“What is that smell?” Kai asks, his nose wrinkled. Stepping up to the bed, I grab a broken coat hanger from the floor, using it to push away some of the debris. A suspicious yellow stain is on the surface of the mattress, and I can barely ignore my urge to recoil.
“Is that piss?” Jaxon adds, the disgust in his voice mirroring exactly what I’m feeling right now.
“Well, I don't really want to get down there and sniff it, but I’m going to say yes,” I tell them, about to drop the coat hanger on the mess, but then I notice the note. A corner of a piece of paper is sticking out from under what remains of a pillowcase. Using the coat hanger again, I lift the bit of material.
I can get to you anywhere. Don’t think hiding behind the Summers makes you safe.
Curses fill the air as I drop the material back on it. I don't want to disturb anything else, so I’ll let the police bag it up.
Dad steps out of the room, phone in hand to call the police yet again, while Declan herds Kai and Jaxon back out to the living area since there’s nothing they can do right now but get in the way. Kai follows willingly, but Jax pushes back against Dec, clearing his throat so that I turn to give him my attention once more.
“Can you see if her clothes survived the attack?” Jaxon asks. “I’ll take some up to her.”Huh, that was actually thoughtful of him. I guess he really is trying to make amends.It’s not that my brother is an asshole all the time, but he’s not really the kind of guy who takes care of the woman he’s with. Sure, from what comments I’ve overheard completely against my will, they seem to think he’s great in bed, but he doesn’t really put his effort into the “boyfriend” behaviors like making sure his partner has what she needs, going out of his way to take care of things for her, that kind of stuff. Expensive jewelry? Sure. A “loan” to pay off some bill he’s gotten swindled into paying? Absolutely. But this seems like he’s actually thinking about Harlow’sfeelings, not just some surface situation that he can fix with a little flex of his black American Express. Looks like Harlow’s forcing Jax to grow up a bit. I hate to say it because I really don’t need more complications, but it makes me like her even more. At heart, I think I believe that shit about how a good partner brings out the good parts of you. With hindsight, I think that’s one of the biggest signs that my ex wasn’t right for me. God knows the bitch brought something out of me, but it definitely wasn’t the best of anything.
He’s staring at me expectantly, an annoyed look on his face, so I must’ve kept him waiting too long. Shaking my head, I walk over to Harlow's wardrobe with him trailing behind me.Hopefully the destruction was limited to out here.But when we get there, we’re greeted by an almost identical sight. Harlow’s clothes haven't escaped the destruction. No feathers in here, but every single piece has been shredded, shoes included.
“What the fuck?!” Jaxon exclaims, pointing over my shoulder at an open drawer. We both step up closer as I hear him gag behind me.
The drawer is full of Harlow’s panties, but there’s something spread over all of them. Something any red-blooded man would recognize as instantly as Jaxon obviously did.
“That sick fuck!” The words slip out of my mouth as I take in the semen-covered pile of material.
“How is there so much? He must have jacked off a couple of times.” Not a question that I really want to answer, but Jaxon has made a valid point that I’m not sure he’s even aware of—when the fuck was this bastard here that he got away with the wreckage in this room and had enough time to leavethatbehind?
“Obviously this guy gets off on what he’s doing,” I say blandly while everything is churning inside of me. “Come on, she can borrow something of Jacinta’s. Even if there was something salvageable in here, I don’t want her wearing anything this sick guy might have touched.” I herd him out of the room, pulling my phone out of my pocket.
Dad is still on the phone with the police as we exit, looking like they’re not offering much, if any, comfort. “Nothing we can do until the police get here,” I tell Jaxon, but he stares at me blankly, like he’s not understanding what I’m saying.
“How are you not messed up by this? I mean, I know you’re trained and everything, but this is affecting our family, Tom! Are you really so cold now that it doesn't bother you?” I know that he’s just lashing out, needing a way to let loose the anger that’s built up so quickly inside him, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t hit me where it really hurts. He’s not wrong, and that’s exactly why it’s a bit of a low blow. I hide a lot of what I do, not wanting to see their judgmental and disappointed eyes. Does this bother me? In some ways, yes, it really does. I care about Harlow even if I’m not able to reconcile in what way yet, and I don’t want to see her hurt or threatened or scared. But I’ve seen things worse than what lies behind Harlow’s door… I’ve been a part of things worse than what lies beyond Harlow’s door. But I can’t bear for my brother to know that, so I have to put the mask back on.
