Standby (Open Skies Book 4) by Becca Jameson (popular e readers .TXT) 📕

wanted him to go away. I was so relieved when he stopped texting me. And then I heard about you…” She pulled in a deep breath. “I haven’t been able to sleep because of the guilt.” Her hands were trembling against her thighs.

Shayla shook her head. “Don’t do that to yourself. I’m no different. I didn’t even tell my closest friends he was harassing me. I felt so stupid for ever going out with him in the first place. And then when I considered telling them the entire story, I just felt even more ridiculous. I didn’t want anyone to judge me. Who keeps seeing a man like him over and over again?”

Katy looked like she was going to cry. She dabbed at her eyes with her knuckles and nodded. “Yeah. That about sums it up.”

“How did you find me?” Shayla asked.

“Did a Google search. Paid the five dollars for the information.” She shuddered. “Not gonna lie. That was scary in and of itself.”

Jake groaned. “Yes. It’s insane how easy it is to get information these days.”

Shayla nearly laughed at the man who was undoubtedly hacking every system he could find to get more dirt on Hawke. She didn’t even want to ask how he knew some of the things he knew.

“So, what do we do now? If there are four of us, should we go to HR?” Katy asked.

Jake shook his head. “No. Not yet. Hang tight a bit. Not forever. Just give me a little time.”

Shayla answered the confused look on Katy’s face. “Jake is a computer god. He’s hoping to find some interesting dirt on Hawke that might take him down a notch without all of us having to take a giant risk to our personal safety and probably even our careers.”

“Oh, good. That makes me feel better.” Katy nodded slowly. “I mean, for me, and I assume for the two before me, it’s kind of over. All that’s left is the psychological damage. But it sure would be nice to nail his ass to the wall. Wouldn’t it be a shame if he was involved in some kind of insider trading or hadn’t paid his taxes or has a secret family on the side?”

Shayla laughed. “He does have a secret family on the side. Wife and two kids.”

Katy’s eyes widened. “No shit?” Then she sighed. “I guess that’s not a crime. Darn.” Then she lit up. “Oh, but we could turn the tables on him.”

Jake shook his head. “Not a chance. I don’t want any of you contacting him for any reason. It’s not safe.”

Shayla nodded. “Believe me. This thought occurred to me too. I thought about texting him and telling him to back the fuck off or I’d tell his wife. But then I decided I don’t know how volatile he is. I’m not going to risk it.”

Jake shifted his attention to me. “You didn’t even tell me you were considering that option.”

Shayla shrugged. “For like a hot minute. And it was while I was in the bath. I haven’t even spoken to you since then. Pull your claws back in.” She smiled at him to soften the snark.

He narrowed his gaze at her, but he was smirking. Something about his look told her she was going to end up in some kind of trouble for her cheekiness. She shivered at the thought. Once she let him get his hands on her tomorrow, all bets were off. She was looking forward to it in a masochistic kind of way.

Jake turned his attention to Raeann. “Raeann, have you seen any evidence that Hawke has come by your condo?”

“No. Do you think he will?”

“Not really. It’s not part of his MO. He just likes to threaten that he will. Or at the very least, I don’t think he would approach. He might be trying to stalk Shayla though. I wouldn’t put it past him to be sitting in his car watching the place.”

Raeann cringed. “I’ll keep my eye out.”

“You’re welcome to stay here if you feel unsafe,” Jake suggested.

Shayla could have hugged him. Except touching wasn’t permitted until tomorrow. He was so damn hospitable.

“Thank you. I think I’m fine. If I get nervous or see anything out of the ordinary, I’ll take you up on it.”

At that moment, Shayla’s phone vibrated on the coffee table. Shayla cringed. She’d reached the point where she hated receiving texts from anyone. She glanced at Jake.

He lifted a brow and reached for the phone. Good. She wasn’t in the mood. If he ended up seeing something from her mom or one of her friends, so be it. It wasn’t like she had secrets from him.

He tapped the screen with her code, and then she watched his face as he read the text. Her hope died when he didn’t look away for far too long. Finally, he lowered the phone, drew in a breath, and looked toward Raeann. “I’d feel much better if you stayed here tonight.”

Raeann winced.

No one asked what the text said. Shayla didn’t even want to know. She was pretty sure Katy and Raeann didn’t either. Thank God they had Jake to be the gatekeeper. It was far better for her mental stability.

Chapter 15

Katy left a few minutes later.

“Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here? I don’t want to impose,” Raeann whispered to Shayla when Jake headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water for Shayla.

“It’s totally fine. You’re not imposing.” It was on the tip of her tongue to add a snarky comment like, after all, it’s not like I’ll be screaming out from an amazing orgasm during the night. Instead, she said, “You can have the guest room.”

Shayla made this offer just as Jake returned, and she thoroughly enjoyed the way he subtly stiffened just long enough for Shayla to notice.

Raeann tipped her face toward Jake. “You’re sure about this?”

“Of course. I’ll sleep better without worrying about that asshole camped out in front of your condo. I doubt he’d do anything, but