Page 162 of Secret Shifters Next Door

I sat down and shook my head. “One hundred percent Kellan. I’ve known those guys for decades. They’re identical, but there are ways to tell them apart.” I pointed at the screen. “For this, it’s the eyebrows. Kellan’s are thicker. Plus there’s that scar above his left eyebrow. We thought we’d be cute when we were thirteen and pierce our eyebrows. Kellan went first. When Kris slammed the needle through, Kellan jerked. The whole thing ripped out. Left a nasty gash. After seeing the blood and listening to him scream, Kris and I decided against it. That is Kellan. Without a fucking doubt.”

Seeing the picture again made the pain heat up inside me again. Fresh and painful. It hurt almost as bad as when my pack turned me out. In some ways, it hurt worse. When my pack kicked me out, it had only affected me. This? It affected all my friends, me, and our families. Plus his own son and sister.

“How do we play this out?” Tate asked.

“I need to be the one to confront him. Alone,” I said. “I’ve known him the longest. It’s my mate he fucked with. Ithasto be me.”

“Okay,” Blayne said. “We do it your way, but we station nearby. If something goes wrong, we have to be able to get to you and help quickly. We can get a wire on you. Get the confession. It’s not for the police—we all know that it’s probably for the best if they don’t find Ryland at all. God knows what information he might release if the cops get to him first.”

“Right,” Miles said. “Get whatever information you can out of Kellan that helps us find the hunters.”

Kellan was a means to an end. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to have to answer for what he’d done. We had to focus on the bigger picture, but his time was coming. It would destroy April to find out about her brother’s betrayal, but we had to play this out to the end. We had to be smart and go along as though we didn’t have any suspicion of Kellan at all. Not until I confronted him with the evidence and pressed him forevery singlething he knew.

THIRTY-ONE

APRIL

The few days since the box had been delivered had been terrible. If not for my parents coming to visit, I think I really would have gone crazy. It was the only way Steff would leave me alone. He trusted my dad to watch out for me, and he kept meeting with the guys. They were meeting more often now, sometimes even twice a day. Steff told me they were formulating a plan to deal with everything, but he wouldn’t give me any details, even when I asked. He was trying to protect me. I should have been pissed at him, but honestly, I didn’t want to know what they had planned. It would have probably put me over the edge knowing they were getting ready to do something dangerous.

My appetite had been shit, and I’d lost almost ten pounds since the incident, which was all the weight I’d put back on since being home. I’d decided to retire, but it looked like I was on a crash diet to get ready for a new runway show. Most days the very thought of food was too much. Every time I tried to eat, I’d get a flash of the bloody gray tongue and teeth. Invariably, I’d have to put my fork down and breathe deeply to prevent myself from puking right at the table.

We’d decided not to tell Mom and Dad or my brothers about the box. They knew I was already freaked out about Luca’salleged assault. We didn’t think they needed to know that it was connected to me. I simply let them think I was worried about whatever crazy stalker had done it. I was… but they didn’t need to know that he lived in town and was a member of a secret brotherhood of shifter hunters.

If I had to guess, Mom seemed to be buying my story, but I could tell Dad thought something else was going on. So far, he hadn’t asked any probing questions, which was a good thing since I might have broken down the moment he pushed.

That morning, I stood in front of the mirror in my bathroom, waiting for the water in the shower to heat up. I was naked and I could damn near count my ribs. My eyes were sunken, with heavy bags and dark circles underneath. I looked like a junkie.

“What am I gonna do?” I whispered to my reflection.

My parents were downstairs making lunch, and I found it surreal that such a normal activity was taking place. Up here in the bathroom, I was contemplating life-or-death situations. I rubbed at my face and stepped into the shower.

Steff and his guys were trying to figure a way to end this, but what if there was something I could do to stop it? There was no way Ryland would simply walk away. Not now. He had too much skin in the game. The cops knew about him, and he’d had to give up his job at the school and go on the run. No, he was in it to win it.

I wasn’t a violent person at heart. I’d never even been in a real fight. Not even in high school. I’d never caused anyone any physical harm on purpose. Still, if Ryland were here right now? I’d have had no qualms about breaking the damn mirror and shoving a sliver of glass into his throat. If he came for me, I wouldn’t hesitate to end his damn life.

After lunch, my mom cleared the plates and said, “I was thinking it would be nice to go visit with Aiden a bit. Kellan couldprobably use a break. He’s… well, he was stretched pretty thin the last time I saw him.”

I nodded. “That would be good.” It had been over a week since I’d seen them. The longest I’d gone without seeing them since being home.

“All right,” Dad said, “I’ll go start the car.”

It felt like the drive over to Kellan’s place took days, when in reality was only around ten minutes. I kept looking out the window, checking passing cars, people jogging, and parents with strollers. I was constantly looking for Ryland. It was exhausting, but I couldn’t stop myself. Dad kept shooting me worried glances, but he thankfully never said a word.

As soon as we got to Kellan’s, I knew something was off. He looked like absolute shit. When I’d seen myself in the mirror that morning, I’d thought I had looked bad, but Kellan was like a walking corpse. He’d lost weight, his skin had taken a sickly pale color, and I couldn’t be sure, but it looked like he hadn’t showered in days. Mom was right, he did look stretched thin.

Aiden’s kidnapping had really done a number on him. I chastised myself for acting selfish. Yes, my ex-boyfriend had been brutally attacked and the evidence had been put on my porch, but my child hadn’t been taken. Thinking about it as I walked up the steps into his house, I wondered how that would feel. He loved Aiden, and the thought of losing him must have been almost more than he could bear.

“Hey, sis,” Kellan said. His voice was hollow, monotonous, and emotionless.

“Hi, Kellan.” I gave him a hug, and there was a moment’s hesitation before he reciprocated.

Aiden ran in and jumped into my dad’s arms, and Mom ruffled his hair. Aiden also looked a little less like his usual self. He was quieter than every other time I’d seen him. As Dad set him down, he glanced furtively at Kellan, then leaned in closeto Mom. Was Aiden afraid of his father? That made no sense. Kellan and Aiden were as close as a father and son could be.

Mom stroked Aiden’s back and glanced up at Kellan. “We thought it might be fun to take Aiden out for ice cream. April can stay here and keep you company. Is that okay with you?”

Kellan licked his lips nervously and looked at Aiden. It should have been an easy question. Why wouldn’t he want Aiden to go have fun with his grandparents? He would be as safe with our parents as he was with me or Kellan.

After an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity, Kellan nodded, though it looked almost painful for him. “That’s fine. I’m sure he’ll have fun. Won’t you, buddy?”

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