Keeping my face neutral, I reply, “Of course it bothers me, but there’s nothing I can do about it for now, and getting upset isn't helping anything.”
He just shakes his head and storms off. Better that I’m left alone anyway. I noticed I had missed a phone call from my contact, but with everything that happened in the last 48 hours, I haven’t had a chance to respond.
I make my way through the house and out onto the back deck, phone at my ear, so no one stops me as I pass them in the living area.
Finally, he answers. “Fuck, Summers, where have you been? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days.”
Jake Jennings is a full-time agent that works for the same agency I do. We’ve always gotten on pretty well, so he was my first thought when the situation escalated to the point that I needed to get some investigating done on my own terms. He’s been looking into Harlow’s background for me since Dec’s PI has proved to be completely fucking useless.
“Sorry, man, this stalker kicked things up a bit, and one of my brothers got shot.” I explain, hearing a soft hum of acknowledgment in response. “And we’ve just found that they were able to break into the house and trash Harlow's room.”
“I have some shit to tell you. I thought you said that this girl was a horse trainer and worked for her foster parents.” He sounds confused, so I guess he must have discovered what we did a few hours ago.
I blow out a huge breath and sit down on one of the chairs outside, readying myself for whatever’s coming next. The night air is cold, and the only sounds are insects and the quiet hum of the pool pump. The faintest hint of mumbling comes through from inside the house, but I know that my conversation will remain private so long as I keep my volume down.
“Turns out I was wrong,” I mumble, to which he very gracefully snorts.Yeah, I messed that one up.
Half an hour later, I have a clearer picture of Harlow and of her mother, but still nothing really to go on.
“The mother’s death was definitely on purpose, but they have no leads. That’s as far as I’ve gotten,” he tells me, and I’m both confused and disappointed. It doesn’t make sense that the same person would’ve killed her mother and then stalked Harlow. Her mother was a manipulative junkie, so it stands to reason that her untimely end was a direct result of her own poor life choices. Harlow, on the other hand, with her connection to the Bostons and her recently discovered connection to Dad, has a lot more strings attached for this stalker to pull. To what end, I have no fucking clue. It seems like they could benefit more from forcing her to stay with us, finding a way for him to get some kind of payout from our family, but the attack on Holden and the threat to Jacinta say otherwise.
“Damn it! I think we need to start looking further out. Let’s investigate the Bostons and the people that work for them. I think we also need to get a clearer picture of what Harlow’s mom got up to on a day to day basis and who she spent time with.” he agrees to everything easily enough, though I get the feeling that I’m going to owe him one hell of a favor after this. Maybe I can get Dec to pony up tickets to some of the upcoming Neighpalm Productions premieres. It’s an easy way to impress a date, and the last time we caught up, he mentioned a new lady friend.
“Oh, and can you check in on a private eye by the name of David Sands? He’s been doing some work for Declan, but he seems to be missing in action.”
With that, we wrap up the conversation and hang up, my mind running through the information Jake just told me. Leaning back against the chair, I close my eyes. Fuck, Harlow had amazed me with her cool and calm reaction to the incident with Prada. I knew there was more to her than everyone had assumed. I just hadn’t realized how much more. Thanks to her, my sister is still whole. It might sound dramatic to say that about a horse, but Jacinta loves her family, her job, and her animals. Really, for as superficial as many people assume she might be, she’s a girl with simple tastes, and if you were to take away one of those three pillars, she would just crumble. The only reason her leave of absence from Neighpalm didn’t crush her is because she knew that it would eventually end. Harlow will never understand how meaningful her heroics were tonight. She’s just… kind of amazing.
Seriously, she’s almost enough to change my mind about no serious relationships and make me jump on board this harem thing my brothers have suggested. Not only is she gorgeous but she has an intelligent mind as well, and that’s sexy. I’m just not sure it’s worth the risk. Do I trust her and hope she doesn't destroy me like the last one did? Or would it be better for everyone involved if the stalker got what he wanted and chased her away? She and Dad could continue to communicate via the internet, and he could go to her. None of us really need to be involved in that. But then again, am I favoring that option because I’m thinking practically, objectively, and using my training to make that choice? Or is my objectivity being clouded by my desire to avoid another messy relationship?
