Page 217 of Second Sets Omnibus
Make them leave.
Or I will!
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Rad murmurs, holding my shivering body.
“Olivia,” I croak into the phone, ignoring the constant messages coming through.
“You never call me…” she trails off in a soft voice.
“My stalker left me some presents. More than pictures…more than…” My voice croaks to a dead stop when the images return, running through my brain at top speed.
“Fucking stalker?” Asher hisses from behind us. He blinks several times, processing my words, and scowls when I turn my back to him and shake Rad’s embrace off.
“There are more pictures...and blood, lots of blood.” I swallow hard as the images flashes behind my eyelids in rapid-fire succession. “Lots of fucking blood,” I murmur again, squeezing my eyes shut. Red. It’s everywhere. Infecting me. Invading my damn senses.
“Hold the fuck up, River. You said blood? Are you—” she trails off, emotions building in her always professional tone.
“Not hurt. It’s on the porch with some questionable pictures. Every few seconds, I’m getting messages. It’s?—”
“Escalated to the point of no return. Get the fuck out of that house. Don’t touch anything. Get to your boy toys’ house and?—”
“I’m fucking here!” Carter growls, slamming through the front door with gritted teeth.
“Oh good, he’s there,” Olivia says, blowing out a breath. “Get. Out. Riv. Leave.” She grunts as the sound of fabric rustles. “I’m on my way. Go across the damn street. Protect yourself and my godchild!” I blow out a breath when Olivia hangs up on me, and I stare at the lit-up screen.
“Do what she fucking says,” Carter grunts, pacing the tiny space of my living room, looking around at every little corner. “We’ll have a lot to discuss.”
When I turn around, a wall of men greets me with frowns. Callum clings to Lyric, who’s still in his arms, holding onto him as she sniffles.
“Seems like we have a few things to talk about,” Kieran growls, crossing his arms.
Fuck. Yeah. Seems like we do.
“How long?”Kieran demands in a low voice, snuggling Lyric close to his chest as we all sit in the tension-filled band house. Far the fuck away from the blood bath currently being investigated.
There, nestled in his lap, is my quiet daughter, sucking her thumb for reassurance. Her other hand clings to Asher’s with a death grip. He swallows hard, stiffly sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Kieran. Unease pulls at his muscles, nestled so close to the same man who vowed to put his fists through his ribs not long ago. For Lyric’s sake, he doesn’t move an inch.
“Yeah, River. Inform them,” Olivia barks, ping-ponging in front of me at a quick pace.
Back and forth she goes, nibbling on her thumbnail like her nerves are eating her alive. She will cut into the wood with her sharp heels if she keeps up the intense pace she’s set for herself.
I narrow my eyes at her when she huffs. “Three years,” I breathe, nervously running a hand through my hair, not bothering to say anything else.
Blood drips in the back of my mind, spelling out the dreaded word.Mine. My head spins, and colors swirl together. Shutting my eyes tight, I breathe through the panic running rampant.When did this sicko go from taking simple pictures of our outings to this? Spying on me inside my home—my fucking sanctuary—as I undress and go about my life. Vomit soars up my esophagus, ready to spew at the mere thought of what they’ve seen through their camera lens. Everything. That’s what.
“Three. Years?” Kieran growls quietly, keeping his anger at bay.
Barely. Kieran’s like an unstable volcano, ready to spew his lava everywhere when the pressure gets too much. If we’re not careful, we’ll all burn under his intensity. Hell, I could probably stick nickels in his flaring nostrils right now. One false move, and we’re all dead. Me, especially.
I sigh. The jig is up, and I’m backed into a corner. The last thing I wanted to speak of or acknowledge was the man following me around like a lunatic. “Yes. Three years of having some stranger following me and taking pictures. It’s never been an issue?—”
“Don’t let her play it off as nothing. He takes fucking pictures of her and Lyric. Up until recently, that’s all it’s been. Then you chuckleheads came into the picture, pissing the little bastard off. Hence the cow blood on the porch,” Carter’s gruff voice echoes through the house with authority. Plopping down, he yanks his laptop open and taps a few keys.
“What the hell, Pretty Girl?” Sitting beside me, Rad pulls my hand into his, gently squeezing. “I know we’re not in a good place or haven’t spoken, but your life is in danger. How could you not tell us? You could have come to us, no matter what.” Hurt lines his expression more than the concern etching into his face.
“I’m sorry. I—” I swallow my words. I shouldn’t have to apologize. They’re the ones that walked away. Not me.
What the hell can I say?Sorry for not telling you right away that some creep has been following me around. Sorryyou weren’t here for the past three years to know what was happening. Let’s not pretend we’re some happy family now. Because of Asher, we were separated and could have done nothing about it.
