Hudson tugged me into his arms. Finally, I felt calm. I breathed him in—the scent of his soap and aftershave filled me with a soothing balm. There was nowhere that I’d rather be than right there in his embrace.
He ran his hands up and down my back and kissed along my temple. “I know you wouldn’t be like this if something hadn’t happened. And you came in here upset. What’s going on, precious?”
I clung to him, my hands digging into his jacket. Now that he was holding me, I didn’t want to let him go. This was where I was safe.
“Alayna, talk to me.”
I turned my head so my words wouldn’t be muffled in his clothing. “It’s Celia.”
Hudson pushed me away to meet my face. His eyes were wide with concern. “What did she do?”
“She’s following me.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean, following you?”
“Like, showing up where I am and going wherever I go. Following me.” I showed him the picture on my phone and explained how I’d spotted her tailing me while I ran errands and added that Jordan had seen her that morning. Plus, she’d been on the boat the night before.
I feared he’d say I was overreacting, that he wouldn’t believe me like the time before. I had a picture, but what did that show? Would he think I was the one who’d followed her?
But his response this time made up for his previous doubts. “Fucking bitch!” He spun away from me and ran his hand through his hair. “I swear to god if she does anything to you…”
Tears sprung to my eyes, half from terror, half from relief that he was on my side. “What does she want from us? From me?”
Hudson circled around to the other side of his desk. “It doesn’t matter. She can’t do this. I’ll call my lawyer. We’ll get a restraining order.” Before I could interject, he’d pushed his intercom. “Patricia, get Gordon Hayes on the phone.”
“Yes, Mr. Pierce.”
I shook my head and sunk into one of the armchairs. “It’s not that simple.”
“I don’t care if it’s simple or not. I’m getting a restraining order.”
I’d never seen him so worked up. His calm aloofness had vanished and in its place was a wild passionate man.
It was me who was the voice of reason. “Hudson, you can’t get a restraining order for simply being followed. She had a measurable distance, didn’t approach me, didn’t threaten me or pull any crap at any of the places I stopped. We have nothing on her.”
His eyes were pinned on the phone, as if he could make it ring by staring at it. “That’s ridiculous. She has you scared. I can see it on your face.”
“Yes, she has me scared. But there’s nothing you can do about it.” Again, I was reminded that I had done this same thing to other people. Paul Kresh had filed a restraining order against me. It had been the first one I’d received. He hadn’t been the first person I’d stalked. “Trust me. I’m well-versed in the art of terrorizing someone while evading police involvement.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Hudson’s tone echoed the pain I felt.
“It’s the truth. I used to do this to people, Hudson! It’s horrible. How could I be this horrible to other people?” The tears that had been just at bay broke through.
Hudson rushed to me and pulled me from my seat into his arms. “Hush now, Alayna.” He stroked my hair as I sobbed on his shoulder. “This isn’t the same. You were searching for love. Celia’s actions are quite different.”
I pushed him away. Though I wanted and needed his touch, I didn’t feel like I deserved it. “Are they? Isn’t she doing this because she wants your love? How is that different?”
He sighed and perched on the edge of his desk. “I don’t believe that’s why she’s doing this. She means to keep me unhappy. She knows that hurting you would destroy me. This is payback for my past. This has nothing to do with yours.”
I swiped the tears off my cheeks. Dammit, Celia had screwed with both of us so easily. Here we were, regretting our pasts, hating ourselves, undoing years of progress—fucking bitch was right.
I sat down again and laid my head against the chair back. “I really don’t care why she’s doing it. She’ll keep on doing it, though, because she’s winning. You’re down on yourself and I’m a mess. I’m paranoid and anxious and I’m afraid I’m reverting back to my old self.” My voice cracked as a new set of tears threatened to fall.
Hudson moved to kneel in front of me. He put his hands on my upper arms as if he meant to shake sense into me. “You aren’t. You have valid reasons to feel this way today. She’s thrown you off balance, but you’ll get ahold of yourself. You’re stronger than her.”
I wiped at my eye with my knuckle. “I’m strong with you.”
“And I’m not leaving you. I’m here. We’re in this together. Do you hear me?”
I nodded weakly.
The phone beeped. Hudson stood and reached across the desk to push the intercom. “Did you reach him?”
“No.” Trisha’s voice filled the room. “I’m sorry but Mr. Hayes has gone home for the evening. It’s after five.”
Hudson glanced at his watch. “Shit,” he muttered. He paused and I suspected he was toying with calling his lawyer’s cell. “I want him on the phone first thing tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir. Anything else before I leave?”
“No. Thank you, Patricia.” He turned the intercom off and turned back to face me. He studied me for long seconds. “She won’t win, Alayna. You kept it together in front of her, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” There was no way in hell I’d have let her see that she got to me.
He beamed with pride. “Of course you did. You’re incredible like that. Stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
I didn’t feel incredible. But his assurance bolstered me.
Hudson leaned against the desk, his expression glazed. I recognized it as his calculating look—the one he got when he was considering a big business deal. “Celia has no idea if she hit her target or not. That puts us at an advantage.”
I hated to interrupt whatever he was planning, but I couldn’t stop the thought that bubbled to the front of my mind. “What if she doesn’t stop at stalking?”
His eyes came back into focus. “Jordan is ex-military. Special ops. He can protect you. You can never go anywhere without him in the future. Promise me.”
“I rarely go anywhere without him now. Today was a fluke.”
“Just promise me.” His tone was insistent.
“I promise.” I’d known Jordan was more than a driver but hadn’t known the specifics of his background. Knowing it now wasn’t what prompted me to agree—I’d have agreed to anyone being charged to me, just to ensure I’d never be alone with Celia again.
“Good. I’ll hire another bodyguard for when Jordan’s not available. I know you didn’t want one—”
I cut him off. “I’ll take it.”
He nodded a thank you. “I’ll bring someone in to check the security cameras at the club and make sure they’re sufficient. The penthouse is already monitored. And I’ll talk to my lawyer—”
I interjected again. “He can’t do anything.”
“I’m talking to him anyway. I want to know our rights. If I have to throw money at the situation, I will.”
I chuckled. I’d never heard Hudson talk so candidly about what his wealth could buy. It was a foreign concept to me—that solutions to problems could simply be bought. It’s why I’d always feared someone else would be more suited for Hudson than me. Someone like the blonde we were currently discussing. “Celia has money, too.”
Hudson shook his head dismissively. “Money is only good in the right hands. I have no doubt that my power extends beyond her and the Werner family.”
I nodded as I brought the knuckle of my index finger to my mouth and sunk my teeth into the skin. It was either that or let out the scream that had been building the last few minutes. Though Hudson was performing with the take-charge attitude I needed, he couldn’t make the promises I wished he could make.