Page 54 of Sick Little Devotion

I fear Aiden will kill this guy for the amateur mistake he just made by letting me go.

The automatic gate opens as I near the edge of the pavement, and now the realization hits that I have no idea where I’m going. However, I do remember Aiden taking a right to turn into the driveway, and so I follow with that, heading down the road and out of sight. Once I make it to a stop sign, I pull up the GPS and type in my old address.

Holy hell. I have almost two hours of drive time.

The thought makes me feel anxious, however, it should work as a buffer as well. When Aiden returns to the house to find that I’m not there, it will take him the same amount of time to follow me. And by then, I’ll be ready for him.

I smash the gas, turn the radio up, and focus on nothing other than the drive. It will be easy to let my mind wander and run with all the things that might happen because of this decision. But whatever consequences Aiden thinks I deserve, I’ll pay them. I made a promise to the girls, and Eliza made it clear that she needs me.

I need to be there for her.

Aiden had an excuse not to come back to me all those years ago, but I don’t have the same kind of excuse. I’m putting the girls in danger by not going back to them. Aiden will understand. He has to. I’m not doing it out of defiance to him. I’m doing it out of loyalty to the promise I made to my sisters.

That’s the only thought in my mind as the nearly two hours come to an end, and I pull into the neighborhood I was taken from. Strikingly, my stomach only feels sick as I approach the house—and that’s bothersome.

I thought I’d feel some sort of longing for the place, but I don’t. I only miss the people. Will and Ronny ruined the home that I once loved. I pull up in the driveway, take a deep breath, and climb out of the car. I didn’t really think the plan through to this point. Other than the fact that Will should be at the store.

My footsteps feel weak as I make my way to the front door, stepping up onto the porch. I almost catch myself ringing the doorbell, but I stop and punch in the code to enter instead. I push the door in, the familiar scent of the house making me nauseous.

I don’t want to be here.

The thought plays over and over in my head as I step into the entryway and close the door behind me. I peer into the seemingly empty house, surprised that no one is there to greet me.

Where are the girls? Did they go somewhere?

I wish I had my phone as I make my way deeper inside, the hair on the back of my neck bristling. Everything about being inside feels wrong, and I can’t put my finger on why. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t miss the house. Maybe it’s because I now know that more evil took place here than I originally ever thought.

A muffled noise cuts through the thickness of my mind, and I pause, trying to make it out. What the hell is that? The sound happens again, and I follow it. It leads me to the living room, and I freeze as I pass through the threshold.

Everything is all wrong.

Chapter Twenty-Six

AIDEN

“Igot word on the plates,” Carlos says to me as I punch the automatic gate opener for the driveway. “I meant to tell you earlier, but I didn’t have a chance.”

I’m annoyed, but I don’t show it. “What did you find?”

“They belong to a William Walker. No idea who he is. Might just be a fake name. You know how those guys do.”

I nod slowly, but internally, every alarm goes off in my head. How the fuck could such a lowlife like him find my house? I kept everything private, paying loads of fucking money to keep it that way. I need to take care of him now.

“Whoa, slow down, amigo,” Carlos laughs as I zoom up the driveway, hitting the garage door opener.

The first fucking thing I notice is the missing Mercedes.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I shout, punching the steering wheel. “Where the hell is Aaron?” The tires squeal as I come to a stop and throw the door open. I turn to Carlos. “Find the location of the Mercedes, now.”

“Yes, boss,” he says quickly, pulling out his phone.

I don’t slow down as I rip open the garage door.

“Sara!” I call through the house, my voice quaking with panic and anger. “Sara??”

“Sir?” Aaron appears from the living room.

“Where is she?” I bark at him, rushing up and grabbing ahold of his shirt. “Where did she go? Who got her?”