My pulse quickened, the panic that had been simmering inside me now coming to the surface. “Bentley?” he repeated, his voice low, filled with disbelief. “How the hell did he get out?”
The doctor’s face hardened. “We don’t know. Security systems failed. He’s dangerous, Ashton. You know what he’s capable of. He’s… he’sunstable.”
My fists clenched involuntarily. The thought of Bentley James roaming free sent a wave of nausea through me. The man had been a threat. He’d been responsible for more chaos than I cared to recall, and the fact that he was out there again made my skin crawl.
“You have to find him,” the doctor urged, her eyes locked onto mine. “Before he does more damage.”
Behind me, Lilith’s voice broke through the tension. “Bentley James,” she said, her tone laced with twisted curiosity. “Interesting. You never told me about him.” Her eyes gleamed with a dark, dangerous amusement as she stepped forward, as if to ask more questions. “Why the secrecy, Ash? What makes him so special?”
I didn’t answer. My mind was elsewhere, racing with the implications of Bentley’s escape. What did this mean for Dove? For all of us? Was he still lurking in the shadows? Was this the nightmare that would finally tear everything apart?
A muffled sound broke through my spiraling thoughts—a creak in the hallway. Another footstep. Then another. And another. Every inch of my body screamed for action, for the need to protect, to confront whatever nightmare was closing in around us.
But right now, Bentley James was the threat. And if I didn’t act fast, the damage could be irreversible.
I turned to the doctor, his voice urgent. “Where is he now?”
Her face contorted with concern. “We’ve locked down the building. But there’s no telling where he is. He could be anywhere.”
My gaze flickered over to Lilith, her eyes still locked on me, studying my every move. The tension in the room was palpable.
“Let’s go,” I growled, determination flooding me.
Without waiting for an answer, I stormed out of the office, my heart hammering as I prepared to face the threat that could bring everything crashing down.
32
ASHTON
The air inside the estate was thick with a sense of unease, a heaviness that seemed to cling to everything. I stood in the foyer, eyes distant as I stared at the floor, my mind spiraling. Lilith’s presence behind me felt like a constant itch, her questions nagging at me as she trailed in my wake, her voice unsettling in its unnerving calm.
“Why the long face, Ash?” Lilith’s voice was sweet, too sweet for someone so twisted. “You’ve been all over the place since the call. Something’s got you spooked.”
I didn’t answer immediately. The words from the reports still echoed in my mind like a cursed chant. Bentley James—Bentley fucking James—had been the one responsible for the brutal murders of Dove’s parents. The same man who had stalked her relentlessly, obsessed with her in a way that made my blood run cold. I couldn’t shake the image of her parents’ bodies, lifeless, gory. The memory of those words in the report haunted me.
Bentley James had been obsessed with Dove.The thought alone made my chest tighten with a suffocating fury. Myfingers dug into the edges of the table in front of me, knuckles white with the pressure. I had failed her. I let her go, thinking the worst was behind us. But now Bentley’s escape loomed like a shadow, and all the rage I had buried deep inside surged forward, threatening to overtake me.
Lilith, still unperturbed, stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement. “You seem tense, Ash. Is it because of Dove? Or is it because you’re starting to see the bigger picture now? You always were a control freak.”
My head snapped toward her. “Don’t,” I warned, my voice low and strained.
But Lilith wasn’t finished. She leaned in, her lips curling into a sadistic smile. “You always have to be the hero, don’t you? Youhadto protect her, but you couldn’t even keep her safe.”
My eyes burned with barely contained fury. I could feel the primal urge to lash out, to strike her down, to shut her up. My whole life had been about control, and Lilith—this woman—was determined to rip that away from me.
“Shut up, Lilith,” I growled. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You want toplaywith her, break her down, but she’s mine. I won’t let anyone near her. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Lilith’s laugh was sickeningly sweet, but the edge was sharp. “You really think you can protect her, Ash? You’re just as broken as the rest of us. Maybe that’s why you like her so much. She’s yourperfectmatch.”
“Don’t.” My teeth gritted together, the storm inside me building to a frenzy.
“Or what?” Lilith’s smile deepened as she stepped forward, toying with the tension, daring me to snap. “You’ll hurt me like you hurt everyone else who gets in your way? Maybe you’llhurt her again, too. Maybe that’s what she needs—more punishment. I wonder if she’lllikeit this time.”
Before I could respond, before I could break her apart with words or fists, my phone rang.
The sound broke through the storm of my thoughts like a lightning strike, and I reached for it, almost slamming my finger against the screen. I didn’t recognize the number, but I answered anyway, the same dread that had clung to me for weeks tightening its grip on my chest.
“Christina?” I rasped, but the voice on the other end was frantic.
