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Micah’s eyes flicked from me to Colt. “Why are you bringing up a serial killer?”
I swallowed down my nerves and steeled myself for what I was about to tell them. “My name is Shiloh McConnell and I’m the reason why Xander Xenos is a serial killer.”
Silence filled the room.
“Why do I recognize the name McConnell?” Daxton asked, frowning as he turned toward his computer and opened a web browser.
“X murdered Shiloh’s family and nearly killed her, too,” Colt said.
Dax’s brows rose as he read over what looked like a news article.
“You won’t find me mentioned anywhere,” I told him.
He glanced at me. “Why?”
“Because she’s in witness protection,” Colt answered for me.
I cleared my throat. “The article you’re reading talks about the night my family was murdered a little over a year and a half ago, but what it doesn’t say is that I was the sole survivor. Mr. X, which is how I know him, used to be my freshman English teacher. He developed an obsession with me and then stalked me for years until the night he killed my family in front of me. When I didn’t feed into his fantasy he had of us being together, he tried to kill me, too. I got away and ever since that night, I’ve been in witness protection and he’s been searching for me. Because he hasn’t been able to find me, he’s been raping and killing girls around my age who look like me to satisfy his obsession.”
The room went quiet again.
“Let me guess,” Alaric said, recovering from the shock the quickest. “He’s found you.”
“Yes,” I answered.
Micah let out a curse and stared right at Colt. “Do Knox and Keelan know about this?”
“She’s their girlfriend. Of course they know,” Colt said.
Micah’s eyes dropped to our hands. “Theirs?”
“Ours,” Colt corrected.
Micah huffed a laugh. “I knew you and Creed shared, but I didn’t think…” He trailed off, shaking his head as if astonished. “That explains why I couldn’t tell which one of you was dating her at Keelan’s party. All four of you acted like she was the center of your world. It was so shocking, especially seeing Knox act that way.”
Him talking about Keelan’s birthday party reminded me of the episode I’d had right in front of him. “What you saw at Keelan’s birthday with me—when I had that moment—”
“You have PTSD,” Micah said, and his eyes flicked to Alaric for only a second before they were back on me. “I’m guessing it stems from what happened to you and your family?”
I nodded.
Micah’s gaze moved to Colt. “Speaking of your brothers. Where are they? Do they know you’re here?”
“I have a safe house,” I said. “I sent them ahead of us. Colt had been taken and—”
“Taken?” Micah and Alaric blurted at the same time.
“By the X Killer?” Daxton asked with wide eyes.
Colt sighed and calmly began telling them everything that had happened.
* * *
After Colt and I had explained everything, the uncertainty and tension that had been coming off of Micah and Daxton when Colt and I had first arrived seemed to dissipate. Alaric, however, still seemed standoffish and reluctant to help.
I caught Alaric staring at the scars around my wrists and inner arm. Then he frowned at where I had been shot and said with a curt tone, “You need stitches. Go clean up your arm in the bathroom.”
I felt Colt go tense next to me. As if sensing that he was going to hulk out, Micah put a hand on Colt’s shoulder and insisted that he come with him and Daxton to try to get the cuffs off his wrists.
