Page 86 of Fracture

I’ll have to get some industrial strength concealer on that for work tomorrow.

My phone is flashing when I get out of the bathroom, and I’m tempted to ignore it, and just head downstairs. But for some reason, I pick it up, and check my messages.

One is from Mallory, dated late last night. I roll my eyes, because this bitch just won’t let up. I open it, and nearly drop the phone.

Someone has emailed a set of photos to me. Stanley Iverson is visible in one of them. I’m keeping this between us for now. But please call me.

A set of photos. I’m going to throw up. How the fuck did they find my father’s photos? Where had they been hiding all this time? My head spins, and I bring up Mallory’s number to call her immediately, but then swipe it away again, sweat breaking out over my face.

Shit. Shit. Fucking goddammit. If someone has those photos, who else has seen them? Who else knows?

I nearly swipe the screen away, until I remember there was a second message. It’s probably Mallory again, and I wonder if I should just block her.

But the message isn’t from Mallory.

Sender Unknown: Bang Bang, girlie pop. Keep your mouth shut.

There’s a photo attached to the message, blurry and dark, taken from behind what appears to be a car window. A woman with a blonde bob is lifting groceries out of the back of her car, a toddler perched on her hip.

My stomach drops, and cold sweat breaks out over the back of my neck.

I’m almost 100% sure it’s Mallory. Mallory, and her baby.

“Oh shit.” I clutch the phone to my chest and hurry down the stairs to the kitchen.

The guys both look up with warm smiles which quickly turn into frowns. Dylan rushes towards me, grabbing on to my forearms.

“What’s wrong?”

“The reporter, that’s - Oh my god, I think that’s her, and her baby, and-” I shake my head, handing him my phone and covering my mouth with my hand. I can’t speak. I can’t say out loud what I think is happening, because it’s too terrifying and awful to even consider.

Dylan’s eyes flicker over the message, then to the photo, narrowing for a second before realization breaks over his face. He looks over his shoulder into Levi’s concerned face.

“Someone has eyes on the reporter and her family.”

Levi’s jaw feathers, and he leans on the counter. “Fuck.”

“What does this mean?” I look from one to the other, looking for an explanation, for shock. But they both look like they expected this. Like they know something I don’t. “Why are you both so calm? You don’t even seem surprised.”

Levi rounds the counter to put his hands on my shoulders. “Baby girl, listen to me.”

I shrug him off, backing away from him. “No, there’s something going on here and I want to know what it is.” I look over at Dylan and shake my head. “The way you were talking the other day, and then you.” My gaze moves back to Levi. “You charging off the second I mentioned Stanley Iverson. There’s something going on here and I want to know what it is.”

“Guera, there’s nothing going on.” Dylan moves towards me slowly, his big dark eyes fixed on my face. “I need you to know that.”

“You’re a bad liar, Kovac, you always were.” My words are laced with venom, and he winces. “Now, you both listen to me. If there’s something going on here, if you two have some stupid little plan for revenge, I’m telling you both right now to stop.”

“That’s not an option.”

Levi’s voice is steely and low, and filled with a threat that has Dylan and I both turning to look at him. His eyes move from Dylan to me.

“Baby girl, I need you to understand something.”

“I understand everything.” I snatch my phone from Dylan’s hands and back away towards the door. “I understand that once again revenge is more important than me.”

“That’s not how it is at all.” Dylan holds his hands up, matching my steps as I back away from them and furious tears begin to well in my eyes. “You didn’t get justice, and that’s on us. This is how we make it right.”

“No, this is how you both become vigilantes!” I scoff out a disbelieving laugh. “How can you do this? How can you risk all of this,this?” I gesture between the three of us desperately. “After everything I did, after everything I gave up for you, to have you back to have youhere-” I break off, scrubbing my face with the back of my hands furiously.

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