Chapter 54

CHAPTER 54

SIMON

I woke to the sound of broken glass. My eyes snapped open, adrenaline surging through my veins. I held my breath, straining to hear anything beyond the pounding of my own heart. Maybe I hadn't heard it. It was just one of those vivid dreams. Although I couldn't remember what I was dreaming about. I lay perfectly still, eyes open and ears straining.

Silence.

I slowly let out the breath I'd been holding. There was nothing but the steady rhythm of Rylee's breathing beside me. She was sound asleep, her arms thrown up over her head, her mouth slightly open, her hair hiding half her face from view. She was in a deep sleep, and I didn't want to wake her.

But as I lay there, telling myself it was okay and to go back to sleep, I couldn't do it. Something told me the sound I heard was real and deserved checking out. It had been too real to ignore.

Slowly, I slipped out of bed, careful not to make a sound. I pulled on my underwear and slowly tiptoed out of the room. If Rylee woke and I told her about what I thought I heard, she was going to freak out. It was better if I assuaged my own thoughts and handled this on my own.

The cool air hit my skin as I made my way downstairs. I paused every other step, listening but hearing nothing. Although there was a breeze coming from the foyer. I wondered if I left one of the windows open. My feet hit the marble floor in the foyer. No one jumped out and attacked me. Everything seemed normal. I walked to the wall and turned on the light, the foyer flooded with the warm glow from the chandelier above.

Then I saw it. A brick lay in front of one of the windows, which had a hole and cracks spidering through it. "Son of a bitch," I hissed.

I walked to the closet and pulled out a pair of slip-ons I often used to walk to the mailbox. I picked up the brick, turning it over to read the words painted in white: "Greedy Bastard."

My stomach dropped. How had they gotten onto the property without setting off any of the security alarms? Did they scale the fence? Break through the gate? I closed the gate, right? In my hurry to get inside with Rylee, maybe I left it open.

Pissed, I walked to the front door and jerked it open. It was probably stupid to try and confront the person or persons that threw the brick in nothing but my underwear, but I was so furious. I stepped outside, brick in hand as my only weapon. I scanned the surrounding property, but whoever had done this was long gone. I turned to go back inside, and there was Rylee, standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes were wide with worry.

"Simon, you never should have released your address."

Shit.

"They're gone," I assured her, closing and locking the door which seemed pretty silly considering the hole in the window.

A thousand thoughts bombarded me at once. Call the police. Call Katarina. Call my lawyer. Call the security company. Find out what the fuck happened. My mind raced with possibilities. Rylee was here. She could have been hurt. If that had happened, I would never be able to forgive myself.

"Simon," Rylee said sharply, snapping me out of my thoughts. "We can't stay here. It isn't safe."

"This is my home," I said, trying to convince myself as much as her. "Of course it's safe." But even as I spoke, I knew it wasn't true. My reckless temper had put us both in danger. Now these assholes knew where I lived, where Rylee lived, and had proven how easily they could get to us.

"We need to pack a bag," Rylee said firmly. "You can come stay with me. We'll lay low for a bit. You can call Katarina and we can figure out what the next steps are together in the morning, but we need to leave tonight. They might come back. That might have been the warning shot."

I caught her hand, stopping her. "I don't think we can go to your house either," I said, and I saw the words hit her like a ton of bricks.

No pun intended.

Rylee looked at me, her eyes filling with fear and resolve. "We'll figure it out," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "But we can't stay here."

I nodded, my mind switching to the all-business mode that allowed me to think clearly. She was right. We couldn't stay here. "We need to get dressed," I said calmly. "Get some shoes on. I'll make the calls."

As she turned to go back upstairs, I lingered for a moment, examining the brick again. Forehead creased in frustration, I tossed it on the nearest table and hurried after her. Upstairs, Rylee had already begun getting dressed. She was efficient, her movements quick and precise. I admired her calmness in the face of such a disturbing situation.

I quickly dressed before looking for my phone, only to realize I left it downstairs. "I've got to get my phone," I said, without leaving. I was suddenly very reluctant to leave her alone in the room.

She offered a small smile. "Go. I'll pack up your toiletries, but I'm guessing you're going to want suits."

"Just grab a couple and ties you think will match. I'll have whatever we need sent to us."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I don't know yet," I answered. "If you hear or see anything, scream, I'll hear."

"I'm okay," she assured me. "I have a feeling they're gone, but I don't want to wait around to see if they come back."

"I'll be right back," I told her.

