Page 16 of Demise

“Vermont? What’s in Vermont? Who is he?” Steph intervenes.

I swallow roughly, exchanging a look with all the guys. We have to talk about everything, and as much as I would have liked to hold off on this conversation, it looks like I don’t have a say in the matter.

“We need to talk,” I say to the room.

We all moved to the living room and are scattered between the couch, Liam’s bed, and the floor of the living room. I’m sitting up as much as I can handle on Liam’s bed with Asher and Liam on either side of me.

“Why are you wincing? What’s wrong?” Steph asks.

“I have a few cracked ribs,” I say.

Her brows pinch before an outraged look flies to the guys. I sigh and roll my eyes at her.

“Seriously? Of course, it wasn’t one of them.”

“Well, what am I supposed to think?” she asks, tossing her hands out by her side.

Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I decide to just dive right in.

“I’ve had a stalker.”

“A stalker?” Steph echoes. “Since when?”

“Since…the first day of school.”

Her mouth drops open, and I quickly continue.

“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to worry you! At first, I thought it was just Asher being an ass,” I say as I glance to see him shrug. “Then I thought maybe Vincent. He was always lurking around every corner.”

Vincent nods in agreement but stays silent as my eyes come back to my aunt.

“Then things became clear that it was someone else, someone obsessed with mom.”

Steph frowns at that. “Why do you say that?”

“Because he was leaving her letters addressed to Giselle,” Ronan supplies.

“What did they say?” she asks.

“They started out nice, loving. And then they turned…violent, enraged. He knew about the guys, and he was talking about how he’d take care of them. How disgusted he was to see me with them,” I explain.

“I’m guessing it reminded him of when he saw Giselle with my father and Henry,” Asher says.

Steph goes as still as a statue at that. She swallows roughly before turning to face me fully.

“What do you know about that?”

“I think the question we should be asking is what doyouknow about that?”

She hesitates for a moment before she speaks.

“Finish the story, then I’ll share what I know.”

Uneasy looks are cast around the room before I blow out a breath.

“I was kidnapped.”

“WHAT!” she shrieks.

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