The hole was easy to find after that.
A shame there’s no one in the apartment next door when we break the door down. I already compiled a lengthy mental list of the things I want to do to the man who watched her without her knowing. That list grows even more depraved when we bring Alec and Sydney over and show them the space someone used to spy on her. When I see the realization hit her that someone did this, violated her privacy.
The apartment is sparsely furnished, nearly empty. Nothing but trash, some groceries, a mini-TV, and a sleeping bag tucked away in the bedroom.
The hole is bored into the wall, just above where that sleeping bag sits.
Sydney walks in like she’s in a daze, blinking around as she tries to comprehend what she’s seeing. Her face is blank, brows drawn together.
“You shouldn’t be showing her this,” Alec hisses under his breath to me. I ignore him.
She deserves to see it. She deserves to know what someone did to her.
The fear in her eyes as she walks through the apartment makes me want to hurt something. Hurt someone. But I watch that fear slowly shift to anger, then rage, when she notices a T-shirt on the floor, stooping to pick it up.
“This is Chase’s,” she says, voice so low we almost can’t hear it. She lets the garment fall to the ground, slipping through her fingers.
My fingers twitch, itching for a weapon. That stupid motherfucker. Ashton should have killed him when he had the chance.
“You’re sure?” I ask her.
She nods. Then her eyes move to the next pile of clothing. She lifts a pair of underwear from the pile, a lacy black thong, staring at them in confusion.
“Yours?” I guess.
She gives another shaky nod and drops them. Disgust washes over her face, mixing with the rage. Her fists clench at her side, and she takes a deep breath in. For a moment, I expect her to swallow that anger again, to push all that beautiful fury down, like I’ve seen her do countless times before.
She doesn’t.
“He was here, wasn’t he?” She turns to look at me, something dark flashing in her eyes. “Chase washere, in this apartment. Watching me. Going through my things.”
Holding her gaze, I nod.
“How long?” Her voice cracks. “How long has he been here? Doing this to me?”
I don’t have an answer for her. Days? Weeks? I’ll find out when I get my hands on him. I intend to keep him alive twice that long, in our wet lab. Alive and in agony, begging for me to end his torment.
An angry tear slides down Sydney’s face as she turns away from me. Alec steps forward, wraps an arm around her, and holds her to his chest. He rubs a palm over her back in calming circles.
“You’re sure he’s not here anymore?” she asks, voice muffled against his body. “He’s really gone?”
“Positive,” I assure her, straightening my glasses. I searched every inch of the place before I brought her over, to make sure it was safe.
“We’ll find him,” Alec promises.
She nods, face pressed against his chest. There’s a single butterfly bandage over the small cut on her temple and a bruise forming under her eye. But she showed no signs of concussion, or anything more serious, during my brief examination of her after their shower. I would have taken my time and done a more thorough exam if Ashton hadn't been impatiently hovering at my shoulder the whole time, asking a thousand questions and distracting me. He’d practically shoved me out of the way when I’d finished to scoop her up into a hug.
Asshole.
“You can’t stay in your place tonight,” I tell her. Even if we repaired the door Alec broke down, there’s no way in hell we’d let her stay there now. It’s not safe, not anymore.
Sydney lets out a bitter laugh. “And where am I supposed to go? Justin is sleeping on Jade’s couch and?—”
“You’re staying with us,” Ashton says decisively. “There’s plenty of room at the compound.”
Sydney visibly tenses in Alec’s arms.
“It’s the safest place for you, darling,” Alec tries to convince her, his voice soft.
