Jaycee turned into my neck. “It’s like magic.”
“Oh.” Maggie stood, her eyes wide. “We forgot about the sparklers. I have colorful ones for the kids.”
She breezed past me before I could argue. I watched as she walked across the lawn toward the deck area where we had alleaten earlier. The security lights had flickered on, casting more shadows across the lawn.
I watched as Maggie reached the long bench against the wall. She bent down to grab the box. Then paused. It wasn’t a casual hesitation. Her entire body went rigid. She froze, her hand hovering over the cushion.
“Maggie?” I tried not to let my alarm show, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
She didn’t answer me. Instead, she backed away from the bench, her hand covering her mouth. Then she screamed my name. The sound tore through the peace of the evening like a bullet. It was raw and terrifying and hit me straight in the chest.
I lifted Jaycee and handed her to Ryder before the second scream left her throat. I watched as my friend covered her face before I sprinted across the lawn, Hunter right on my heels. I reached her in seconds, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her around. Her hands were shaking, her face pale.
“What is it?” My voice was harsh and it occurred to me if we were under an attack, none of us were armed.
She didn’t speak. She just shook her head, her face pale and her lips moved without sound. Maggie pointed at the bench where we’d left our towels. There on the cushion was a polaroid. I stepped closer, opening and closing my fists. A picture of Jaycee taken a few hours ago in the pool with her pink flamingo around her.
At some point, all of us had taken out our phones and snapped a picture or two. But none of us had an instant camera. That photo was taken today, and not by any of us.
My blood turned to ice. That fucker hadn’t just breeched my perimeter, Fred had been here. Sneaked onto my property and watched my daughter. He’d been close enough to hear her laugh.
“Hunter.” My roar was primal, coming from a place I didn’t know was in me. “Lock this place down. Right fucking now.”
My words tore through the beautiful life I’d created. That single picture made a mockery of the fortress I’d spent weeks building. In a matter of hours, he’d put fear into my family. And that would not stand.
I pulled Maggie into my arms, while Ryder and Tiffany took the kids inside. Shiloh, Owen, and Hunter stood around me.
Owen was the one to speak first. “What do you need us to do?”
CHAPTER 23
FRED
I wasn’tsure if that sour odor was coming from the motel room’s carpet or the cheap ass beer Charlie had been drinking since his release. It hung in the air, so thick I choked on it every time I walked in. Ever since I had both my brothers bailed out of jail a few days after the gala, Charlie had been drinking.
It wasn’t the first time he’d been arrested, but it was the first time he’d spent more than a few hours behind bars. As it turned out, jail did not agree with my baby brother. And that was what he was. A big fucking baby.
Not only had he been drunk for the last few weeks, he continued to moan about the shit I’d dragged him into. Ungrateful asshole. I went to prison to protect our father, but no one cared about that. At least Keith was somewhat helpful.
He’d managed to communicate with The Rival, who had provided us with the two man crew I needed to pull off breaking into Theo Snow’s property. One had taken the photos I needed and one placed the hidden camera. Everytime Maggie walked past, I would be able to see her.
For a moment I wondered what Snow would think of me using his own products to monitor my family.
While Keith was still trying to hack into the camera feed of Snow’s security system, I had one camera placed in the yard. With a view of the pool and the huge open space, I figured it was the one place those brats and their mother would spend most of their time.
I glared at my brother. “Why don’t you go shower so we can plan our next move.”
We’d been at the motel for weeks, not wanting to go back to the house because I was still wanted. Charlie and Keith had their own motel rooms but they both spent most of their time in mine. Pissing me off.
“You are not the boss around here.” Charlie stood and headed for the door. “We’re risking a lot because you couldn’t hold onto your woman.”
I was up and in his face in a matter of seconds. Without thinking I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the door. “You fucking ungrateful asshole. I was offered a plea deal. But I kept dad out of jail. So he could continue to look after your weak pathetic ass.”
Charlie looked at me. His attempt at a glare made me chuckle. If he thought he could intimidate me, he would find my boot up his ass.
Keith moved his hands between us.
“Enough.” My middle brother’s barked order took me by surprise. He shoved his arm against my chest. “We don’t have time for this. Snow has resources we cannot even wrap our heads around. If we start fighting each other, we’ll be dead before we even start.”
