Stay With Me (She's With Me #2) - Jessica Cunsolo Page 0,94

danger. We’ll be careful, like we have been. You don’t have to do this alone anymore, Thea.” His voice softens, his eyes more vulnerable, slightly pleading. “I’m asking you to give us a chance. I know the risks, and I’m choosing to take them. Don’t leave. Don’t cut us off. Don’t give up on us.”

I sigh, wishing on everything in the entire universe that my life was normal and I could just be with Aiden.

I look away from him. “Aiden—I don’t—”

“Come with me tomorrow,” he interrupts, gently taking hold of my chin and turning me to look at him. “I have a meeting with Vivienne Henfrey, and I want you there with me. You won’t be on camera, but off screen for support. I’m going to do it and then we’ll deal with the consequences together. All in, remember?”

My whole body heats up, and all I can do is nod in reply.

“Good,” he says softly. “Now let’s get some ice for your nose.”

22

Everyone else has already crashed, so we try to make as little noise as possible fixing up my face. Without even thinking about it, Aiden grabs my hand and leads me into his room, and I fall asleep in his arms, savoring every single moment with him.

Hours later, I’m woken up by the sound of my phone ringing on the nightstand. I check the caller ID and with a heavy heart, I wiggle out of Aiden’s embrace without waking him up.

“Hello?” I whisper as I pad into Aiden’s bathroom and close the door.

“Thea. How is everything?” Agent Dylan, the man assigned to my case, asks me.

“It’s all right, how about you? Anything on Tony?”

If they just catch and arrest Tony, then that solves all my problems. I can stay here and be with Aiden and my friends and not have to constantly look over my shoulder. I can be a normal teenager.

“Actually, yes. But not his location just yet,” he adds, as if knowing to make sure I don’t get my hopes up. “There have been a few developments in the case—and it’s information we think you deserve to know.”

He then proceeds to tell me that Tony Derando isn’t Tony’s real name. His name is Anthony DeRosso. He’s been accused of and charged with multiple felonies, and has been accused of raping several women over the years in different states before he got married. Once he was married, he settled down in one place and stayed mostly under the radar except for some petty thefts and crimes, and had his daughter, Sabrina. Apparently, the experts at the FBI believe that Sabrina’s death pushed him completely over the edge. But information has come to light recently that tied him to some earlier crimes, and now they have a countrywide warrant out for his arrest. It’s bigger than me now; it’s about all the women he’s hurt in his life. Somehow, I find this comforting, knowing that it’s not just my life Tony’s ruined.

“Why didn’t you guys tell me this before? I’m assuming you didn’t just find this out?” I ask him.

“There’s new evidence—meaning the case is bigger, we have more resources now. We’ll find him,” Agent Dylan says.

I resist the urge to laugh, instead rolling my eyes. Yes, I’m resting very assured. That’s why I’m popping sleeping pills like breath mints.

“I’m just calling to check up on you,” he continues, “and to let you know that your relocation process may take a week or two longer than we initially thought.”

I crack open the bathroom door and sneak a look at Aiden, who’s still sound asleep. He looks so peaceful, so young and innocent, but at the same time fearless and strong. At least I get more time with Aiden and my friends, even if it’s just a few weeks.

But can I really just give him up? Can I really never talk to him again? Can I kid myself into thinking that I’m not missing something so vital to me? Will I be okay to live the rest of my life knowing that I’ll probably never be this happy again? Never talking to Aiden again is going to feel like I’m missing the air I need to make me whole.

My eyes drink Aiden in, from his messy hair to his perfect jawline, covered in stubble, to his sculpted and powerful naked chest. Could I live with myself if something happened to him or my friends?

I know how I feel, and I know what I need to do to keep people