Page 51 of Savagely Scarred

“No. She is safer in a building full of hundreds of officers than she is sitting at home on the couch.”

I nod in agreement because he’s right. She will never be safe as long as he’s alive. We are her only chance of surviving. Even though she's perfectly capable of defending herself, he got her before. And she wasn’t even alone that time. He can do it again.

A chill runs through me at the memory of me failing her. I cannot let that happen again. If he breaks her a second time, I don’t think I’ll get her back. Not whole anyway.

“We need to tell Lorenzo too,” Dorian says.

“Agreed. I want him to hack into my security system and make it better. I need to know everything that goes on in and around my house.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.” Roberts smirks, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Now, get the hell out of here.”

“Maybe not bring this up on any of your dates,” I joke to Dorian while we head back to my car, trying to relieve some of the tension.

He doesn’t smile.

He doesn’t laugh.

He doesn’t even look at me.

“I’m not dating anyone until this motherfucker is six feet underground.”

Chapter Fifteen

Olivia

My fingers tremble as I punch in the code to rearm the security system. With panting breaths, I rush into the kitchen and yank open the freezer door. I grab the bottle of Jack and set it on the counter. My warm fingers leave prints as they melt the frost off the glass bottle.

I pour myself a shot and knock it back, hoping the burn from the alcohol will warm the icy chill running through my veins. I reach into my black sports bra and pull out the strip of paper.

You should have finished the job

He found me. The last eight months have been a slow torment. Not knowing when he would come. Trevor said what I already knew. He would never give up.

I can’t go back to that basement. I can’t relive that. My nightmares have finally ceased. My PTSD has been on hiatus since winter. Sage worked so hard to help me through my trauma. He’s been so proud of me. Hell, I’ve been proud of myself. I can’t allow myself to slip back into fear.

Thunder rumbles in the distance, lightning illuminating the sky and flashing through the windows. I can hear the wind rushing through the trees, shaking their branches.

I walk over to the dining room windows to peer into the backyard. The sky darkens quickly. The black clouds roll closer, snuffing out the last light of the day.

The windows rattle at the next roll of thunder, drawing my attention down. I tilt my head, inspecting the windowsill. There’s a small chip of white paint on the ledge. Goosebumps form down my arms when I touch my fingertip to it. My pulse increases at the thought that it had been opened recently.

I reach up to double check to make sure it’s locked and then move on to the next window. Once I finish in the dining room, I check the back door and engage the swing lock at the top. Sadie follows me, racing through the house.

The gym doesn’t have windows, and I already secured the garage door in the kitchen when I got home. I head to the living room to check the front windows there and then finish with the kitchen.

I lower my hand from the lock and a white flash lights up the dark. The loud crack that follows makes me jump. And then I’m plunged into darkness as the power goes out.

“Shit,” I whisper on trembling lips.

I run back into the living room and slide the magnetic rock on the fireplace mantel to the right. It opens a secret compartment on the underside. I grab the Ruger and a clip next to it. I slam it into place before I lift my head back up and freeze.

The picture of my parents is out of place, slightly shifted. But that’s not what has the hair on the back of my neck rising. It’s the one next to it. Sage and I at the Gala, dancing. The one that was captured right before I told him I loved him for the first time.

The picture is torn in half and the side with Sage is missing.

He’s been inside the house.

HOW?!