“You need to deal with your own personal problems before you start giving me advice on mine.”
“What you do here will become my personal problem.”
Meaning that if her ex heard the relationship between Lila and Chase was a ruse, he’d be back to harass her.
Chase cut a look around to make sure no one was within earshot. “You need to get a restraining order.”
“You know I can’t.”
“You can,” Chase insisted. “And don’t give me that bullshit about having it become a matter of public record. We both know your makeup artist spilled that story weeks ago. Everyone on the set knows by now.”
“That’s the crew,” she said, “not the general public.”
“Restraining orders aren’t the end-all, be-all.” Trey’s unsolicited opinion drew their gazes.
Chase had helped Lila hire him, so he knew Trey had been LAPD before a bullet shattered his shoulder. Lila had hired him to drive her and stand guard during public appearances. He was staying at her house in the hills in the evenings. The rest of the time, she was on the set, which had its own security.
“A restraining order can sometimes infuriate the man into committing even more violence against the woman,” Trey said. “It doesn’t help that the punishment for violating a protection order is generally a slap on the wrist.”
“See?” Lila told Chase.
Chase turned to Trey. “Are you saying they’re useless?”
“Not at all. I’m just telling you they have downsides. Many women get them expecting one hundred percent coverage, and that’s just not how they work.”
“So, they’re like, what?” Chase asked. “Twenty percent effective? Fifty? Seventy-five?”
“You’re putting a percentage value on my safety?” Lila cut in.
“Depends on which study you read,” Trey answered Chase. “In my experience, I’d say you’ve got a fifty-percent chance the guy will stay away. And about half of those fifty percent are even angrier than before the protection order was issued.”
“A restraining order would go on his record, right?” Lila asked Trey.
“His police record, yes, ma’am.”
She shot a panicked look at Chase. “Brendon would go ballistic.”
“Between the restraining order and Trey, you’d be covered,” Chase insisted. “He needs hard limits, Lila.”
“What he needs are consistent, frequent reminders that I’m not alone, and I’m serious about moving on.”
“Abusers are notorious cowards,” Trey said. “Having another man in the picture couldn’t hurt.”
Yeah, it could. It was hurting Chase. It was also hurting Zahara.
“Lila told me Brendon owns three weapons,” Trey said.
“Half of America owns weapons.”
“When an abuser has access to a weapon,” Trey said, “it triples the chances of the woman being killed.”
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“You know how bad you felt,” Lila said, “when he came back to the house and hit me after you’d gone home that night? Imagine how my death would haunt you the rest of your life.”
“Jesus Christ, Lila, stop pushing off the consequences for your own choices onto other people. Being with him was your decision. Leaving him was your decision. Decisions have consequences.”
And Chase was feeling the consequences of his choice to help Lila like a knife in his heart.