Page 82 of Stalker

“Meaning he’ll try to ruin my life if he doesn’t get his way. And he has the tools to do that.”

“Explain that to me, Puppet.”

I opened my mouth to divert and brush it off, but I stopped myself. Since the first time I met Tyson Lane, I had covered for his behavior and made excuses for the dynamic between us. But I was so tired of it.

“Puppet. Tell me what he has over you.”

I swallowed and then tipped my phone down so I wouldn’t have to see my pathetic reflection in the screen as I bared my most embarrassing secrets and failures.

“The same thing you have over me.” I whispered and closed my eyes, hating the similarities between Dane and Tyson. “Videos.”

There was a long pause, and my anxiety grew with each long second of time. “Did you know he took them?”

“Not at the time.” I replied, “I wasn’t—” I stared up at the ceiling, fighting through the shame. “Completely conscious.”

“You were drunk?” He asked, “Or--?”

“I don’t know.” I whispered, feeling that same disgraceful burn in my chest. “I don’t know how it happened. All I know is we were at his friend’s birthday party, where I only had one drink, and then I woke up the next morning with only fuzzy snippets of the night.”

It didn’t take a wise man to figure out what kinds of things could happen to a girl at a party when she was passed out. Or drugged.

I’d never spoken about that night out loud before. Yet after breaking that seal, a part of me wanted to scream all the other horrors I’d endured at Tyson’s hand to anyone who’d listen.

Dane brought me back, “I’m going to make him pay.” I opened my mouth to tell him no, but no words would come and he could tell. “Aren’t you going to tell me not to? Aren’t you going to beg me to spare him, Puppet?”

I shook my head as a tear broke over the line of my lashes and rolled down my cheek. “No. Because I think I know what happened.” I sniffed, wiping away at the trail, “And I wish I could do it myself.”

“I’ll get the videos back for you.” He vowed, “And I’ll make him pay for what he did. Whatever it was.”

“Promise me you won’t watch them.” I took a shuddered breath, “I can’t stand the thought of you watching any of them.”

“I’ll get the videos back, Puppet.” He growled. “The nightmare will die there.”

I didn’t ask if he meant the blackmail or Tyson. That wasn’t something I needed verbal confirmation of. I didn’t even care as long as he eliminated the secrets Tyson held over my head.

Tyson had made his bed. And Dane was going to make sure that he laid in it.

Chapter 29 – Lincoln

Icould have wiped out Tyson’s entire digital footprint remotely. It would have taken zero time at all to infiltrate, expunge, and then destroy everything from the comfort of my home office.

But it wouldn’t have fed the monster inside of me demanding blood for what was done.

That justice was going to be served painfully by hand.

“So explain to me again why I’m suddenly appropriate for baby-sitting duty?” Tamen groaned from the couch in my office as I grabbed the last of my things and put it in my bag. “You didn’t even want me here a week ago.”

“I still don’t want you here.” I deadpanned, “But if you insist on taking up space, you can earn your room and board while you’re here.”

“Ah,” He dragged the tip of a knife under his fingernail. “Blood labor is how I earn anything these days, brother. Not babysitting.”

“Well, if anything happens to Peyton while I’m gone, you’ll be paying in blood.” I put my bag on my shoulder and faced him head on. “Behave.”

He grinned sadistically. “I never promise suitability. But I promise she won’t be harmed while you’re gone.”

“Good.” I walked out, and he followed me into the hallway.

“When are you planning on coming clean to her?” Tamen asked, and I rolled my eyes. He had no specifics about what was going on between Peyton and I. But he could tell she wasn’t involved withme, romantically. He has spent the entire first two days watching our interactions in the house and could see the divide there.

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