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My stomach churns thinking about someone watching us. Watching me. According to the officers, Matt swears he didn’t do it, but who else could it be? Who else would want to torment me like this? It’s hard to believe he’s innocent when they already found that laptop that was used for everything else at his house.

Heavy footsteps echo down the stairs. We all look up as the officer approaches. His face is grim, and my heart sinks before he even opens his mouth.

“We found some things.” He sets a small evidence bag on the table, and I lean forward despite myself.

Inside are tiny devices that look like nothing more than screws or small electronic components. The kind of thing you’d never notice unless you knew exactly what to look for.

“Nanny cams,” Cole mutters under his breath. His jaw muscles work as he stares at the bag.

“We found a handful of them,” the officer continues. “One in the living room, one in the hallway upstairs, and three . . .” He pauses, glancing at me with sympathy. “In your bedroom and bathroom.”

The air leaves my lungs in a rush. Goddamn Matt. How dare he. Now every time I go to change I’ll be terrified there are cameras.

Hudson’s hand finds mine under the table, squeezing gently, grounding me with his touch to keep me from spiraling completely.

“We’d recommend you stay somewhere else for a few nights, just to be safe,” the officer says. “Until we can be absolutely certain we’ve found everything.”

The guys exchange glances. Guilt crashes over me like a wave. I’ve already made them leave their house once due to my drama. Now I’m supposed to ask them to do it again? No. Absolutely not.

“Was this Matt?” I ask, looking at the cop.

He has a mean poker face. “Things like this are often premeditated. It’s likely these have been installed for a while now.”

“Okay. . . with him jail, he can’t hurt us, right? I mean, as long as you think you found them all?”

He nods slowly. “We’ve done a thorough sweep. Used professional equipment. I’m confident we’ve covered everything, but⁠—”

“Then we’re staying.” The words come out firm. “I’m not running anymore.” Besides, everything has already been put out there. There’s not much more of me that can be shared.

Gage raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” I lift my chin, trying to project confidence I don’t entirely feel. “This is our home. I won’t let him take that away from us.”

After the officers pack up their equipment and leave, the four of us stand in the entryway in heavy silence. The atmosphere is strange now, unsettling even though we know the cameras are gone.

“I’m sorry.” Cole’s voice breaks the quiet, and I turn to look at him.

“For what?”

“All of this. If we hadn’t⁠—”

“Stop.” I reach up and press my palm against his chest. “This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault.”

He shakes his head. “We should have protected you better.”

“You did protect me. All of you did. You’re here, aren’t you?”

Gage clears his throat. “Okay, enough of this heavy shit.” The words are something I’d expect from Cole if he weren’t busy beating himself up. Gage continues. “We need food and we need to not think about all of this for a few hours.”

“Agreed,” Hudson says, pulling out his phone. “What are we feeling? Italian? Chinese?”

“Something with dairy-free options for Lily,” Cole adds, already scrolling through delivery apps.

Here they are taking care of me again. My chest tightens with emotion I can’t quite name. There’s a deep-seated fear that I’m not worthy, but I ignore that and remind myself that I deserve men like this. I’ll do everything I can to show them how much I appreciate them.

A jagged, blinding streak of light flashes outside the kitchen window, followed by a low rumble of thunder that makes us all jump. For a moment, nobody moves. Then Cole starts laughing.

“Jesus Christ, we’re all wound tighter than a spring.”