A temporary guard house has been put at the front gate so the poor guys don't have to stand in the open all day. As we approach, Vic steps out with a couple of packages in his hand.
“Oh hey, Harlow, Mr. Summers. I was just about to head up to the house to drop these off.” He smiles as he hands over three packages before disappearing back into the hut.
“I'm just going to see if they’ve spotted anything noteworthy today.” With that, Thomas leaves me leaning against a tree with my packages in hand. I’m still in sight of him, so he’s dutifully fulfilling his guard dog requirements. Looking down at my packages, I can see that two of them are from Amazon like I’d expected, but the third has no label on it except for our address. While a surprise package might have been exciting at any other time, I’m immediately wary of what this might contain.
I drop the other two on the ground and tug at the tape holding the mystery one closed. Pulling it off, I peel back the flaps to reveal what’s inside, my heart racing just enough to tell me that this could be a mistake. When I see its contents, I just know I should have been smarter about the whole thing. Nestled in a bed of tissue paper are two Ken dolls.
One has shaggy dark hair and is dressed in swim shorts and holding a surfboard with tattoos painted on—tribal swirls over one shoulder and across the chest.Kai.The other is wearing a suit and has shorter dark hair. There’s a drink in one hand and a vibrator in the other.Jaxon.They both have bullet holes in the middle of their forehead. Under them, there’s a note. Not wanting to disturb the dolls, I carefully list the box and try to read it, but all I can make out is the wordwhore.
“Tom,” I call out, and there’s no hiding the shock and nerves that have already crept into my entire body. He quickly comes out of the guard house, concern written on his face.
“What is it?” His eye drops to the box. “Fuck. Vic, can you call the detectives on this case? They’ll want to take it away and dust for prints.”
Vic does what he’s asked as Tom gently pries it from my fingers. “Leave it here, Harlow. I’ll walk you back to the house before I come back to wait for Detective James.”
He puts it in the guard house with instructions not to touch it any further. “The outside of the box will be useless because it’s been through the mail, but they might get lucky with something on the inside.”
He walks me back to the house, and when we get there, he shouts for Holden who comes running. I must zone out, getting lost in the daze that’s trying to protect my mind from this new shock. The next thing I know, I’m on my bed with Holden pressed up against my side, stroking my hair and telling me everything is going to be okay. I realize my cheeks are wet from tears, but I'm just too tired to care, so I settle down, close my eyes, say a small prayer to the big beyond that this all stops soon.
Chapter Seven
Harlow
The police retrieved the package, and a few days later, they called and informed Thomas that they’d managed to lift a partial fingerprint off one of the dolls. While that could be good news, our relief was short lived. At this stage, there was no match in the system, leaving us no options but to stay on guard and wait until the next opportunity to find something out about him or her… or them.
Thomas, on the other hand, was thrilled. He claims it means the stalker is getting sloppy, and he says it’s just a matter of time before he fucks up again. So I try to put it out of my head by sending out a couple more job applications, playing dress up in Jacinta’s wardrobe, getting yelled at by Jacinta for playing dress up without her, and having cuddle time with Princess and the kittens. By the time Friday rolls around, I’m about ready to go insane.
When I wake that morning, the other side of my bed is empty and the sheets cold. Kai had told me the night before that he needed to get going early and would try not to wake me when he got up, so he must have been successful. I haven't spent a night alone since I got back, with Kai, Holden, and Oliver all taking turns to keep me company. Unfortunately, despite the nightly presence of these gorgeous men, I’ve been cockblocked on all sides, and I’m starting to get annoyed. You would think I’d be getting sexed up all the time, right? What else happens when you’ve got five guys wanting to commit to you and at least four who are ready to give out some orgasms? But no, I’ve barely seen any of them during the day.
