Page 67 of Stolen Love

A snapshot of falling leaves and a little girl with the whitest hair and the bluest eyes and the pinkest coat and mittens. Of a woman with equally white hair and the saddest hazel eyes in the world.

A ballroom full of people watching Rebel Maddox beat the crap out of my brother while I press stop on the recorded confession of my brother’s monstrous behavior.

Rogue begging me not to run in an alleyway outside a club.

Handcuffed to a bed in Bianca Del Ray’s house.

Rebel sitting opposite me at the island in Adira’s kitchen while we make a deal to bring Alec down.

Alec holding my arm above my head. My body so drugged, I can barely fight. His gloved fingers wrapped around my hand as the blade in his other hand bites into my fragile flesh while he confesses that he tried to drown me.

Tears prick my eyes. The onslaught of memories leave me breathless.

West drags me into the elevator before I can gather my wits. As soon as the doors close he thumps the emergency stop button and puts his mouth right next to my ear. “Where is she?”

I claw at his hand with both of mine. “Let me go.”

“Where is my sunshine?” He growls. “Where is Dizzy?”

“I don’t know.” I gasp, my lungs burning for oxygen. But all I can manage are the tiniest swallows of air. Where is the cool and aloof man I met in the back of the limo? This man smells like he hasn’t showered in a couple of days. His clothes are rumpled. And as much as his moves are controlled, I have this feeling he could snap at any second.

“She’s obsessed with you.” He grinds his teeth. “If you know where she is you need to tell me.”

“I don’t.” Dizzy has always been extra. But fixated? “What do you mean, obsessed?”

“I need my sunshine,” he snarls. “I need to keep her from doing anything stupid. I need to protect her.”

“Is she stalking me?” My heart rabbit kicks in my chest.

“No, that’s…” His grip eases but he keeps me pressed to the wall. “You were no doubt the last person to see her. Tell me about it.”

The last person to see her? I suck in a breath and my head swims from the rush of oxygen. I take a few smaller breaths. “I remembered what happened the other night in Narnia. I remembered… I’m starting to remember things.”

I’m so close to remembering everything. The only thing I’m not sure of is what happened the night West was supposed to help me get my memories back.

“Go on,” he orders.

“She said you wouldn’t like that. She was scared of you. She is scared of you.” But if she is stalking me then that could have been an act.

They grew up as siblings in a dangerous family. I’m not entirely sure what that entailed, but if their father could threaten to kill Betty and her unborn child, and West can hold me hostage like this, then it would be stupid to think Dizzy wouldn’t be capable of similar behavior.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he snarls.

I shove at him, struggle against him, but all I manage is to flop around ineffectually. “I know you and Rebel and Rogue are triplets.”

“Rogue and Rebel know about me?” His nostrils flare.

“We visited your mom yesterday. She told us everything.”

His eyes widen and then narrow. “What else do you think you know, little Love?”

“I know you’re a Hawthorne. That we’re cousins.” I don’t know why I can’t just shut up. All I can put it down to is the surprise in his eyes gives me hope. I’ve been scared of everything for so long and it hasn’t kept me safe. My world is still falling apart around me, and I am so freaking tired of it. All I have left now is the fight, and if I can disarm him then I can get free. “I know you hurt Dizzy. And that you did something to me… I don’t know if you meant for me to hit my head, or if it was an accident—”

He seems to waver, his grip loosens as he allows me to slide down the wall. “So you know some things.”

“All of it.” I pry his fingers from around my neck. It might not be true, but I’m getting closer, remembering more. Putting the puzzle pieces together one piece at a time. And West seems less inclined to hurt me now.

“Not all of it.” He hits the button that starts the elevator again. “If you don’t know where my sunshine is then you’re of no use to me.”

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