Page 90 of Under His Protection
A middle-aged woman with her dark hair up in a fancy twist, wearing a skinny black skirt, a white frilly blouse, and a black jacket, walks through a curtained doorway pushing a clothing rack holding a number of identical sage green dresses. “Why don’t you pick out your sizes and try them on for fit?”
After they each choose a dress, Haley and Jasmine follow the bridal consultant—how’s that for pretentious—into a dressing room. A few minutes later, they come out, Jasmine first, then Haley. They stand side by side in front of three huge mirrors trimmed in gold.
My jaw drops.
Haley’s stunning.
She smiles at me, looking a bit self-conscious in a long, flowy dress that nearly touches the floor. It’s got those skinny little spaghetti strap sleeves, showing off her beautiful arms, and the neckline swoops down to show a hint of cleavage.
Jasmine looks gorgeous, too, of course, wearing the same dress, but I can’t take my eyes off of Haley.
The sales woman fiddles around with Jasmine’s dress, and then she does the same with Haley. I don’t see what she’s concerned about because the dresses look amazing on both of them. Liam’s going to flip when he sees Jasmine.
“What do you think, Layla?” the woman asks.
Layla is beaming. “They’re perfect.” She turns to Jason. “Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, they’re beautiful,” he says as he puts his arm around Layla and pulls her close to kiss her cheek.
Personally, I think Jason couldn’t care less what the dresses look like. He just wants Layla to be happy. If she’s happy, he’s happy. I can relate.
After Jasmine and Haley change back into their own clothes, Haley comes to sit beside me. “What did you think?”
I pull her close. “I think you’ll be the prettiest bridesmaid ever.”
* * *
On the drive back to the safehouse, Haley is beaming. She’s excited about Layla and Jason’s wedding and about being part of the bridal party.
“I can’t wait to see you try on your tuxedo,” she says. “You’re going to look amazing.”
When we arrive home, Charlie has dinner ready for us. The four of us sit at the table and dig into whatever Charlie made. At first glance, I can’t quite tell.
Then I take a bite and groan. “What is this dark magic you’ve concocted, Charlie? It’s so good.”
She looks pleased at my response. “Chicken meatballs in buttered noodles.”
Haley’s phone chimes with a text notification. As she reads the screen, her eyes widen, and she looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
I hold out my hand, and she gives me her phone. What I read makes my stomach turn. “He’s tracking her!”
I read the text aloud for Charlie and Mateo’s benefit.
UNKNOWN – WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU DOING AT A BRIDAL SHOP??? YOU CAN’T MARRY THAT GUY!
Charlie jumps up from her seat. “Where are your things, Haley?”
“In my room,” she answers. “On the bed.”
Charlie runs upstairs to get the backpack and Haley’s purse and brings them back down to the kitchen. She sets them on the island and begins to empty them.
Charlie has checked her bags every day since she arrived at the safehouse, and they’ve always been clean. That means the stalker managed to slip something into one of her bags today. I make a mental note of anyone who came within reach of her things today, but I realize it could have been any number of people. Her backpack and purse were hanging off the back of her seat during her classes, as well as at the cafeteria. Anyone could have walked past her chair and slipped something inside. Or, they could have done it while passing by her in the hallways.
“Damn it!” Charlie mutters. “Here it is. It was in her purse.”
Haley’s purse is open at the top, so it would have been easy for someone to slip something into it.
I hold out my hand. “Give it to me.” Charlie hands the tracker over, and I take it outside to crush under my heel. This guy is tenacious, I’ll give him that.
