“Asher already found that out. They said it was isolated.”
“Yes, they did, but he was talking about the attack. I’m talking about the flowers and the messages,” Mr. Mayson says.
“Smart.” I smile at him and he shakes his head, chuckling.
“In the meantime, I want you to be extra cautious when you’re out. I also need you to make a list of people that you have dated. There might be someone who wasn’t ready for your relationship to be over.”
“That’s simple. I dated my ex-fiancé and Asher.”
“I mean anyone you went out with, even if it wasn’t serious.”
“I know, and it was only my ex and Asher. I never dated in high school. My mother wanted me to work, and if I wasn’t working, I had to be at home. I met my ex during my sophomore year of college and I dated him until I caught him with my mother. After I broke it off with him, I needed time and I was never really interested in anyone, so I didn’t date. Although, before the attack happened, my boss made me sign up for a dating service, so I did that, but I haven’t even checked the activity of that account.”
“Do you have the account information?” Asher asks and I can see his jaw tightening.
“Yeah, it’s in my phonebook.”
“So, you didn’t think about closing the account since we met?”
I rolled my eyes and looked at him, wanting to determine if he was being serious.
“I haven’t even thought about it.” His eyes narrowed. “What? You’ve been keeping me busy,” I shout, throwing my hands in the air. “I’m sorry if I haven’t thought about a dating site that I didn’t even want to be a member of.”
I hear Asher’s dad laugh from across the kitchen and I look up at the same time as Asher. His dad puts his hands in front of him in a stay back gesture and laughs harder. I laugh, and Asher’s eyes come to me.
“You think this is funny?”
“Um…no?” My answer sounds like a question and I start laughing louder.
“What did I tell you about laughing at me, baby?” he asks. I see the look in his eyes so I jump off the counter and start to run to get away from him. Sadly, his legs are longer and his speed is faster, so I don’t have a chance to escape before I am lying on the floor and his big body is pinning me down, tickling me.
My head is thrashing back and forth. I am begging him to stop and then Beast comes over, not to help me, but to assist Asher in his torture. He is licking my face while Asher tickles my ribs.
“Are you going to close the account?”
He keeps up the tickling. “YES!” I screech my agreement about the dating site. “Please stop. I’m going to pee.” I am finally able to say a full sentence and he stops immediately. I jump up and run to the bathroom without looking back. When I am walking back toward the kitchen, I hear Asher and his dad talking.
“I want this shit done.”
“Call Kenton and ask him to make November a priority. You can always send her to him to keep safe.” Hmm, that’s interesting. I’ve been wondering what Kenton does for a living but every time I ask about it, I get the run around.
His laugh holds no humor. Then he answers, “He met November at the Christmas party and was getting ready to go in for the Kenton kill when I told him she was mine.”
“He would never cross that line and you know it.”
“The only thing I know is that I want this shit done,” he growls. “I’m too selfish to send her away. I wouldn’t be able to function knowing she was staying with Kenton.” I hear him take a breath. “If things escalate, I’ll take her to the cabin.”
“Your cousin is a good man. He’s also one of the best at what he does.”
“I don’t give a fuck. You were not there. You didn’t see the way he looked at her. I know Kenton better than anyone. And unless something else happens, she stays here with me.”
“Your jealousy could end up getting her hurt,” his dad whispers and my heart starts beating double time.
“I would never let anything happen to her. I have my fucking reasons for not trusting anyone with her.” I know I need to quit eavesdropping, but it is like I’m glued in place. “We don’t even know what’s going on. The only thing we do know is that she was attacked in New York. That may not even have anything to do with what’s happening here.”
“The card shows the New York City skyline. I think whoever is doing this knows her from New York. We don’t know if the attack and the things happening here are connected, but since she’s been in Tennessee, she has had two separate instances where someone left poetry. This thing is messy. We just need to clean it up and put the pieces together. I’m going into town to the florist. I’ll call and let you know if I find out anything from them.”