Lost in Me (Lost Duet #1)

Chapter Nine

Shawn

I sit on the counter next to Sherri. She has been quiet since she got here and we unlocked the doors. I know yesterday scared her even though she won’t say it out loud. She is a lot like me in that way. We keep our feelings to ourselves.

I know at one point, Sherri was married, then her husband passed away because of cancer, and then she started working for me around the same time I hired Em.

Sherri is my strong foundation in this place. She takes care of everything, and everyone who works here comes through the doors asking for our help. I honestly don’t know what I would do without her.

Sherri is looking at Em’s schedule for today. I know she is worried about her after what happened yesterday.

“I see you two are no longer hot and cold.”

“Sherri,” I say with amusement.

“I’m just saying it is about time,” she states with a smile.

I smile and shake my head as I turn and look at the computer screen. Em has a full day of clients to meet. Most of the clients want to see her, and I can understand why. She is a survivor, and she wants to help others escape what she is going through.

“What are we going to do about that man?” Sherri asks with concern.

“I am taking care of it,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Do I want to ask what that means?” she asks with amusement.

I shake my head. “No. Probably not.”

“You care for her, don’t you?”

“Yes.” I nod gently.

“Good. She needs you. Just like you need her, Shawn,” she whispers.

I stare at Sherri, waiting for her to say more, but she doesn’t as we both hear the bell at the front door. We both look up and see a client walking in. I also see Jesse outside pacing. He hasn’t come in yet, but he has been out there for about an hour. I can see the rage in him building.

I also watched him remove the roses, ring box, and letter from the trash. I knew he was watching us this morning. Men like him can’t stay away. I know it is driving him crazy knowing I am with Em, which honestly makes me smile. I like to play games with men like Jesse. He thinks he can break me, but I am the one that will, in fact, break him.

I take a deep breath as Sherri picks up the phone to call Em. Her client is checked in and ready for her.

“Honey, your client is ready when you are,” Sherri states on the phone.

Sherri hangs up and continues to stare at the computer screen. Moments later, we can hear Em making her way down the hallway. I turn and watch her. She comes up to me, stepping between my legs. She wraps her arms around my waist. I wrap my arms around her neck, pulling her into me.

She smiles as I lean down and connect my lips to hers. The kiss is soft and quick. I slowly make my way down from her lips to her ear. “He is outside, Angel. Stay inside these walls.”

“Okay,” she whispers.

“He will not touch you,” I confirm.

“I know,” she says with confidence that makes my heart skip a beat.

I pull back just enough to look into her eyes. She is worried but calm. I lean back in and gently kiss her forehead. My heart is racing by the affection I am showing her. The type of affection I have never shown anyone.

But we need to bait Jesse. We need to drive him as insane as he is trying to drive us insane. This is a deadly cat-and-mouse game, and I am determined to win.

After a few moments, I pull back and we both release our hold on each other. Em smiles at me as she walks behind Sherri, gently touching her shoulders as she walks around the counter toward the client, who is sitting in the waiting room.

Em stops for a moment and looks out the front doors. Jesse is standing in front of the doors with his hands on the glass. His eyes are dark and filled with rage. I know he just witnessed the affection we showed each other. So far, I am winning at this game, and he is losing, and he will continue to lose.

Em takes a deep breath. “Are you ready to come back?” Em asks the new client.

The young girl nods slowly, gets up from the chair, and makes her way over to Em. Em gently places her hand on the girl’s lower back and begins to lead her past the counter and down the hallway toward her office. She stops for a moment and looks at me.

I slowly nod. “I will take care of it,” I state softly, doing my best to reassure her. I know this must be hard for her—focusing on the client’s stories of domestic violence when she is currently living it herself again.

This whole thing makes my blood boil, but I know I need to be careful. Very fucking careful. I don’t want to scare Em. I don’t want to draw attention to me or this place from the police. Most of them are on my payroll, but the Feds aren’t, and I know they have been looking at me for years.

I might need to get my boys in on this, though. Let Jesse know I am not the only one watching him, the local police are watching him as well. I know he is on fucking parole. I got connections, and I read his file. I read what he told the therapist in prison about Emory and their relationship. He is fucking nuts in every sense of the word.

She nods back and continues to walk toward her office. I wait to hear her door shut.

As soon as I hear it shut, I slowly get off the counter. I don’t want her to see me confronting Jesse. She is worried enough.

“What are you going to do?” Sherri asks me. Her tone is concerned. We have never had an ex do this before, but it was bound to happen with the line of work we are in. There is always the possibility we would have to deal with something like this.

I just never thought it would happen to the woman I am falling in love with. Never in a million years had I thought I would fall in love with someone, and now that I have, it makes this whole situation so much worse. It makes me feel even more unhinged.

“Make it clear,” I state, trying to get a grip on my own thoughts and emotions.

