Page 46 of Valley

But now, with the sun rising, that fragile sense of safety was slipping through my fingers. I had to walk to the dance studio, and my nerves were stretched thin, every step tinged with unease. Broad daylight, a busy street—those things weresupposed to make me feel safe. Instead, they were cold comforts against the growing fear that clung to my thoughts.

Ellie’s cheerful chatter was a small relief, a bright spot as I pushed her stroller along the sidewalk. I forced a smile, trying to focus on her words, on the feel of the fresh morning air. But the tension coiled tighter in my chest with every block we passed. When we reached the studio, I let out a shaky breath, grateful to have made it this far without incident.

I fished my keys from my purse, my fingers trembling as I reached for the door handle. “What’s this?” I muttered, my voice barely a whisper as I noticed the beaded hair tie wrapped around the handle. It seemed innocent enough, something a student might have left behind, but a cold shiver shook my body.

It didn’t feel right. I glanced over my shoulder, half expecting to see someone lurking in the shadows, but the street was empty.

With a shaky hand, I unlocked the door and hurried Ellie inside. My eyes darted to the clock on the wall—still a while before students would arrive. Being alone in the building had never bothered me before, but now, after the last few days, every creak of the floorboards felt like a threat. My phone pinged, the sudden noise making me jump, my heart hammering in my chest.

I fumbled for my phone, relief washing over me when I saw it was just Sean, checking in to see if I was okay. I forced a smile as I typed a quick reply, assuring him it wasn’t his fault. But then, another message.

His question:Could he make it up to me?

The smile slipped from my face. Yesterday’s events flashed in my mind—the horrible video, the brutal reminder of what goes on at a biker clubhouse. Men thought that one-night stands were harmless. The whole what they don’t know won’t hurt them garbage. I refuse to be in a relationship with any man that has women available for sex at their fingertips.

The attack on me while I was there was the final shot, killing any thought of going back there.

My class is about to start. We’ll talk later,I replied, shoving the phone back into my bag, trying to push the thoughts away. But they lingered, scratching at the edges of my mind.

“Madeline!” Stacy’s voice pulled me back to the present, her small arms wrapping around me in a hug. I forced a chuckle, trying to shake off the dread. “Are you ready to get jazzy?” I asked, nudging her toward the changing room.

As the kids arrived and the studio filled with laughter and music, the fear receded, replaced by the comforting routine of teaching. Ellie clapped along from her playpen, her innocent joy a balm to my nerves. For a while, I lost myself in the rhythm of the class, the kids’ mistakes and triumphs, the only things that mattered.

But as the last child left, the silence of the empty studio pressed in on me, bringing back the cold edge of fear. I packed up quickly, putting Ellie in her stroller and turning off the lights. As I approached the exit, something made me pause—a prickling at the back of my neck, a deep, gut-wrenching instinct that something was wrong.

I froze, ears straining in the darkened room.Tap, tap...The faint sound echoed through the space, followed by footsteps from above. My heart lurched into my throat. Someone was here. Someone was watching me.

Panic surged, and I bolted for the door, shoving it open and practically stumbling outside. I scanned the street, my pulse racing, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that eyes were on me, that I was being hunted. I grabbed the door handle to lock up, my fingers brushing against something—a piece of paper, secured by the beaded hair tie.

My hand trembled as I pulled it free, shoving the note into my pocket so I could lock the door. My stomach twisting with dread.

“Madeline!”

I nearly screamed, spinning around to see my dad there. Relief crashed over me, but it was tinged with the fear that still clawed at my insides. “Dad? What are you doing here?” I tried to sound casual, normal, but I could see the worry in his eyes.

“I figured I’d come and walk my two favorite girls home,” he said, smiling, but the tension in his voice matched the knot in my stomach.

“And we’re delighted to have your escort,” I said, trying to sound cheerful, so thankful he was here. The walk home was less terrifying with Dad by my side, but the fear clung to me like a shadow.

Someone was after me. I knew it.

Back home, once I was alone in my room, I pulled out the note, my hands shaking as I unfolded it. The words scrawled across the paper sent a chill down my spine:I’m sorry, but I still have to finish what I started.

I gasped, the note slipping from my fingers as my heart pounded in my chest. What should I do? Call the police? I couldn’t just sit here, waiting for something terrible to happen. This wasn’t some practical joke, and I needed to protect myself.

PATCH CALLED USin bright and early, so I draggedmyself to the table, a half-empty cup of coffee in hand. I’d spent the night searching for Johnny, making routine passes by Madeline’s apartment, not dragging my ass back to the clubhouse until this morning. I needed to check on her, make sure she was safe, especially after yesterday. Someone was out to hurt her to get to me, and I wasn’t about to let that happen.

Midnight slumped into the chair beside me, his arms crossed, face twisted with anger. “Hadleigh still got her claws out?”

“She’s not just pissed, she’s gone,” he snapped, clenching his fists.

“Over that video?”

“That’s part of it,” he muttered. “Early this morning, all the ol’ ladies got videos on their phones. This time, it’s personal. Haddie got one of me with the sweet butts. Aislynn’s was of Leather in all kinds of compromising positions. They’re all holed up at Daphne’s place now.”

Patch stormed in, slamming the door behind him as he took his seat. He looked like the devil had paid him a visit.“Someone’s gonna pay with their fucking life!” he snarled, slamming his hand on the table. “No doubt, this is an inside job.”

I finally noticed only a handful of us were in the room, not the whole crew. Lack of sleep was making me sloppy.

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