Taylor

I was sitting in my brother's hotel suite while he was pacing up and down, trying to talk me into going back home with him. The suite was big, with a sofa facing a flat-screen TV. It had two adjoining rooms. It was hard to concentrate on my brother's lecturing voice when all I wanted to do was climb into a bed and pull the covers over my head to ignore the outside world while I tried to figure out how I was going to deal with my broken heart.

"It's not safe here," he stated. He'd already said that thirty times in the last hour.

"I'm not going to live in fear because someone is stalking me," I said, refusing to budge. This was my life to live and I wasn't going to let a stalker or my overprotective brother stop me from living it how I wanted. I wasn't stupid—I knew I had to be careful—but I wasn't going to allow the stalker to scare me.

"I told you to hire a bodyguard and I will stay in a rented apartment instead of the dorm," I tried, renegotiating with my brother. He stood with hands on his hips, glaring at me. It was at times like this that he felt more like my father than my brother.

"Fine," he said, throwing his hands up in the air with frustration. "I'll get a place big enough for you, Jordan and the bodyguard."

"And the bodyguard?" I questioned.

"The bodyguard will stay with the two of you in the apartment to keep you safe," he explained.

I saw that determined look in his face and I just nodded my head. I didn't have the energy for more fighting. I'd won the battle but not the war. I was going to stick out like a sore thumb with a bulky bodyguard following me around school, but it would keep my brother happy and it would keep me safe. He ran an agitated hand through his hair as I stood up and walked over to him.

"I'm not trying to be difficult," I told him as I reached for his hands. He was so stressed and I felt guilty that it was because of me.

"I just want to be able to live my life," I added. His expression softened slightly as he pulled me into a hug.

"I love you and I just don't want anything to happen to you," he reminded me. "When I thought I'd lost you before, I..."

He pulled away and looked down at me.

"I never want to feel that again," he said hoarsely. It was hard to keep my own emotions in check at the visible emotion on his face.

"I'll be fine," I assured him and I swallowed hard. They were just words because there was no way to guarantee I'd be safe, even with a bodyguard. I could cross the road and get hit by a bus. I was determined to ensure that the life I had, no matter how long I had, was mine to live as I wanted.

"Did you read the folder I gave you on your friend?" was my brother's next question. I was hoping he wouldn't bring it up, but I'd been wrong. I pulled away from him and took a step back.

"Sin is none of your business," I stated with determination to keep my brother out of my private life. I crossed my arms and glared at my meddling brother.

He gave me a look of disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said as he rubbed his hands over his face. I pressed my lips together. I was going to stand my ground. It didn't matter that whatever arrangement we'd had was gone and the likelihood was I wouldn't see much of him again. The thought made my chest hurt.

"It's my life and my choice."

We had a stare down for a few seconds before my brother stalked off. I sat down on the sofa and let out a sigh. I rested my head back against the sofa as I closed my eyes. All I could see was the indifferent look Sin gave me before he told me he would see me around. My chest hurt; it sucked. I just needed to hold it together until later when I was alone. Then I could cry and try to heal my bruised heart.

Connor and I were looking on the Internet at apartments to rent when my phone began to ring about an hour later. My brother had managed to calm down from our previous argument. I looked down and felt my heart sink when I saw it was Jordan. I had been hoping that it would be Sin.

"Hey," I answered as I put my phone to my ear. I stood up.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding concerned. She'd been told about last night.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured her as I held on tightly to the phone and walked over to the window of the hotel room. Connor remained at the table, looking at his laptop.

"Sin told me about the attack and all the other stuff," she told me. I could hear the bewilderment in her voice.

She paused.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked softly. I felt bad that I hadn't confided in her.

"I didn't think they were that serious until the attack," I replied as I peered out of the window. "Until the underwear, I thought it had been my imagination."

"You should have told me," she said, sounding a little upset.

"I'm sorry. You're right, I should have," I apologized.

"I heard that your brother came to pick you up," she informed me. Slater and Sin had brought her up to speed on everything she'd missed.

"Yes," I sighed. "He was worried and he got the first flight in this morning."

"Is he going to make you go home?" she asked. She knew how protective my brother was.

"He wants to, but I'm not going anywhere," I told her. "I've agreed to a bodyguard and a rented apartment instead of staying at the dorm. It will be big enough for the both of us."

"Both of us?" she questioned, unsure of what I was saying.

"They've tightened up security on campus, but I don't think staying in the dorm will be safe, at least not until they catch this guy," I reasoned.

"Okay," she agreed.

A few moments of silence settled between us.

"He is only doing it because he cares," she said unexpectedly.

I paused for a moment. I knew that, but it didn't make his protective ways any less annoying.

"I know." I turned and Connor walked up to me. He signaled that he wanted to say something.

"Hold on for a sec," I told her.

"Okay," she said. I held the phone away from my ear as I looked at my brother.

"Tell her I'll send a car around to pick her up. He'll take her to the dorm and go with her to get some of her stuff," he whispered. I nodded my head at him.

"My brother says he'll send a car to pick you up," I informed her.

"Okay. See you soon," she said as she ended the call. I told my brother she was also at Sin's house and he called his driver.

In the time it took for the car to leave and pick up Jordan, my brother had already organized a fully furnished apartment close to the college. He was on the phone in the process of organizing me another bodyguard when Jordan walked into the suite.

"Hey," she said as she dropped her duffel bag and pulled me into a hug.

"Hi," I replied as I hugged her back.

"I can't believe he has organized bodyguards already," she said as she glanced back at the door. She was talking about the two bodyguards who were already standing guard outside the hotel room.

"Yeah, he's not taking any chances. He is still trying to get a younger bodyguard to be able to blend in better at college."

"Do you have any idea who it could have been?" she said as she pulled back and scanned my face.

"No." I had no idea who would want to attack me.

"Connor has organized us a place that is fully furnished for the rest of the year," I told her as we walked over to the sofa to sit down. Connor nodded his head briefly at Jordan to greet her as he spoke on his phone.

"That's cool," she said with a shrug.

"I'm going to have to get used to someone following me around all the time," I muttered to my friend. She reached for my hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

"Maybe he will be hot," she said as she wiggled her eyebrows. For the first time since my fight with Sin, I smiled. Jordan had that way of easing stressful situations.

"I hope so."

But I knew that my heart was still hung up on a tattooed bad-boy who wasn't interested in seeing me again.