Kai and Oliver have been going into the office or whatever else they do as part of their jobs, and Holden has kept himself busy in Dad’s office. I’ve managed to coax him out a couple of times for a movie but not very often, and Thomas is just as bad. For a man who’s supposed to be on a break, he’s been working awfully hard. As for Jaxon and Declan, they’ve been too busy, coming home late at night. I really need to make an effort to track them down this weekend.
Rolling out of bed, I shower and get ready for the day. The bump on my head is only a bruise now, and my aches and pains from the crash are basically nonexistent. I’m ready to do something. I make a quick plan and grab my laptop, figuring I can get some stuff done while I eat breakfast. I’m going to apply for my California veterinarian license so that when I decide for sure that I’m sticking around, I can find myself a job, or at least some work as a relief vet.
When I get downstairs, the living area is empty, but I can hear murmuring voices. I put my laptop down on the coffee table and go in search of company, discovering Holden and Thomas in the kitchen. Holden, his arm still in the sling, is sitting at the island, and Thomas is at the stove, cooking what smells like bacon.
“Good morning.” I give Holden a kiss on the cheek and round the island to get to the coffee machine, smacking Thomas on the ass on the way past. He whirls in my direction, tongs in hand, mouth agape. “I do like my men barefoot and smelling like bacon.” I look down at his shoeless feet beneath his sweatpants, realizing this is the most casual I’ve seen him all week. It’s like it’s taken him a few days to get into the swing of not going to the office every morning—must be a creature of habit. When I look back up, he’s still gaping at me, so I wink before turning my attention to the coffee machine while Holden chuckles behind me.
“You do make a good house husband, Tom. You always were the best cook out of all of us,” Holden says conversationally as I pour myself a cup, adding some milk and sugar before joining him at the island. Thomas has tracked my movements, but I can’t tell what look is in his eye. There’s definitely still some surprise, but there might also be some wariness and, dare I hope for it, some interest? “Dude, you’re going to ruin your streak if you don't pay attention to the bacon. If I wanted it burned, I would have asked Jazzy to cook it.”
Thomas whirls back to his bacon and manages to save it. I watch as he puts it out on a couple of plates that already have toast on them. He then cracks a few eggs into a bowl before adding salt and pepper and cream, whisking them, then pouring them into a pan. It doesn't take him long to cook those either, and before I know it, he’s placing bacon and scrambled eggs with toast in front of me and Holden before taking a seat in front of his own plate.
“Thanks, Tom,” Holden says, his mouth already half full of toast. My eyes meet Thomas’ for a moment, and I smile.
“Yes, thank you, what a lovely surprise.” We’d been having toast and cereal all week, so this makes a nice change. “What are everyone’s plans for the day?” I ask a little sarcastically, seeing as none of us have been anywhere all week.
“Well, actually, I have a meeting at the office with one of the bands I represent, and I need to have my dressing looked at and possibly removed, then see the PT. I’ve pushed it back as far as I can, but I need to meet with them today. So I’m heading into town, which means you’re on your own for the day.”
My mouth drops open in horror as I look between the two men. Holden doesn't seem to notice, but Thomas does, of course. I doubt he misses much.
“Is everything okay, Harlow?” Thomas asks.
“Please don't leave me here on my own. If I have to be confined to the house for one more day, I’m going to go insane,” I beg, causing Holden to look up.
“You can come with me to the office if you want, sit in on my meeting. It won’t hurt for you to get a feel for the music side of the business. You helped Nana with Couture last week, and it won’t be much different to that,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee.
I look to Thomas, and he shrugs. “I don't care. You can arrange to meet up with your friends Alex and Shane too if you want to, so long as we can go to their place. We’re fairly sure they have nothing to do with your stalker. They’ve both got alibis for the incidents, and security is tight in their building. I’ve already checked into it, and we’d need a special code to access their apartment, which only they and Jace currently know. As far as your options go, I’d much rather you’re there or in Neighpalm HQ if you need some time out of the house.”
Now it’s my turn to gape in surprise. “You had them investigated?” I don't know how I feel about that.
