“You’ve grown a lot over the years, kiddo,” my father said.
“Who is it?” Fox demanded.
I shook my head, anxiety overtaking me, smothering me until I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
“Where are you?” I tried to sound commanding, but failed.
His laughter sent a chill down my spine. My father had never been a laughing man. When he did, it wasn’t about anything good. Not many good things made my father happy.
“Don’t need to worry about where I am,” he snapped. “But I know where you are.”
My blood turned to ice. My eyes darted toward the windows.
“Skye, give me the phone.” Fox snapped, but I turned from him.
“How?” I asked my father. “Why?”
“Stop asking stupid questions,” my father spat. “And stop putting that nose where it doesn’t belong. You were always such a nosy little kid. I couldn’t stand it.”
Pressure built beneath my sternum. Flashbacks from my childhood threatened to overwhelm me. Images of my father backhanding me for no reason, him holding me up against the wall, a hand around my neck.
Each breath came sharp and fast. I couldn’t control it, even though I was sure he could hear the gasping.
“You picking at your skin again?” He chuckled, lifeless and sharp. “You always did that when you were scared.” He sighed. “Don’t worry, my nosy little Skye. As long as you stop snooping around, I won’t hurt you…unless you give me a reason.”
And then the line went dead.
16
Skye
I’mnotdying.
The mantra replayed in my head on a loop as my heart hammered, ramming against my ribs like it was trying to break through its cage. I hadn’t calmed down since I’d heard the voice of my father on that phone, and I was still trying to convince myself I wasn’t going to have a heart attack.
Physically, I was okay. I wasn’t bleeding. My heart would slow eventually—it had to.
Fox pulled into the parking lot of Hearthstone Security.
Glancing over at him, it was clear he was still livid. A muscle worked in his jaw, his shoulders tense, fingers gripping tight around the steering wheel.
He hadn’t said much after I told him what happened on the phone, but the blaze of anger in his eyes told me all I needed to know. He’d taken my phone and discovered there was some kind of tracking app that had been hidden. We decided to head to the office where Fox couldset up a new, secure phone for me. We were also meeting with some of his brothers to talk about what had happened.
I’d also called Ash. He deserved to know that our father might be back in the area.
The gravel crunched beneath the tires as we coasted to a stop in front of the security office, headlights cutting across the familiar shape of my brother. I opened the door of Fox’s SUV as he cut the engine and climbed out.
Ash stood beside his truck, arms crossed. For a moment, his expression was unreadable—calm, maybe even a little curious—but the second he caught sight of my face, his posture shifted. He pushed off the truck, brows drawing tight.
“Hey.” He moved toward me. “You okay? You sounded weird on the phone.”
I forced a smile, bracing against a gust of chilled, evening air. “I’m fine,” I said too quickly.
He didn’t look convinced. “What’s going on?”
My gaze flicked to the office building behind him—Hearthstone Security and Investigation was tucked behind the bed-and-breakfast like a quiet outpost.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My throat tightened, the words sticking behind my teeth.
