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“Please don’t shoot him again, Van. I’ll do whatever you want. Please don’t hurt anyone else,” I beg, with tears pooling in my eyes and rushing down my cheeks. “Van,” I plead.
“I love it when you say my name,” he whispers, pressing his lips on my hair. “Say you’ll be mine forever.”
“I’m yours.”
For now. A gag sits at the back of my throat when I say those words.
Until I shoot you in the dick for ever laying a hand on Lyric, me, and for shooting Asher three fucking times. If only I had packed my knife. The same one Kieran gave me all those years ago so I could protect myself. But I left it at home, tucked in my dresser drawer with my other weapon. I was stupid to think I’d be safe at my own daughter’s birthday party, surrounded by Veritas agents.
“Good. Rivey. This is going so well. It’s funny… When you called Kat to let her know you would be in Central City, I was there. Right beside her, listening as you spilled where’d you’d be. I knew I needed to make my moves. And fucking fast. So, here we are, baby,” he coos again, dropping his arm to his side, removing the danger to Asher’s rapidly deteriorating state.
Everything seizes inside me, and I blanch. “Kat? My PA? Kat?”
“Yeah, baby. That’s the girl. Your PA. I’m Trevor. Her boyfriend,” he whispers in my ear, forcing me to step back with him into the darkness of the unknown.
I stumble over my feet, unable to fall forward when his grip gets tighter and tighter. My breaths barely have enough room to fill my lungs as the darkening room takes over my vision. How I long for the sunlight gleaming in. How I long to keep my eyes on Asher’s unmoving body.
“I’ve been him for six months. Did you ever wonder why I never showed my face?”
Trevor, Kat’s elusive boyfriend. The one she gushed about being in love with. She cried over him when he went away without a word. He never came to our company parties. Never took pictures. He was a fucking ghost in the waiting, preying on an innocent woman. No wonder we never met him and only heard about their time together.
“Why would you do that?” I croak, sucking in harsh breaths. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Kat likes you. She likes to talk about you and what’s going on with you. She was my in. I knew where you’d be every fucking day of your life. I had to date her and be with her to get to see you. It was the only way. And God! Sleeping with her, well, it was a way to be closer to you, Rivey. I could close my eyes and imagine it was your face. Your moans. I still have our movies together. I watch them every night before I go to sleep, fucking her… Or fucking my hand to you. It’s sad, but I had to get my info from her. After all, being close to her made me close to you. But don’t worry, I don’t love her like I love you. Poor pathetic bitch she is. I just had to show her a scrap of affection, and she was dripping wet.” He tsks at his manipulation, solely putting the blame on poor Kat, who was head over heels in love with this asshole. “Especially today on our daughter’s birthday. I wanted to be here to help you celebrate. You’ll love the home I have for us. Well, me and you. That’s okay, though. We’ll have more children. Just you and me. Forever.”
The impact of his words settles on my chest, caving it in. Oxygen refuses to enter my fucking lungs, seizing them every time I open my mouth.
“You dated her for the sole purpose of getting to me? You… You stalked me from the beginning?” I stammer, wrapping my brain around the idea that Van had been following me this entire time from afar, waiting in the shadows as he watched our every move. “Wait… Did you even go to Europe?”
Twisting me around, he forces my back into the roughly textured wall. I cry out when my head knocks into the stone, dazing me. Bright stars burst behind my eyelids. A sharp gasp rings out from between my parted lips.
Van cracks a smile, tsking at me in a cruel mockery. “Of course, I went to Europe, Rivey. Where do you think I picked up the cyber skills that allowed me to watch you from anywhere at any time? I was there for three years, eyeing your every move.”
“Cyber skills?” I swallow hard at the information flowing from his mouth like a villain revealing all his moves before he executes them. If I’m not careful with this conversation, bad things could continue to happen. I need to keep him talking and make him reveal everything. “What cyber skills?” Please take the bait. Please spill everything.
It’s a good thing this cavern echoes because Asher’s phone should be picking all this up.
“My favorite was hacking into your camera system, which wasn’t that hard, especially since it was my company that protected your precious home. A little slip of the business card to the perfect person had you right where I wanted you. But I couldn’t stay away, Rivey. I was tired of watching you on a screen. So, I came back and created Trevor so I could keep a closer eye on you.”
“But—I…” I swallow hard, willing my tears to go away. I have to keep him going and admit to everything he’s done to orchestrate this entire thing. “I only got the cameras because of the pictures,” I murmur with realization as vomit shoots up my throat.
He grins more. “I needed you scared and desperate for protection. Getting your picture wasn’t hard, though. It was easy to follow you around and watch you shop or play with our baby girl. It made me want this more,” he purrs with victory. “I’m so sorry I frightened you, Rivey. You were just so beautiful. I didn’t mean to scare you; I just needed to keep my eyes on you at all times and keep you safe.”
My body shudders at the thought of him watching my every move through the cameras in my home. “Why… How?” Fuck, I can’t get my damn brain to ask the right questions.
Van’s teeth grit when his hand tightens on me. “But then they came back and fucked it all up! They were supposed to stay away. They were supposed to never touch you again. You are mine, River. All fucking mine. You’d never know that I’ve done so many things for you, Rivey,” he whispers, putting his forehead against mine. “I saved you from Bradley’s attack at that shitty bar you worked at.”
“I saved myself,” I say, curling my lip in disgust at the thought of my attack at Dead End, resulting in my hospitalization. “I stabbed that bastard. Not you…” I grunt when his hand slams over my mouth, blocking me from talking properly.
“I was supposed to save you!” he lashes out, spitting in my face with every word. “I was supposed to pull you out of that alleyway and be the fucking hero. Me! Not you,” he growls again. “And definitely not fucking them!” The entire darkened chamber he’s pulled me into lights up with his voice, echoing for what seems like miles. Only a sliver of light from buzzing bulbs above us illuminates his demented eyes. “I set it all up so I could win you back. But you see how fucking well that worked out?” He rolls his eyes, clenching his teeth so tight, I swear he’ll snap them into pieces.
“You?” My muffled voice comes through his hand, widening his smile.
My stomach drops, thinking back to when I took out the trash at Dead End and was attacked from behind by Bradley. My former rapist. My abuser. The man who forced himself on me at the party where I drank too much, and Rad saved me.
“Me,” he whispers. “You ever wonder why he was at Dead End that night? Why was I there to stop him? I was the fucking hero. And then that piece of shit Kieran beat my face in.” He shakes his head erratically. “I hope he makes an appearance soon so I can give him the same treatment. One bullet for every asshole who has put their hands on you.”
My breath hitches.
