I climb to my knees but stay low as I scan the room. Shards of glass glitter like bits of ice in the warm overhead lights, reminding me of the frozen pond I almost drowned in just yesterday. A large, muddy rock rests on the hardwood floor, obviously the source of the broken window.
I look at Marcus. He’s under the large table with his bodycovering Jeremy’s smaller frame, whispering something in his ear.
“Fuck, Dad, are you okay?”
I turn to look at Link. He’s kneeling next to John, who has a bloody gash above his right eyebrow.
“Yeah,” John says, laughing weakly. “Just a scratch.”
“Let’s get downstairs,” Link says, his voice shaking with rage. Charlie places a gentle hand on his bicep, and he relaxes slightly. “I’ll call my security guy to get a team to search the property.”
“Guys,” Trey says softly. “There’s a note.”
“What?” I ask, standing unsteadily. My legs wobble as I shuffle to where Trey crouches over the rock, removing a white folded piece of paper secured with a rubber band.
I snatch it and unfold it with trembling fingers.Eye for an eye, Red. Which one of your pretty boys are you willing to lose?
I look up at B and Seb. “He’s gonna…I can’t. I have to go. I have to run.” A sob crawls up my throat, and I cover my face with my hands as B steps forward and wraps his arms around me. I cling to him, the note falling from my nerveless fingers.
Seb catches it before it flutters to the ground. “Is this from your stepfather?”
I look over at Seb and Lincoln, who are staring at the paper with murder in their eyes.
I nod, shamelessly wiping my nose on B’s shirt. He gives me a disapproving look. “Yes, it’s from Dennis. It’s definitely his handwriting this time.”
Seb’s head snaps up. “This time?” He grits his teeth. “Fiona, did you suspect someone else wrote the other note?”
I swallow. “No?”
B sighs. “Really, Fi?”
“I guess I convinced myself it was him disguising his handwriting. I didn’t want to believe there was another threat out there. One psychopath is enough, you know?”
“Baby,” Seb says, his tone pleading. He walks up to me andhooks a finger possessively under my chin. “You have got to stop keeping shit from us. You’re putting yourself in danger.”
“I know.” Guilt is thick in my throat, and I swallow, refusing to meet Seb’s eyes. Because all I can think isI’m done with this.
It’s time to draw Dennis out once and for all, and I’m not going to involve anyone else because fuck this shit.
This is about me, not them.
“C’mon, guys, let’s get downstairs. We’re really exposed in this room,” Marcus says. Jeremy looks spooked as he shifts from foot-to-foot behind him. “Let’s get John cleaned up and figure out what happens next.”
Lincoln nods and pulls out his phone as we walk downstairs to a large office that happens to have no windows. Charlie goes into the bathroom with John, and Link stands in the hallway, talking quietly.
I flop into the tall leather chair and place my head in my hands. “How the fuck does he keep finding us?” I look up. No one has an answer. “I thought I was being overly cautious moving from place to place, but obviously he’s somehow tracking me.”
Trey sits on the edge of the desk and crosses his ankles, lost in thought. “I know he’s wealthy, so he probably has connections, but would he have access to that kind of tech?”
“That’s the thing,” I say, scrubbing my hand through my hair. “He’s not really that rich. He always just spent my mom’s money, and he has a crapload of debt. The reason he’s been stalking me is because he wants me to sign a document that would give him a fair shot at my inheritance.” I wipe my suddenly clammy palms on my jeans. “Or that’s what I thought anyway.”
“Meaning?” Link asks from the doorway. Charlie and John, with a newly bandaged forehead, follow him into the room, and sit on the leather couch in the corner.
I sigh and look at Seb and B. “Meaning, when I was a kid…heused to molest me.” My voice cracks with the words, but it feels lighter saying it out loud. “And he started raping me when I turned eighteen.”
“What the fuck?” Charlie says. She stands and comes to kneel in front of me. “All those times you went home to help your mom, he was there! Fi, you should have told me.”
I give her a tearful laugh. “Honey, you were dealing with enough shit between your sociopathic ex and these two assholes,” I say, pointing at Link and Trey. “And I chose not to tellanyone. I eventually put a stop to it and decided not to let that bastard ruin my life anymore. Brantley and Seb only found out recently.”
