Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134598 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 449(@300wpm)
Brody frowned, nodding. “I’ll keep diving into it.”
“Can we try to get the photo removed?” Ink asked.
“Yeah, I’m onto that. The good thing is that you have to sign up for the blog to see the images, which limits how many people have seen it.”
Rhodes sighed, running his hand down his face. “Do you think the person who runs this blog could have something to do with these letters?”
“It’s possible,” Ink replied. “How many people know where you live?”
“Probably too many to name right now,” Rhodes said. “But I’ll get onto a list.”
Ink nodded. “We’d also like a list of people who are here regularly.”
“Mainly Kevin, Samantha, and Oliver, who is Cate’s assistant,” Rhodes replied. “He mainly works in the office, but he’ll often meet with her here once or twice a week, depending on what is happening at work. He’s away on vacation this week.”
Ethan nodded.
“I just want this fucker stopped so our lives can go back to relative normalcy. It’s an adjustment for Cate to have people in her space. So, if you could just give her space whenever possible, I would appreciate it. She probably leaves the house once a week at the most. Her assistant usually brings whatever she needs here.”
“You got it,” Seth said.
“Of course,” Ethan replied. “But I’m assuming you’ll also want security for her.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Kevin said dismissively. “No one is interested in Cate.”
Rhodes shot Kevin a quelling look. “Yes, I want security for Cate. She’s the priority.”
“Rip, she can’t be the priority, this person is after you,” Kevin protested.
“And my sister lives with me. She’s here more than I am. If they try to get into the house again, they might hurt her. I can take care of myself. She’s the vulnerable one.”
Kevin pressed his lips together, but it was obvious he wasn’t happy.
“When Cate leaves the house, I want someone with her. Although, as I said before, that doesn’t happen often. If I’m out at night, I also want one of you here with her too.”
“We can do that,” Ethan replied with a nod.
“But just don’t get in her way.”
That . . . he wasn’t so sure about.
He had a feeling it was going to be hard for him to stay away from Ms. Cate Ripley.
6
Three days.
She’d managed to avoid running into Rip’s new bodyguards for three days, which meant that she’d spent a lot of time in her room or office.
But that was worth it for peace of mind, right?
Except, she had to eat.
And coffee . . . she needed coffee more than food.
Which is what led her into the kitchen at the same time that he happened to be there. Rather than running away, she forced herself to keep moving and make her usual breakfast. Coffee with lots of cinnamon vanilla creamer and a bagel with cream cheese and strawberry jelly.
Cate had a sweet tooth. She knew it wasn’t good to eat sugar all the time which is why she’d have a sensible lunch and dinner.
But a bit of jelly in the morning was what got her out of bed.
“Good morning, Cate,” Ethan said, glancing up from where he was reading something on a tablet as he sat at the kitchen island.
On her seat.
Cate tried to calm the persistent nagging inside her that said she had to sit in that seat. That no other seat would do. She liked having a routine. It helped her anxiety. She especially needed that right now when her worries were worse than usual.
It could be due to the way her brain worked. It could also be due to her chaotic childhood after her parents died in a car accident. They’d been quiet, loving people. Her life had been settled and calm when they were alive.
Unlike life at her aunt and uncle’s. Which had been complete chaos and had often led to her hiding in Rhodes’ closet while she’d had a meltdown. Her system would get overloaded, something her aunt and uncle never understood. And her cousin, James, well, he’d just liked to push her and push her until she fell over the edge.
Asshole.
“Are you all right?” Ethan asked.
Crap. She’d just been standing there, staring at him.
Way to act normal, Cate.
She looked from her plate to where he was sitting, then back again.
She wasn’t going to ask him to move and risk offending him. God knew Samantha hadn’t been impressed when Cate had asked her to move her handbag from her favorite stool one morning.
You have to be more flexible. Especially with people staying in the house.
For Rhodes.
He seemed to care for Samantha for some reason. And she should be glad that he’d found someone else to care about. After his girlfriend, Emma, died he hadn’t dated for years.
Emma had been lovely. Kind and caring. Understanding. Cate had loved her too.
And Samantha was, well, she was Samantha.