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A flash of red catches my eye when we pull into the driveway, bringing back the tension from before tenfold. There’s one person who seems to like to leave a lot of red as a calling card for me. Red roses, blood, bloody body parts, and more.
“He’s been here,” I whisper, stepping out of the car without giving any of them time to stop me. I need to see what it is, and I know they’re going to hold me back. They want to protect me, I understand that, but keeping me in the dark isn’t going to do us any good.
Running up to the front door, I step on broken glass that’s scattered all over the porch. My eyes zone in on the smashed roses amidst the sparkling shards of glass. There’s a note sitting in the middle of it all, the stark white makes the heavy black lettering of my name stand out clear as day.
The guys come up the steps behind me, their voices frantic and angry. I can’t make out the words they’re saying because my focus is almost fully on the note. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to know what that sick bastard has to say, yet a bigger part of me needs to know. There’s power in knowledge, and sticking my head in the sand only makes me vulnerable.
Every step I take towards the note is carefully calculated in case there’s any other surprises hanging around. I reach out and snatch the note, opening it quickly when I hear someone come up behind me. Rhys’ voice floats over my shoulder, telling me it’s him over my shoulder.
“Lay, don’t read it. You don’t need to give in to the ranting of a madman,” he pleads with me. They all just want me safe, I know that, but it doesn’t mean they always know what's best.
“I have to,” I mumble, then unfold the paper. The dark, erratic writing jumps out at me, making my heart race and my blood go cold.
You stayed put for me like a good little slut. I can’t wait to finally paint the walls of this place with the blood of those you love most. One by one, I’ll take them away from you. Can you guess who’s going to die first?
Better say your goodbyes, Little Layna. We wouldn’t want you to have any more regrets now would we?
-J
“We’re fucking moving,” Rhys thunders behind me, his voice deep and harsh. “Once we’re all safe in a new place, I’m going to burn this fucking house to the ground with that motherfucker tied up in the basement.”
“I’ll help,” Riggs grumbles, cracking his knuckles on my other side. “He isn’t getting any of us. Not now, not ever.”
God, I hope he’s right. I won’t lose them.I can’t lose them.
Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Alayna
Overthelastmonth,there’s been a lot of heavy tension hanging on everyone’s shoulders. We haven’t had any other contact from Kevin since the day we came back from the cemetery and it’s like we’re all just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s coming, whatever fucked up thing he has planned next, but we don’t know when, where, or even how. We’re all cautiously walking on eggshells.
Anger snakes through me every time I think about how many more moments this psycho is stealing from us. We found out the gender of our twins just two weeks ago, a time that should have been full of excitement. While we are excited to have fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, we’re also now more scared than ever about what kind of future we’re bringing them into.
The good moments are being held captive by the fear, anger, and suspense constantly hanging over us.
Right now, the one shining moment through it all is that we finally will be moving in two months. The house hunt has come to an end as of this morning when our offer was accepted. It took us far too long to find something suitable for all of us, but we did and now, it’s going to be ours.
The real estate broker called me first, so I’ve been anxiously waiting in the kitchen for Adam or Rhys to come in since Riggs is already at work. The man is always gone by the ass crack of dawn.
Rhys walks into the kitchen, his suit immaculately pressed and spotless. I do a double take, still not used to his work attire even after months of him working there. Adam dresses similarly for his job, but in a much more casual way. Riggs is my down and dirty welder that is never in a suit unless explicitly told he needs to wear one.
“Did the real estate broker get in touch with you?” I ask, sipping my smoothie with a small smile.
“No. Why?” Rhys spins around, narrowing his eyes at me with a small smile. “Did they get in touch with you?”
“Maybe,” I say quickly, moving around the island as Rhys comes the other way. I know damn well he didn’t call Rhys or anyone else because I told him I would tell them. If we can’t tease each other and have a little fun, are we even in a healthy relationship?
Rhys stops to watch me go to the other side of the island and places his hands on the counter. “You get back here, you little devil, and tell me what you know.”
“Me? What wouldIpossibly know?” I shrug my shoulders and bat my eyelashes innocently. “I was just curious ifyouknew anything.”
His smile grows bigger, the sight of it making my heart beat a little bit faster. It feels good to joke and smile after so much brooding we’ve all been doing. My own smile grows in response to his, the excitement of the news becoming harder and harder to hold in.
“Do it,” Rhys says out of nowhere, confusing the hell out of me. What the fuck does he mean,do it? Do what?
His eyes shift ever so slightly to something over my shoulder about half a second before Adam’s laugh fills the air around me. His arms come around me, holding my arms gently at my sides and his face nuzzling right beside my ear.
