Page 26 of Toxic Obsession

Wynter

Iwas a glutton for punishment, and I knew it. Maybe after everything that had happened in my past, I thought I deserved it.

Four days had passed since my time at the Black Widow Society, and I was eager to return. Not just for the sex, but I had to figure out who knew the truth about me. His disguised voice had haunted my dreams. Each night I woke up with my pajamas clinging to my sweat-slickened skin and my heart banging relentlessly against my chest.

The rain blew sideways, and my long strands of hair clung to my face as I ran from the comfort of the house to our mailbox near the street. Typically, Everlee checked it, but she hadn’t been home all weekend. None of the girls had. The football game had been away, which left me alone with my thoughts. It was dangerous territory.

My teeth chattered as the rain soaked my skin and I gathered the mail in the box from yesterday. Hauling ass to the porch, I ran back inside and locked the door behind me. The girls would be home later that afternoon, but I was a stickler about ensuring all of the locks were secure, especially after our house in Washington had been broken into. Mom had been passed out drunk in her bedroom, and Janine and I had gone out that evening to run errands together. By the time we’d arrived home, the entire place had been ransacked. The larger valuables had been left alone, but the cookie jar where I kept some cash had been raided, and so had Mom’s jewelry.

Shivering in my long-sleeved navy T-shirt and yoga pants, I shuffled through the mail, my eyes widening as I stared at the legal-sized white envelope with my name and address on it.

I never received letters. Janine and I texted or used FaceTime, so it wasn’t from her. Since I wasn’t working for Dimitri any longer it wouldn’t be him either. I glanced in the upper left corner, but there wasn’t a return address. Quickly glancing through the rest of the stack, I spotted the black envelope with my name on it as well. That one made me smile. I carefully opened it and removed the white card. Frowning, I read the message.

Be ready.

I flipped it over, but those were the only words, and a small Red Dragon adorned the lower corner.What the hell does that mean? I huffed and stomped to the kitchen, angry that whoever was beneath the mask was fucking with my head instead of my body.

I set the rest of the stack on the dining table before I sank into the chair and remembered that I had more mail. Snatching the other letter from the top, I ripped it open. I pulled out a white sheet of paper with blue lines and unfolded it. I stood, frozen, and listened to my pulse roar in my ears while I stared at the handwriting. I pressed my fingers against my temples for a moment, trying to catch my breath. It couldn’t be, but I would recognize the messy cursive anywhere—thin and scrawly.

Dear Wyn,

I hope this letter finds its way to you and not in anyone else’s hands. When all of this goes down, I want you to know that I love you and you had nothing to do with what is about to happen. You are my safe space, but there were things I couldn’t tell you.

My legs trembled, and I collapsed into the chair as I continued reading.

There’s a girl, and no I’m not in love with her, but she’s a close friend. She’s in a horrible situation, and I don’t know how to help her. I would tell you her name, but she made me swear not to reveal her identity. I think if you two became friends it would make a difference in her life, but maybe not. I’m trying to protect her the best I can, but it’s calling for drastic measures now. I have to figure out what to do.

Not even you could stop what’s been happening. Even though society has progressed, there’s still so much hate. Maybe in another letter I can tell you what happened … who broke me. It wasn’t as if one day I just snapped, it was months and months of brutality. I’ve confided in an adult, but nothing has changed. The darkness is closing in.

Keep your chin up. You’re strong and beautiful and I have so much love and respect for you.

Love,

Ky

P.S. There’s more information. Find it. You need to know the truth.

My soul shattered as I dropped the letter and watched as it fluttered to the floor before I shot out of my chair and ran to the sink. My lunch from earlier in the day splattered against the stainless steel. My shoulders shook with my sobs, the past ripping my fucking heart out then steamrolling it with shards of glass.

I struggled to pull myself together and wiped the string of snot from my nose as I straightened. Turning on the water, I rinsed and cleaned the sink before I washed my face. Numb and unfocused, I somehow managed to grab the society mail and the letter from the floor before I made my way up the stairs and to the bathroom. I scrubbed my teeth as if it would remove the stains from my soul, my senses reeling from the brutal blow. But Kyler said there was more, so how could I track it all down?

After I rinsed my mouth, I stared at the letters in my other hand and my eyes narrowed. The Red Dragon. The secret society. His words bounced around in my head.

Whoever was under that mask knew the truth. I just didn’t understand how he would have found the letter. Maybe it was from my father and not someone else. Dad had packed a few things of my brother’s and closed Kyler’s bedroom door before he left. From that moment on, we never spoke about Kyler again.

My body shuddered, a chill tiptoeing down my spine.

I glared at myself in the mirror and took a deep breath. “Wynter, you have two choices. Run or find out who is fucking with you and make them pay. It’s your choice. How strong are you?”

Emotions I had shoved into the recesses of my heart sprouted to life, rage overtaking every inch of self-pity and fear. Rage at the adult who hadn’t helped him, at my parents for ditching us and not paying attention when I screamed at them that something was wrong. And at Kyler, for leaving his family and not talking to me.

My nostrils flared. It had been almost five years, and now I had a goal. I had to learn who the man beneath the skull mask was.

I squared my shoulders, a new resolve pumping through my veins. It was time the world knew the truth and I stopped hiding.

“Ky,” I whispered, “I love and miss you. I’ll do everything I can to find the truth.”

A chuckle slipped from me and filled the bathroom. I never thought that I would be chasing down letters from my dead brother.

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