comes down to, Preston. Outside of his family’s sphere, he’s still been able to get to her because if being rich and connected wasn’t enough, he’s also the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen.
“His smile stops your heart. His voice is music. And when he puts even the most basic effort into charming you, you lie down and expose your belly like a beaten dog. At some point I had to ask myself, could he do all he had if his looks matched his soul?
“Would he have been able to seduce the cook and gain access to her house if that smooth, perfect skin was pockmarked and covered with warts? Would the bodyguard have handed her over to a toothless, one-eyed prick with a scar disfiguring his face? Or the teacher that let him drive her off campus and bought his story that she was crying because he had to take her to the dentist? Would that lady have been as easily taken in by a greasy-haired bum in a dirty trench coat? Or did the model looks and Armani make all the difference?”
Preston was quiet.
“It’s not fair,” I said. “I know that. All men aren’t the same. I know that too. But when another handsome face and teasing smirk comes around the corner, I can’t help but wonder what that smile hides. Or what I’ll lose if I don’t figure it out in time.”
He held me close. “I’m truly sorry for your friend, Belle. Saying no one should have to go through that doesn’t cover it because most people don’t. This guy is terrorizing her to a level that’s psychotic. Obsessive.”
“Yes.”
“Is she still in danger?”
I nodded. “He’s never going to stop, Preston. He’ll come after her until one of them is dead.”
He hissed. “There has to be something.” Preston sat up, breaking our embrace. He propped me against the headboard so we could talk. “If she’s gotten out of that town, he doesn’t have his family protecting him anymore.”
“No, but their millions weren’t held back by the town line.”
“But the corrupt cops were. If this guy will follow her anywhere, she can lead him into a trap. Honest cops will pick his ass up and—”
“—his five-thousand-dollars-an-hour lawyers will get him out of jail with a tickle on the wrist and a promise to never do it again.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” he replied. “She shouldn’t give up on bodyguards either. It leaves her way too exposed, which is exactly what he wants. My family hires exclusively from Kronos Security Company. They pay their guards six-figure salaries, put them through extensive background checks, and make them sign iron-clad contracts.
“If that’s not enough, I bet my mom would recommend a few guys from her personal detail. Men and women she’s known for over ten years. If she trusts them, then your friend can too.”
A smile played unasked for on my lips.
“What?” he asked.
“It’s just... I hate sharing her story,” I confessed. “I feel so powerless every time. We know who he is. We know what he wants. And like you said, we know he’ll turn up wherever she is sooner or later. Yet that’s not enough to stop him. Thinking about what would happen if he decides number four will be the last time she gets away from him, it terrifies me.
“So, I don’t talk about it, and I’m always alone in my fear.” I laced my fingers through his. “But not right now.”
Preston kissed my palm. “Not ever again, Belle. She’s not alone either. Tell her or her parents to call my mom. She’ll hook them up with her best guys. If this man gets near her, they’ll put him down. Hard.”
“Kind of hard to ask her to trust when teachers, cops, staff, and guards have let her down. It’s even harder to ask her to put more people in the crossfire.”
“I understand that,” he said. “I wouldn’t be so quick to trust either, and as much as I don’t want to say it, you’re right. If his outsides matched his insides, things would’ve been a lot different. There is a cost for being too handsome, rich, and manipulative,” he said. “Your friend has been paying it.”
“Am I batshit crazy now?”
“Less than you were at the start of this conversation.”
I rolled my eyes. “So generous.”
Preston sobered quickly. “Will you give her my mom’s number?”
“I will.” I reclined, taking him with me, and laying his head on my chest. “She’s tried everything else. She has nothing to lose at this point.”