I jogged downstairs and found my phone with enough charge to make my first call to the police. They promised to be out soon. Then, I called Katarina. I knew there wasn't anything she could do, but she needed to know this PR mess wasn't just my name getting smeared. It was putting my and Rylee's life in danger. Whatever strategy she had in mind needed to be adjusted.

I listened to the phone ringing while pacing back and forth in the kitchen. All of the windows I had loved for their natural light now made me feel very exposed. I didn't care that it was the middle of the night. With the amount of money I paid her, she was on call twenty-four-seven.

"Katarina," I said when she answered the phone still half-asleep.

"Simon?"

"We had an incident. Someone threw a brick through the window at my house. We need a room, now. Do what you do and get me one. Text me back with what name it's under."

Her voice was calm but urgent. She sounded very awake. In her line of work, I knew she was used to getting calls in the middle of the night from celebrities who found themselves in tough positions, like jail or at a club with someone they shouldn't be with. "I'll arrange it," she said. "Stay put and keep your heads down."

"Got it."

Next, I called the security company to find out how the hell someone had gotten onto the property without triggering any alarms. They promised to send someone out immediately to investigate.

As I finished the last call, I headed back upstairs to check on Rylee. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. "The police should be here soon," I said. "The security company as well. Then we'll go."

Rylee glanced at me in the mirror, her face pale but determined. "Good," she said, spitting out toothpaste and rinsing her brush. "I've got your things packed."

The sight of the small suitcase she had filled with my clothes made it all the more real. This quiet house that was once my sanctuary was now tainted with a sense of impending danger. This was supposed to be the place where I could hide and just be me. It was ruined.

"Are you okay?" Rylee asked, pulling me from my thoughts. Her eyes studied my face, her apparent fear for my well-being replacing her own.

"I'm alright," I assured her, pulling her into a tender hug. "We're going to be okay." But as I spoke, I wasn't entirely sure about that.

Rylee clung to me tighter before pulling away. She ran a hand through her hair, tugging out knots in a nervous gesture. "I pulled a couple of suits and ties for you."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Where are we going to go?"

"Katarina will book us a room under one of her many fake names," I told her. "She'll get back to me soon. As soon as the police get a statement, we'll go."

"I'll make us some coffee." She smiled. "I don't think we're going to be sleeping anytime soon."

I laughed. "I'm not sure I'll sleep again."

Rylee gave a half-hearted chuckle but her eyes betrayed the apprehension she was trying to hide. "We'll get through this," she said, determination in her voice. She squeezed my hand and left for the kitchen.

Looking around the bedroom, I couldn't help but feel angry. I brought Rylee here because it was supposed to be safe. I put her in danger for a second time. I couldn't quite get my head around that. What the hell was I doing? I thought I was invincible behind my iron fence. I was just as vulnerable as anyone else.

I went downstairs and had just taken the coffee Rylee offered when I heard the gate buzz. I checked the monitor and saw it was a police car. I quickly buzzed them in. The gate seemed pretty ridiculous now that I knew people could just climb over.

"Stay here," I said to Rylee as I left to greet the officers. The cool night air hit me as I stepped outside, bringing a shiver to my spine. The flashing red and blue lights from the patrol car seemed surreal against the stillness of the night.

The two police officers introduced themselves as Sergeant Jackson and Officer Tanner. They took down my statement, asked questions, and made notes in their notepads. After they were done getting my statement, they took a couple of pictures and that was that.

Rylee watched quietly, sipping her coffee. I turned to her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

"Ready?" I asked. "Katarina sent the information. We're good to go."

As we drove through the night to the hotel, I couldn't shake the anger and frustration boiling inside me. The situation had escalated from harassment to outright threats.

"We're going to be okay," I said more to myself than to Rylee, my hand gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Rylee reached over, placing her hand on mine. "We are. As long as we're together."

"I'm really sorry," I said. "Giving my address was impulsive. Stupid. I wanted you to stay with me because I thought it would be safer."

"It should have been," she replied. "The security. The fencing. It should have been."

"The security company is going to send me an updated package," I said with disgust. "I have a feeling this is one way for them to make more money."

"But won't it be worth it?" she asked. "You need to protect all those fancy cars."

I smiled. "Yes, it's the cars I'm worried about."

Rylee, despite her exhaustion, smirked at me knowingly. "Of course you are. Those precious sports cars of yours are irreplaceable."

"They're not," I countered, focusing on the road. "But you, Rylee, you are."

For a moment all was silent except for the hum of the engine as I navigated through the almost deserted city streets.

"Thank you," she said quietly after a while, her hand giving mine a reassuring squeeze.

"Why are you thanking me?" I asked, glancing over at her.

"For being strong and steady," she replied. "Things will be fine."

I hoped she was right.