Page 76 of Keep Me Close

I set the note back in the box. My heart thunders as every instinct snaps to attention with the emerging pattern.

Flowers at the hotel.

The punch outside my building.

Possibly slipping into the Railers event.

And now a shattered picture frame and note.

This guy isn’t spiraling, he’s escalating. And I’m done pretending otherwise.

I straighten and turn toward Chey, only to find her rooted in place. She’s staring at the box with wide eyes, as if it might detonate at any moment.

“Chey,” I say, wanting to capture her attention.

Her gaze lifts to mine, and there’s fear in it now. Not discomfort or unease. But actual fear.

“He… He never…” She swallows hard. “He never acted like this before.”

I close the distance between us and pull her into my arms before she can say anything else. She fists the front of my sweatshirt, clinging as if she needs something solid to keep her upright.

I tighten my hold. “It’s okay,” I murmur, even though I know it’s not true. “I’ve got you.”

“I can’t believe he’d do something like this. I can’t believe he sent that here.”

And there it is. The part that makes this so much worse. It’s not just a threat. It’s a violation. He managed to get something inside my home, in a place where she should feel safe.

“He’s not…” She shakes her head against me. “He’s not like this.”

My jaw locks because, yeah, he is. Maybe she hadn’t seen it before or he’d just been better at hiding it when he still thought he was in control.

But this is exactly who that guy is when he starts losing his grip.

Unstable.

Obsessive.

Volatile.

“He is now,” I say quietly.

She stills. “I thought he was just upset.” Her fingers tighten in my shirt. “To send a shattered photo of us here with that note? That’s not normal.”

“You’re right.” It takes effort to keep my tone calm as rage burns at the bottom of my gut. “It’s not.”

She pulls back enough to stare at me with glassy eyes. “I didn’t think he’d ever try to scare me like this.”

I slide one hand up to cradle the back of her head and the other to her cheek, cupping her face and forcing her to refocus on me.

“Hey.”

Her lashes flutter.

I carefully sweep my thumb beneath her eye. “Look at me.”

It takes a moment for her gaze to settle on mine.

“You’re safe here,” I say. “He’s not getting anywhere near you. Not ever again.”