Loving Enough (The Enough Series Book 2) by Nikole Bloom Read Free Book Online Page B

more and
more desperate. They reek of someone on the edge, someone losing control. But J
shouldn’t know that.
    “How do you know about the texts? You haven’t seen the most
recent ones.”
    Immediately I see the guilty look on his face being replaced
by that evil smirk he has when he does something ‘for my own good’. That smirk
has always been his tell. He has seen the texts, which means he snooped through
my phone. The smirk turns to a smile, one I have missed.
    “Well, you took a very long nap and left your phone
unattended. So Austin and I had a look.”
    He sounds almost childlike in his confession. He knows I
generally don’t keep things from him, but in the case of my stalker I did. He
and Austin are both still upset about that little fact. I nod, accepting his
confession. To my surprise I am not angry. Instead his admission brings a smile
to my heart. If he is looking out for me, J is obviously feeling better.
    “Well since I have no modicum of privacy, let’s have it. What
did you two think?”
    I try to convey some measure of annoyance and anger, but I
fail miserably. He gives me the cocky eyebrow raise and a smile, breaking my paper-thin
resolve. My smile comes naturally. God, I missed him.
    He motions me over towards him. I set the files on the table
and pull my chair to his bedside. The metal screeches across the floor and I see
the pain flash in his eyes.
    “I’m so sorry, J. Shit.”
    He pinches the bridge of his nose in an effort to stave off
the impending pain. “It’s fine. The loud noises just exacerbate the ever-present
headache.”
    I am the world’s biggest jerk. All I had to do was quietly
move a chair and I couldn’t manage that.
    “Let’s just talk about this later, J. Take your pain meds
and get some sleep.”
    Running a hand through his rat’s nest of hair, he disagrees.
“No, Ry. I’m not tired and I want to work through this before Ruzek comes
tomorrow.”
    I am shocked that Ruzek is coming so quickly, but then again
he lost his partner to this maniac so he has a personal vendetta. I would bank
a guess either Austin or J called to set up this meeting though. I spoke with
Ruzek earlier today and he wasn’t planning to interview J for a few days, to
give his mind a chance to catch up. Looks like plans changed again without my knowledge.
    “OK then, let’s talk. What did you two come up with?”
    He casts his green eyes towards me and the serious parental
mask covers his features. He only gets this look when he is worried about me
and wants to make sure I am listening to him.
    “This guy scares me, Ry. Desperation is no friend in a
situation like this. We cannot afford to let our guard down again. I will admit
that I didn’t take the matter as seriously as I should have, but I will not
make that mistake again.”
    I understand what he means. The texts alternate between
desperate love and hostile threats against my family - and recently, me - if I
do not obey. It is hard to tell what the individual behind the texts is really after.
Is he solely after my heart? Or is he looking to hurt us? In the end, it
doesn’t matter. I have no interest in him and he has already caused enough
pain. This shit needs to end.
    I pick up my phone and quietly scroll to the current bane of
my existence: the texts from the unknown number. I start with the texts directly
following the accident, hoping to get a sense of the progression:
    Unknown: I hope you
see now I am serious
    Unknown: I know he
is with u. End it or I end him
    Unknown: I hate to see
u cry, I would never hurt u the way they are
    Unknown: Talk to me
y don’t u ever answer me
    Unknown: I am glad
to see u don’t spend time with that QB anymore
    Unknown: Don’t
think I don’t see u with the other guy. I am the only one 4 u, when will u
learn?
    Unknown: Will this
get ur attention – attached a picture of Boss – he can be next
    Unknown: U should
get out of there 4 a bit, u must want to c the daylight
    Unknown: I love ur
smile. I