybody, instead, he answered for Blythe. “Yes. I’ll have someone clear the apartment over the next week. Then you’ll release Blythe from the remainder of her lease and give her back her full deposit.”
The older woman balked. “Hold on just a minute. She renewed the lease a few months ago for another year. I can’t just release her from her lease for no reason.”
Blythe stiffened next to him. She could feel the anger radiating from his body in waves despite his best efforts to hide his emotions.
Dane made a move to respond, but she cut him off. “No reason? No reason? You let my stalker into my apartment without my knowledge or permission! You confirmed my identity to him and told him my name! When I file the police report, because he’s in violation of the restraining orders, — yes, it’s plural — I’m including how he got into the building and accessed my apartment.”
Blythe was vibrating next to him. Dane wasn’t sure if it was from shock, rage, or a mix of both. He was certain Blythe was on the verge of a breakdown, and he didn’t blame her, but he wanted her someplace safe, like his home above his cafe when the anxiety and panic attack hit.
Edith paled as she realized just how much trouble she was in. “You let me know as soon as the apartment is clean. I’ll break the lease and give you back your deposit in full.”
Dane nodded and guided Blythe down the stairs to his truck. His eyes scanned their surroundings as they walked out of the building to his truck. He helped her into the passenger side before loading the luggage and driving them to his place.
