I scan the road again. Nothing. No cars, no movement. But he was here. Close enough to touch the gate.
I pull out my phone and check the camera logs. Forty minutes ago. A figure in dark clothing, face obscured by a baseball cap, approaching the gate on foot. He stayed for less than thirty seconds. Long enough to leave the note. Long enough to prove he knows exactly where she is.
Forty minutes ago. While I had my face buried between her thighs.
Fuck.
I head back inside and find Diamond exactly where I left her, sitting up in my bed with her arms wrapped around her knees. She takes one look at my face and goes pale.
"What happened?"
I show her the note.
She reads it. Reads it again. Her hands start to shake.
"He's here," she whispers. "He found me."
"He found the property. He doesn't have access." I take the note back, fold it, pocket it. "The security system is solid. He can't get in without me knowing."
"But he washere. He—" She stops. Looks at her phone on the nightstand. "Oh god. My DMs."
She grabs it before I can stop her. Scrolls. And then her face crumbles.
"Diamond. Show me."
She hands it over wordlessly.
Photos. Dozens of them. The house from the road. The gate. And worse—shots through the windows. Diamond on the couch. Diamond in the kitchen. Diamond doing yoga on the deck.
Diamond in her bedroom, changing.
The timestamps span days. He's been watching since she arrived.
"He's been here all along." Her voice breaks. "He's seen me. He's beenwatchingme."
I want to put my fist through the wall. I want to find this piece of shit and end him the way I ended Marco—slowly, painfully, making sure he knows exactly why he's dying.
Instead, I force down the anger. I set down her phone and pull her into my arms.
"Listen to me." I grip her chin, force her to meet my eyes. "He's seen the outside of the house. He's seen you through windows, from a distance. He hasnotgotten inside. He hasnottouched you. And he never will."
"You can't promise that."
"I can. Because anyone who tries to get to you has to go through me first." I hold her gaze, letting her see the truth of it. "And I don't lose, Diamond. Not when it matters."
She's crying. Tears sliding down her cheeks, her whole body trembling. But she doesn't look away.
"I'm scared," she admits.
"I know."
"I don't want to be alone tonight."
"You won't be." I press my forehead to hers. "You're sleeping in my bed. And I'm going to be right there with you." I grip her chin, force her to meet my eyes. "I willdiebefore I let him touch you. Do you understand me?"
She stares at me for a long moment. Then something shifts in her expression. The fear doesn't disappear, but it settles. Makes room for something else.
Trust.
