CHAPTER 19 – Close Call
841 Words
Lara woke with a start. It wasn’t a nightmare this time—just the lingering feeling of being watched. After the encounter at the university, every sound outside Adrian’s apartment had her on edge.
Adrian was already up, pacing near the kitchen island with a phone in his hand. “Yes. Every exit. And triple-check her route,” he said into the phone before hanging up.
She slid off the bed, pulling one of his shirts around herself. “Paranoid much?” she asked lightly, though her voice was soft.
He turned, eyes scanning her automatically as if checking for harm. “You call it paranoia. I call it being alive.”
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Despite everything, Lara insisted on attending her study session at the library that afternoon. “I can’t put my life completely on hold, Adrian. That’s what they want.”
Adrian didn’t like it, but eventually agreed—with conditions. She would have security shadowing her discreetly, and she would share her location at all times.
“Don’t be a hero,” he warned as she left.
“Relax. I’m a law student, not a vigilante.”
---
The first two hours at the library were uneventful. She almost allowed herself to believe maybe it was fine, maybe Adrian was right about the visible presence of security scaring them off.
But when she stepped outside to call a rideshare, she felt it immediately—the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
A van idled too close to the curb. The side door slid open fast, and before she could react, a man grabbed her wrist.
“Time to go,” he muttered.
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Lara reacted on instinct, jabbing her knee upward and twisting her arm like she’d seen in self-defense classes. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough for him to loosen his grip. She spun away, stumbling back just as one of Adrian’s security men sprinted into view.
“Run!” the guard shouted.
Another figure stepped out of the van—bigger, meaner. For one terrifying second, Lara thought they might overpower the guard.
Then Adrian’s car screeched to a stop.
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Adrian was out before the car even fully stopped, a firearm drawn—not aimed, but visible enough to freeze the attackers in place.
“Touch her again and you lose your hands,” Adrian said, voice calm but lethal.
The two men hesitated, then bolted back into the van, which peeled away. Adrian rushed to Lara, gripping her shoulders. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head, adrenaline flooding her veins. “I’m okay. I fought back.”
His eyes searched hers, something fierce and proud there. “Good. But you don’t do it alone again. Ever.”
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Minutes later, police arrived, taking statements. Lara gave hers calmly, surprising herself. Adrian stood close, one hand on her back, grounding her while also radiating enough authority to keep everyone efficient.
“This was coordinated,” Adrian said to one of the officers. “They didn’t improvise. Someone paid for that attempt.”
The officer nodded grimly. “We’ll pull traffic cams.”
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Back at Adrian’s apartment, Lara finally let herself collapse onto the sofa, shaking. “That was… I don’t even know what that was.”
Adrian crouched in front of her, hand on her knee. “That was them sending a message.”
“Did you see their faces?”
“Yes,” Adrian said, eyes sharp. “And they’re going to wish I hadn’t.”
Lara reached for his hand, gripping it tightly. “I hate that this is my life now.”
“It’s our life now,” he corrected gently. “You chose to stay. So now you have me, for everything.”
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Her throat tightened. “That sounded dangerously like a relationship declaration.”
“It is one,” Adrian said simply. “I’m done pretending this is just professional. I don’t care if they all whisper. I don’t care if the firm has opinions. You’re mine, Lara.”
Her breath caught. “And you’re mine.”
He smiled faintly before leaning forward and kissing her. It wasn’t cautious or testing this time—it was ownership, commitment, all the tension of the day pouring out between them.
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That night, for the first time, Lara didn’t hesitate to stay in his room. They didn’t rush past boundaries, but they crossed enough to leave no doubt where they stood. They talked until words dissolved, shared soft kisses that deepened into something warmer, and eventually simply lay together, both unwilling to let go.
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Across the city, Hale’s man typed a quick message: “We almost had her.”
The reply was immediate: “Almost isn’t enough. Next time, use more than two men. She doesn’t scare easy.”
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Lara fell asleep with Adrian’s arms around her, feeling safe for the first time in weeks. But safety was an illusion—and tomorrow, the people who wanted her gone would come back harder.
- Writer
