Page 104 of Love Bleeds Red
Bailey rushes up the stairs in answer, finding me staring at my empty desk. “You okay?”
I can’t turn around. Can’t face her. I’ve completely fucked up again. Why didn’t I realize Mum was vulnerable? I should have moved her sooner. Should have set up cameras here day one. Or security systems. Fucking anything while I was off messing with things much bigger than one person should handle.
My hands curl into fists at my sides while I force myself to focus. Spiraling out again won’t help a damn thing.
“He took everything,” I manage to whisper through a ragged breath.
Bailey steps into the room, glancing around, before stopping in front of me. I can see how she’s studying me. Taking in the way my jaw’s clenched, how I’m barely holding it together. I don’t want her to see me like this. But fuck… I’m a mess.
“It’s not your fault,” she says quietly.
“Isn’t it?” The words come out harsher than I intended. “I should have protected her. Should have known he’d come here.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, not affected by my shitty outburst. When she speaks again, she’s quieter but her shoulders are squared, like she’s sure of the words she’s choosing.
“I used to think I could have prevented it too…What happened to me. I replayed that night over and over. What if I hadn’t gone out? What if I’d stayed inside with Layne instead of waiting alone? What if I’d paid more attention to my surroundings?”
“And what changed?” I ask, taking in the pain in her eyes.
“Something Polly said to me. She said,monsters don’t fight fair.It’s a simple statement, but when I sat with it for a while, I realized that people like King or Sir, they want us paralyzed by guilt and fear. That’s how they trap us… how they keep getting what they want while pulling us further and further into their game. Your father was always going to target the people who mattered most, the only question was when. Now, are we going to sit here punishing ourselves with what-ifs? Or are we going to fight back?”
Her words hit me deep in the chest, loosening the tight grip of self loathing that’s been squeezing and pulling at me for so long.
I grab my phone and type out a message in the group chat.
Me: He took my mum and all my equipment. We’re not safe here. Be on high alert.
My phone buzzes immediately with replies.
Damon: WTF. How??
Falin: I’m checking traffic cams in your area now… I’ll get plate numbers… Anything I can.
Jasper: Are you both okay?
Blake: Come back here. We’ll figure this out together.
I type a quick response, mainly for Falin.
Me: See if you can access neighbor cameras. Need to know if she went willingly.
“We should go,” I tell Bailey, pocketing the phone. “They could come back. I’ll bring you back to the house.”
But Bailey shakes her head, stepping closer to me. “I know you’re going after him. I’m not leaving you.”
I take her hands in mine. “Bailey, it’s not safe?—”
“Neither was his estate, but you came for me anyway.” Her blue eyes meet mine with determination. “I’m staying with you. We’re going to find her.”
My phone buzzes with another text.
Falin: Found it. Your mum left with Alfred around 6 AM. No struggle. She got in his car willingly.
Relief and dread go to war in my gut. She’s alive, but she went with him. Which means either he lied to her, threatened her, or fuck… I don’t know what to think.
“What is it?” Bailey asks, reading my expression.
I show her the text. “She went with him willingly. That means he either has something over her, or he convinced her it was necessary somehow.” I drag a hand through my hair. “Mum… she’s always carried a soft spot for him. I could never understand it, but knowing him, he must have used that against her.”
