Page 31 of Twisted Lies 3
I was stunned into silence. My pulse raced as I continued my visual inventory. My flat-screen television and laptop were still there. I clasped my hands together to keep them from trembling, and my eyes widened when I saw the remnants of my collection ripped into pieces and thrown around like confetti.
“Oh God.” My breathing sped up until I was gasping for air.
My legs gave way, and I felt myself crashing toward the floor when Core caught me.
His deep voice sounded from behind me. “Breathe, darling.”
Unchecked tears streamed down my cheeks. “I don’t understand what’s happening right now.” My voice broke as I shook uncontrollably.
He spun me around to face him, and his hands framed my jaws, anchoring me in place. “Sin, eyes on me. Calm down.”
I forced myself to remain calm even though my insides screamed bloody murder.
He released me, righting a barstool that had been toppled onto the floor. “Sit down before you fall. I’ll handle this.” A muscle in his jaw twitched.
Shakily, I sank onto the chair, hooking my feet around the legs. Core stalked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of water. Wasting no time, he strode back, handing me the bottle.
I waved it away. “I’m not thirsty.” My voice croaked as I set my palms down flat on the counter. My mind raced a mile a minute with questions.What if I had been home? Would I be dead right now? Who the fuck would do something like this?
He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Please drink it, darling.”
I drew in a deep breath, taking the bottle with stiff fingers. Opening it, I sipped it absentmindedly.
“I need to call the police. Don’t move.” He kissed my forehead before pulling out his cell.
But I didn’t care. All I could think about was how truly fucked my life was right now.
***
Hours later, uniformed and plain-clothes police officers stomped through my home.
Calming deep breaths, Sin,I chanted to keep myself from going completely insane.
After doing a walk-through with the police and Core, I could easily see the damage was worse than I’d originally thought. When pressed by the police to give an inventory of what had been stolen, I couldn’t pinpoint what was missing. All my jewelry and other expensive items remained untouched. Not that I gave a shit. Material possessions could be replaced, but my collection could not. The intruder had ruthlessly destroyed it with a thoroughness that was mentally and emotionally disturbing.
Why would anyone do this?
I couldn’t think of one competitor who hated me this much. My life was uncomplicated. There was no drama, no rivals. I frowned. But there was one man who had been following me from the past—after one night of sex,now he was my stalker.
Is Jaxon back to claim what he thinks is his—me?
My mind rejected the possibility, but the scary memory of the utter rage that had clouded Jaxon’s eyes before he’d sliced my shoulder made me shudder. The all-too-familiar dread seeped into my bones. I gritted my teeth as I tried not to freak out.
Sin, stop it. He’s gone.
But I knew he wasn’t. The vase of white roses and the note with the letterJscribbled on it that had been left on my doorstep a couple weeks ago proved it.
My hand flew to the light scar on my shoulder. “Never forget,” I whispered.
Fighting the cold fear running down my spine, I thought about the day Jaxon had grabbed me, pulling me into a dark alleyway, with a knife pressed against my throat.
He babbled words of love over and over as he brutally ripped off my clothes with sick lust in his eyes. Bitterness coated my tongue when I realized I was nothing but a piece of property to him, his possession that he had every intention of claiming over and over again until I broke. Tears streamed down my face as I braced for the impending savage violation. Shivering on the cold ground, I turned my head away, letting my mind go blank. Then a lone homeless man stumbled upon us, saving me, and I was thrown a lifeline. But I knew Jaxon wasn’t finished with me, and that had just been a momentary reprieve.
My thoughts snapped back to the present. I shuddered. The break-in showed me just how vulnerable I really was. I’d never needed a security system in this affluent neighborhood, but getting one was the first thing on my agenda today.
Wandering back into the living room, I tried not to let my eyes linger on the pieces of my collection that lay in ruin across the floor.
“What the hell?” I muttered under my breath when I tripped over an object.
