Page 29 of Never Fall for an Angel

Marcus smirks, looking back at us, his gaze lingering on my sister sitting beside me. She meets his gaze with her ice-blue one, finally unafraid of him after what he’d done to her for all those years. Her fiancé, Logan, the special FBI agent who brought Marcus down, places his arm around her shoulders and stares back at him as if daring him to even blink in Savannah’s direction.

Marcus’s gaze turns to my mother, and he stares at her long and hard. The divorce was finalized a month ago. She owes him nothing, but in true Marcus fashion, he still feels some control over her.

I pat Mom’s hand, and she lets out a shuddering sigh, tears brimming in her eyes. However, she doesn’t look away.

“Come on,” I whisper, tugging on her hand. “Let’s go celebrate.”

Mom grimaces at me but nods softly, and I get the feeling that maybe I’m the only one happy about this day.

I lead Mom out of the courtroom to find my brother, Mason, waiting in the lobby, leaning against the wall. He’s barely been a part of our lives since Mom married Marcus, but he’s making an effort, and I’m proud of him.

The moment Mom sees him, he pulls her into a hug, and she cries on his shoulder. Logan holds Savannah, and I stand awkwardly, unsure of how I’m supposed to feel.

On one hand, I’m happy the fucker’s going to prison. I hope it’s filled with cheap one-ply toilet paper and moldy shower stalls.

On the other hand, I can’t help but feel like it’s not over. Like there’s still something lurking in the shadows, waiting and watching, planning to strike when we least expect it.

Mom and Mason discuss the court hearing, and Logan and Savannah whisper amongst themselves, so I press myself against the wall while the courtroom clears out, turning my phone on.

It’s been a long day, and my phone’s been off this entire time, so it floods with messages from well-wishers and people who just want the inside scoop the moment it powers up. I roll my eyes at half the people who reached out. They don’t actually care. They just want to know all the gritty details. It’s been the same for months.

Since Marcus was arrested, we’ve dealt with reporter after reporter and paparazzi trying to take pictures through our windows. Average citizens throwing insults at us in public because of who we’re related to.

I can’t wait for a day when all this blows over. When peace isn’t just a foreign concept, we can move on without ever having to hear his name uttered again.

As I scroll through my phone, deleting messages, only two stand out to me. I click on the first, my stomach filling with butterflies as I reply.

The second fills me with complete and total dread.

Unknown: Sweet, sweet freedom.

I grit my teeth and delete the message, shoving my phone back in my bag. My skin prickles with awareness like someone’s watching me. If Mr. Unknown knows that Marcus was sentenced, then that means he’s here.

I scan the crowd filing out of the courtroom, but no one’s paying any more attention to me than it takes to shoot me a dirty look or a tear-filled glance.

I’m watching the doors swing open with each group of people that exits, and my eyes catch on a man inside the courtroom beyond, a hood pulled up over his head, casting shadows over his face so I can’t see anything more than his chin and mouth.

My heart lurches in my chest, coming to a halt. My palms grow sweaty, and everything fades away as we stare at each other.

Slowly, his lips tip up in a smirk.

“Mila.”

I jump when Mason’s hand lands on my shoulder, letting out a quiet squeak.

“You alright?”

I look back to the courtroom door, but the door’s shut.

“I forgot something,” I murmur, hurrying back towards the doors. I push through, stumbling into the large, empty room, but it’s just that. Empty.

I look around for any signs of the man in the hood, but I’m met with nothing but the quiet hum of the air conditioner and a fly buzzing somewhere in the room.

“Did you find it?” Mason asks, popping his head through the door.

He was right fucking here.

Right here.

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