AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You did bring pancakes, Daddy! I love them!” Lyric squeals in delight as she shoves a piece of sausage link, smothered in syrup, into her mouth with a hum of delight.
“Let me look, okay?” His hand clamps down on my shoulder, drawing my attention to his deeply concerned hazel eyes.
Like hell. “I’m coming with you,” I say, lifting my chin. If this is something my stalker did, then I’m going to face it head-on. Fuck his games.
“Your hard-headedness hasn’t changed a fucking bit,” he grumbles, shaking his head. “Let’s look then.”
I quickly type out a text to Carter as we walk through the house. My heartbeat echoes in my ears as we slowly make our way toward the front door.
Me
I got a package this morning… It’s on my porch…
Carter
What the hell? Don’t touch it! I’ll be over soon! Fucking incompetent agents…
Asher puts a hand across my chest when he swings the door open and nearly gags, stumbling back.
“Don’t fucking look…”
Again. Like fuck.
I peek over his shoulder, almost wishing I hadn’t. My heart sinks into my ass. All the blood runs from my face as I stare, transfixed by the red mess on my porch. Blood. It’s fucking blood. Pooling. Dripping. Smeared over every surface of the concrete, staining it. It wasn’t just a box like we thought from the driveway. It’s a plethora of pictures and crushed fucking flowers.
Mine.
It says mine amongst the carnage. Photos scattered around of my face. My naked body. My privacy soiled. Fucking again! It’s bad enough he heard me through my cameras last night, but this seals the fucking deal.
“Lyric, I want you to look at me right now!” Asher demands, turning around at the sound of her frantic screams coming from right behind us.
Lyric shivers. I’m fucking glued to the ground, listening to my child’s cries of horror.
“What the hell?” Callum’s voice booms through the house, knocking me out of my stupor. He collects Lyric into his arms, bringing her face against his bare chest. Her sobs echo through the living room.
Where the fuck did he come from? A breeze wafts through the house, coming from the sliding glass doors we came through. Eyeing Callum, he’s in his running shorts, dripping sweat from head to toe, panting like he just ran a mile. Fuck.
Asher invades my home with his authority, quickly shutting the fucking door in our faces. Fuck. Blood. It seeps into my mind. It’s everywhere all at once.
“It’s okay,” Asher murmurs, pulling me against his chest. His warm embrace soothes the ache pulling at my lungs. “I have you, River. Okay?” His deep voice rattles through my brain, dragging me from the deep fog surrounding my stupor.
“Little Star?” Callum whispers, putting a hand on my shoulder, gently squeezing until my mind flips back online.
“I have to see it again,” I murmur, reluctantly pushing away from Asher. Why did he have to feel so damn good in a moment of crisis?
I shake my head, barely opening the front door again. Photos. Blood. Mine. My eyes dart around the disgusting display.
“You need to come to River’s now. Wake up Rad, and get your asses… This isn’t for me. This is for River. Something… You’re a real dick right now, which I’ll let slide. Fucking idiot.”
They say when someone dies, you grieve in steps. Denial. Bargaining. Depression. In my case, no one has died. Not yet, at least. But I’m jumping from completely shocked to straight-up rage. It boils through my veins like lava bubbling, ready to spew. I’m so fucking tired of letting this asshole run in the shadows. It’s time to bring him out into the sunlight and let him burn.
“The audacity of this motherfucker,” I hiss, slamming the door shut. My teeth grind to dust as I march through the house with purpose, only stopping when the incessant sound of my phone dinging nonstop hits my ears.
“What the hell is happening? What’s that shit?” Kieran’s deep, confused voice travels down the hall, rising above the sound of my phone, getting louder and louder as I step into my room.
“Pretty Girl.” Warm arms wrap around me, pulling my back into his chest.
“I need to call Olivia,” I mutter, reaching for my phone.
