Page 100 of Take Me Under

“Because I worry about your safety. There’s more, princess.”

Dread coiled in my stomach like a viper ready to strike. “What do you mean?”

He hesitated, then exhaled, his jaw tightening. “Your motel room in New York. When you were sick, Zeke and I went to get your things while you slept.”

I nodded stiffly. “Yes, I remember.”

“When we got there, someone had gotten into your room. The place was trashed—ransacked as if someone had been looking for something.”

A chill ran down my spine, the hairs on my arms standing on end.

“What?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

He nodded. “Neither Zeke nor I thought it was random at the time—it was too vicious. They tore the place apart. But more, it felt…I can’t explain it. It just felt personal. And then, after you mentioned seeing a crime scene at the motel, I looked more into it. What you’d heard was correct. Someone was, in fact, murdered. The body was found behind the building. The day Zeke and I went there, it had been late at night but there was a sign stating that the staff would be back after lunch. It’s safe to assume that the staff member who never returned from lunch is the same staff member who was found dead.”

My heart pounded against my ribs, my thoughts spiraling.

Murder.

And who would break into my room?

What could they possibly have been searching for?

Was it all connected?

I was nobody of importance, and I certainly had nothing of value to take. I shook my head again, unable to believe the insanity of the situation.

“You knew this whole time and you never told me?” The realization cut through my confusion like a blade. When I spoke again, my voice carried a sharp edge, the accusation undeniable. “Did you call the police?”

Anton’s jaw ticked for a moment before he admitted, “No, we didn’t.”

“Why the hell not?” My confusion deepened, frustration rising to the surface.

“I didn’t know you at the time, Serena. You were just a stranger in my bed, and I am a very private person. I wanted to do some digging on my own first. Police involvement would have brought on a public scandal that I didn’t want. I’ve told you enough about my past for you to understand why I wouldn’t want that dragged into the spotlight. Also, I didn’t want to scare you.”

“Well, too late for that,” I snapped. My arms crossed over my chest, my fingers digging into my sides in a desperate attempt to ground myself. My mind spun, everything unraveling too fast. “You had no right to keep this from me.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “I was only trying to protect you—to protect both of us.”

I let out a short, bitter laugh, although there was no humor in it. “By keeping me in the dark? By decidingforme what I should and shouldn’t know? This is serious. A member of the motel staff was murdered, Anton!”

He didn’t reply, and the silence seemed to stretch on, thick and stifling.

“There’s still more, Serena,” he finally said.

I frowned as he reached for the folder on the desk, flipping it open and pulling out a photo. “This symbol. What does it mean?”

I looked down at the image. It was a rough sketch of a twisting, snake emblem.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve seen it before in my father’s journals. He began sketching it in the margins in the months right before he died, but I’m not sure what it means.”

“This symbol was spray-painted on the back of your motel room door.”

A cold dread settled in my bones.

“I don’t—I don’t understand,” I stammered.

“There’s also this.” Anton’s gaze darkened as he spread out a series of photographs, turning them toward me.

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