“Make what clear?” Sherri asks, looking up at me.

“Who Emory belongs to,” I state softly, feeling my heart race with my words. When I say those words, it means different things than when Jesse says it. I don’t own Emory. She has a choice to be with me or not, and if she doesn’t want me, she can walk away. She can say no at any time.

But I can’t fully turn off my possessive and controlling behaviors. It is just who I am, but I will hold back for her. I will be careful for her.

I look down at Sherri. She is smiling. She nods.

Sherri has wanted Em and me to get together for years, and she was right. She is always right. We both need each other, and now that I have her, I won’t ever fucking let her go, and I will not lose her to this fuck nut. Em will always have a choice with me. I will never ever take her choice away like Jesse did. That is not who I am.

I take a deep breath and make my way around the counter. I push the front doors open, forcing Jesse to take several steps back. His hands are now formed into fists as I walk out of the building. The door closes behind me as I cross my arms over my chest.

“How does it feel, Shawn?” Jesse asks me, looking at me up and down, trying to size me up, which honestly makes me want to laugh. He might be a dangerous guy wherever the fuck he is from, but here I am the dangerous one. I am the one in control of my town.

“What?” I ask, playing along with his stupid fucking game. He wants so badly to fuck with my head, but he doesn’t realize I am the one who is going to fuck up his. I can see it in his eyes. He is already on the fucking edge of losing control. Which I know makes him more dangerous than I thought. He has nothing to lose, and now that I have Em, I have everything to lose.

“Fucking another man’s woman,” he asks, locking his eyes with mine.

I take a deep breath. “I wouldn’t know,” I state calmly. He really fucking believes Em is his and that she is cheating on him with me. This fucker has more problems than what was in his file, that is for sure.

I am a guy who has done some very fucked-up shit, but I will never understand the mind of a stalker or an abuser. They make no sense to me. Their reasoning is irrational and off-the-top crazy.

“So you are fucking her?” Jesse asks me. His voice is low and enraged. He is trying to find any reason to hurt her. To hurt me. I am not going to give him what he wants. People might do what he says where he is from, but here I don’t fucking listen to him. I don’t fucking owe him shit.

“It is none of your business,” I state through gritted teeth.

Jesse takes a step forward, keeping his fisted hands at his sides.

“Actually, it fucking is.” He keeps his eyes locked on me.

“No, actually, Jesse, it isn’t. You lost her the moment you laid your hands on her.” I am calm, watching my words hit him like a million knives. There is no reason to act as if I don’t know what he has done to her. He already knows we are together. He can put the pieces together.

“You really believe that, don’t you? She belongs to me!” Jesse screams, showing his lack of control already. He came here to get under my skin, but he is showing me that I am getting under his.

I take a deep breath and step forward. Jesse stands still, refusing to back away from me. I do have to give this guy credit. He has some big balls. But my balls are bigger.

I stop in front of him. I am close enough now that I can feel his breath on my skin. I just need him to give me a reason. Just give me a fucking reason to rip out his fucking throat.

“Just leave. You can start over anywhere, dude. Just let her be,” I state, feeling my heart racing so fast I can hear it in my ears. I can feel eyes on my back, but I don’t turn around. Jesse has my full fucking attention.

“No,” he snaps back, not needing to think about my words. I feel my blood starting to boil.

“Seriously?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. This dude really wants to fucking die.

“Yes, seriously. I am not leaving until she leaves with me,” Jesse states with confidence that makes my stomach turn into knots. I will never fucking let her leave with him. He will have to kill me to take her away, and I don’t die that easily.

“That is never going to happen,” I say, walking into him. We are now chest to chest.

“We will see. I will make your life a living fucking hell, dude. Eventually, you will throw up your hands and throw her away, and when you do, I will be right there waiting for her,” he states in a low, dark voice. A small smile forms across his lips.

“That will never happen.”

“We will see, Shawn. We will see what you are willing to do to keep her. Because I am willing to fucking do anything.”

“You have no idea what I am willing to do, but you will soon find out.” I take several steps back, making some distance between us. I quickly turn around, open the door, and walk inside.

I lock the door behind me, grab Em’s hand, and make her turn around and follow me toward the counter. The staff and clients are watching me as I tighten my grip on her hand and make my way past the counter down the hallway toward my office. I walk inside, forcing Em to follow me. As soon as we are both inside my office, I release my hold on her hand and slam the door shut, locking it. I take a deep breath and lift my hands, placing them firmly against the door as I try to calm my heart. It took everything inside me not to fucking snap his neck.

I feel a set of warm hands reach around me and rest against my chest. I drop my hands from the wall and grab onto hers as she squeezes me from behind. I can feel her heartbeat racing against my back. Both of us trying to calm ourselves. I should be the one comforting her, but this time, she is the one confronting me.