Jake smirked darkly. “Good. Let him feel a little heat. Make him nervous. I want him to know I’m coming.”
Darren chuckled low. “Alright. Send me what you got on this guy.”
Jake hung up without a goodbye, pacing as he thought. He pulled up a photo of Rio from an old concert flyer shirtless, drenched in sweat, tattoos snaking across his chest. Jake stared at it with pure contempt.
“You think you can play dad to my kids?” he muttered, fingers tightening around the phone. “Let’s see how long that lasts.”
He forwarded the photo, along with a grainy shot of Kylee and the kids at one of Jake Jr. games. Less than a minute later, Darren replied: Consider it done. My guy’s in L.A. now. He’ll make contact soon.
Jake’s lip curled in satisfaction. “Perfect.”
He poured himself a drink, ignoring the shards of glass crunching under his feet, and downed it in one swallow. “Enjoy your little rock star fairytale, Kylee,” he muttered. “Because it’s about to turn into a nightmare.”
Chapter 8
The Edge of Madness.
Back in California the sun glittered off of Rio’s private SUV as it purred down the Pacific Coast Highway. Today wasn’t just about fun, it was about spoiling them, giving them memories too good to be tainted by Jake’s shadow.
Their first stop was the Los Angeles Private Aquarium Experience .It’s not open to the public, but to Rio, it was just a phone call away. A marine biologist in a tailored navy blazer guided them through massive glass tunnels with no other visitors in sight. Jake Jr. stood with his nose practically pressed to the glass as a shark glided overhead. Macy squealed when a trainer let her feed a sea turtle, and Kayla clapped in delight as bioluminescent jellyfish pulsed in the dark.
Jake Jr. bounced ahead with his map, pointing out where the penguins were. Macy held Rio’s hand, chattering about the penguins.
Kayla sat on Kylee’s hip, clapping every time she spotted a fish. To anyone watching, they looked like the perfect little family. Someone was watching and they had no idea.
Their next stop was The Beverly Hills Children’s Couture Boutique, the kind of place with champagne for adults, macarons for kids, and a staff that spoke in soft tones as if every little shopper was royalty. Within minutes, Macy was twirling in a unicorn-pink designer dress, Kayla was giggling in a tiny couture romper, and Jake Jr. was trying on a leather bomber jacket that made him look like a miniature rock star.
Rio leaned casually against a glass display, credit card already in hand.“Anything they want,”he told the sales clerk, like it was nothing. Kylee stood back, half in awe, half in disbelief. It wasn’t just the money, it was how effortless he made the whole day feel, like giving her kids the world was the most natural thing to him. Rio said he never wanted kids but the way he was acting said that wasn’t true. His eyes had the most beautiful sparkle in them when he was around the kids.
By mid-afternoon, Rio took them to the Santa Monica Pier. The kids shrieked with joy on the Ferris wheel, their small hands gripping the safety bar while Rio kept an arm around each of them. Kylee stood across from them, her hair whipping in the wind, smiling for real for the first time in weeks.
Across the street, a man sat in a nondescript black sedan, sunglasses hiding his eyes. His phone camera clicked quietly every few minutes, capturing moments Rio lifting Macy onto his shoulders, Kylee laughing at something Jake Jr. said, Kayla with ice cream smeared across her cheeks.
He zoomed in on Kylee’s face, holding the shot longer this time. Then he sent the photo to a number saved only asD.The reply came fast: Got ‘em. Keep on ‘em. Don’t let them out of your sight.
The sun was sliding toward the horizon, drenching the Santa Monica Pier in gold and crimson. Street performers played guitars, couples strolled hand-in-hand, and the salty tang of the ocean wrapped around them.
Rio had insisted on taking the kids for an evening walk, cotton candy in Macy’s sticky little hands, Jake Jr. proudly holding his new souvenir football, Kayla babbling in her stroller. Kylee felt… almost normal. Almost safe. Until she noticed him.
He was just a shape at first, a man in a dark hoodie, hood up despite the warm breeze, leaning against the railing.When they passed, he lifted his head just enough for the shadow of his hood to shift, and Kylee Caught the glint of his eyes. They weren’t watching the ocean. They were locked on her. She brushed it off
At first, tourists stare sometimes, especially when Rio is with her. But a few steps later, she glanced over her shoulder.
The man was moving now. Slow. Purposeful. Her chest tightened. She kept walking, forcing herself to stay calm for the kids’ sake, but her grip on Kayla’s stroller tightened.
Rio must have felt the change in her body language because he glanced at her, then casually scanned the crowd. His jaw flexed almost instantly. “Don’t look,” he murmured under his breath. “But we’re being tailed.”
Kylee’s pulse pounded in her ears. “Huh?”
“That guy in the black hoodie.” His voice was calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it, a tone she’d heard before when someone crossed the line with him in public.
They stopped near a vendor selling churros. Rio knelt to fix Macy’s shoe, though his eyes never left their reflection in the polished steel counter of the food cart. The man had stopped too. Pretending to check his phone.
Rio straightened slowly, placing a steadying hand on Kylee’s back. “Stay close to me. We’re not making it obvious, but we’re going to lose him.”
They weaved toward the far end of the pier, where the crowd thinned. Kylee kept the kids close, every step feeling heavier. When they reached the edge, Rio spotted a side exit near the service ramp. He leaned down to Jake Jr. and said, “Race me to the stairs, champ.” Jake Jr. took off laughing, Macy chasing after him, oblivious to the tension.
Kylee followed but before she could make it halfway down the ramp, she heard footsteps behind her. Rio spun, stepping between her and the sound. The man had followed them, now much closer, his hood slipping enough for Kylee to see the sharp angles of his face… and the faintest curl of a smirk.
