Page 49 of Ashes

“Butterfly, you should sit.” King takes me to the couch and sits down, pulling me onto his lap.

“Colton is Olivia’s biological father,” Eli shares the news, ripping the Band-Aid right off. That’s one thing I’ve always admired about him. He never beats around the bush or tries to sugarcoat anything. He’s always been blunt, whether the truth will hurt or not.

“What?” I blink, taken aback by their announcement. Part of me always knew Colton was the father instead of Bill, but having it confirmed doesn’t make me feel any better.

“Bill had a vasectomy. There’s no way he’s the father,” Rowen explains.

“Damn. I’m not even surprised.” I sigh, leaning back against King’s hard body. “Is that why you guys came here?”

“Yes, butterfly. We couldn’t tell you over the phone. Plus, I wanted to see you.” King presses a kiss to the side of my neck.

“Don’t get me wrong, it sucks, but I had a feeling it was him. Oh well, it doesn’t change anything.” I look between Eli, King, and Rowen. “So, it seems you three have made up, am I right?”

“Yes, angel, we have. We’re back together and good as new,” Rowen assures me.

I nod. “Good. You should be together instead of drifting apart.” I hated being responsible for coming between their bond and causing them to turn on each other. I never wanted to do that.

“Don’t worry, hellion, we’re good,” Eli chimes in.

“One more thing…” King lifts me and sets me on the cushion beside him, so he can look me in the eyes. “We know where Sebastian is, and it’s your call what we do with him. You said you wanted revenge, right?”

My answer comes easily. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. “Yes, I want revenge. He hurt me too many times and took the life of my child. He’s not going to get away with it. Where is he?”

“His house, your old house. Colton told him you were alive, so he’s aware. He has a private investigator looking for you, but Eli is now paying him to say whatever we tell him,” King explains, grabbing onto my feet. He lifts them and places them on his lap, one hand holding my feet while the other rubs up and down my leg.

“I want revenge after we do something about Colton. He’s the main problem right now since he’s trying to get to Olivia. Has he sent any more texts?” I ask.

“He texted me two days ago and said we’re running out of time in finding Rachel, but I responded and told him that we know who he is, and there’s been nothing since,” Rowen says.

My eyebrows pull together in a frown. “Why would you tell him you know who he is?”

“Because, angel, he thinks we’re going to do whatever he says, and we’re not. Now that he can’t use us anymore, he’s going to have to find another way to get to Rachel, and Ace said that she and Olivia are safe and secure, and there’s no way he’d be able to find them.”

“It’s true,” Ace interjects. “Olivia has a tracking chip in her arm, and I’ve placed additional outdoor cameras around their house. Rachel’s car and cell phone also have a tracker. I’d know if anyone comes or goes.” He walks toward me and sits on the coffee table in front of me. “They’re safe, I promise.” I have to trust him. I have to trust that all four of them know what they’re doing and that they will keep Olivia safe. I don’t care about myself anymore; I just want my daughter to be safe.

“Okay, I trust you guys. Please tell me as soon as you catch sight of him.”

Eli steps forward. “We will. All we need you to do is stay here so we know you’re safe. He can’t use us to get to Olivia, so he’s desperate, and he will be seeking other methods. When he crawls out from under his rock, we’ll be waiting.” He unlocks his phone and hands it to me. “Is this Colton?” I look at the screen, chills racing down my spine when my eyes land on the blue-eyed devil.

“That’s him,” I confirm. I never thought I’d see him again. I had hoped I’d never see him again. “Don’t tell me your plan. Just find him and tell me once you have him chained in King’s playroom.” Amusement washes over King’s features at the mention of his beloved play shed where I witnessed him kill a man only months ago.

Eli nods. “Give us a couple of days. We’re working on a few leads, and this should be over soon. I know it’s hard, but I need you to trust us.”

Hesitantly, I agree. “Okay.”

twenty-five

ACE

Three months ago

“Talk to me,Lee. Tell me everything that happened.” I take her hands in mine, begging her to speak to me. It’s been four days since I took her out of that basement where she was chained up like an animal, but she’s yet to open up and give me the exact details as to what led her to end up there.

I’m sure I sound like a broken record as I constantly beg her to open up to me, and I know pushing her isn’t the right answer, but I’m desperate to know what the hell happened.

It’s been years since I’ve talked to her, but I watched her as much as I could. I regret that we haven’t spoken more throughout the years, but that’s not her fault. It’s mine.

When she told me she was marrying Sebastian, I begged her not to. I knew he wasn’t good enough for her, and I’d been right. She’d been so blindly in love, believing she was finally getting her happily ever after that she turned a blind eye to all the red flags I had seen. She chose to believe he was a fucking prince when I knew he was the devil in disguise.

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