Page 73 of Red Dreams

“Let's finish breakfast,” I murmur, guiding Layla back to the kitchen where Ethan still sits frozen, a forkful of pancake hovering near his open mouth.

When we’re seated, he raises his mug in a mock toast. “To dysfunctional breakfast bonding. May we not be murdered before lunch.”

24

LAYLA

After fighting with your kidnapper-turned-housemate, nothing clears your head like a walk along the shore. At least, that's what I tell myself as I shut the cottage door behind me.

The walls have suffocated since my return, and now, after Cassie's latest mind game and Kaden's cold lecture, I need air, need space—but the moment I step outside, something feels wrong.

Kaden’s outfitted my property with the latest tech, relying on security measures like triggers, motion sensors, and possibly bombs to alert us to trespassers. I feel safe inside his fortress, knowing it spreads far outside the brick and mortar of my home, so that can’t be what nags at me.

As I walk, my eyes scan the shoreline, taking in the familiar sights—the weathered driftwood, the scattered seashells, the tufts of beach grass swaying in the wind. But then something catches my eye. At first, I mistake it for the random scribblings of a child or perhaps the meandering trail of a shore crab. But as I move closer, the lines take on a jagged, deliberate shape. Letters. Words.

WE FOUND YOU.

I blink, half expecting the message to disappear, but it remains crisp and clear. I take a step closer, my eyes tracing each letter. A sudden gust of wind whips across the beach, and I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself. The once-comforting sound of the waves now seems ominous.

I glance back at the cottage, its windows glinting in the sunlight. Inside, Kaden is likely still fuming while Cassie’s retreated to the top of the lighthouse. Ethan is trying to stay out of all of it by keeping to my room and drowning himself in pain pills. I don’t blame him.

Turning, I run back toward my home, my feet slipping in the shifting sand.

I need to tell Kaden. Need to warn him that despite his precautions, despite the layers of security and secrecy, the remaining Morelli family breached it.

But as I hurry across the sand, a faint buzzing sound catches my attention. At first, I dismiss it as the hum of a distant boat or the whir of insects. But the noise grows louder, closer, until it's impossible to ignore.

I scan the sky, searching for the source of the sound, and spot a small, sleek drone hovering above my cottage. My blood runs cold as the reality of the situation sinks in.

I shoot into a sprint, desperate to warn Kaden and Ethan. But even as I run past the lighthouse, I can't shake the feeling that the real danger isn't out here.

It’s already inside.

With one last glance at the drone, I burst through the door. “Kaden!”

Kaden’s head snaps toward me at the sound of my voice, where he was staring at the lighthouse through the front window.

“What is it?” His voice is low, but the tone is urgent.

“A drone,” I gasp out. “Outside, watching the cottage. And—a message. In the sand. They found us.”

Kaden responds with a closed-mouth smile. “That quickly? Good.”

He strides past me, and I follow him outside. The drone still hovers above, its sleek black body almost invisible against the gray sky. Kaden tracks its movements with a cold, calculating gaze.

This is the Kaden I first met—the lethal, unforgiving killer.

He reaches behind him, pulling a sleek black handgun from the waistband of his jeans. The metal gleams as he levels it at the drone. There's no hesitation, no flicker of doubt. Only a chilling, single-minded focus.

Cassie suddenly appears at my side, having silently prowled out of the lighthouse and toward us. “What’s going on?”

“Stay back,” Kaden orders. “Both of you.”

The drone buzzes closer, its camera swiveling to track our movements. Kaden's finger tightens on the trigger, his stance immovable. He doesn't flinch as the drone darts forward, a clear provocation. Instead, a slow, deliberate smile curls his lips.

Crack.

The drone explodes. Pieces rain down at our feet while Kaden lowers his weapon, his expression impassive as he surveys the destruction.

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