My smile falters. "But... In Bali, with the flower crown. I thought..."
"It wasn't me." Mateo's voice is tight now, all playfulness gone.
My stomach drops, the floor seeming to tilt beneath me. I look at Declan, who shakes his head, his expression grim. Then at Ethan, whose face has transformed from desire to something cold and dangerous.
"Someone's been in your room," Ethan says, his jaw clenched so tightly I can see the muscle working beneath his skin.
The flower crown suddenly feels burning hot against my scalp, contaminated. I rip it off, letting it fall to the floor with a soft rustle. "How? The security..."
"Mateo," Ethan snaps, instantly in command mode. "The cameras. Now."
Mateo is already moving, pulling out his laptop at the kitchen counter. His fingers fly across the keyboard, the rapid clicking filling the sudden, tense silence. The blue light from the screen casts shadows across his face, highlighting the tightness around his eyes and mouth.
"There," he says, pointing to one of the screens. "Outside your bedroom window, 3:42 PM. Watch."
We all crowd around the laptop, the scent of Ethan's cologne and Declan's soap enveloping me as they press close. The footage shows the garden beneath my window. At first, nothing seems out of place. Then, a shadow moves, just a flicker of darkness that isn't quite natural.
"Zoom in," Ethan orders, his breath warm against my ear.
Mateo enhances the footage. A shadow slips into frame, too fast, too smooth. A figure sliding my bedroom window open like it's nothing.
"How did the alarm not trigger?" Declan growls, his voice vibrating through me from where his chest presses against my back.
Mateo's face is pale with fury. "They had to know the code. And exactly where the sensors were. This is someone who knows how to navigate our security system and our whereabouts. They knew how to get in and the best time to do so."
A chill runs through me that has nothing to do with the air conditioning. I think of the flower crown, so similar to the one in Bali. A memento from a private moment no one else should have known about.
"They've been watching us," I whisper, my voice sounding strange to my own ears. I grip the edge of the counter to steady myself. "For how long?"
Ethan's hand closes on my shoulder, steady and firm. "Doesn't matter. They won't get close to youagain."
But his words, meant to reassure, only heighten my fear. Someone has been in my bedroom while I showered. Someone who knows enough about me to recreate a private moment from Bali. Someone who knows the security system thoroughly enough to bypass it.
I look down at my silk dress, suddenly feeling exposed, vulnerable. The confidence from minutes ago vanishes, like it was never there.
"What do we do?" I ask, my voice small.
The three men exchange glances, some silent communication passing between them that excludes me even as it centers on me.
"We move you into the pool house," Ethan says finally. "All of us, together. Easier to protect you if we're all in one place."
Declan nods. "I'll get her things." His voice is low and dangerous, promising violence to whoever had dared enter my space.
"I'll run a full diagnostic on the system," Mateo says, already typing furiously. "Find how they got in, make sure it doesn't happen again."
"Tell Gloria and Sophie not to come here until I tell them to," Ethan tells me.
"Do you think they might be in danger too?"
"That... and also, right now we can't trust anyone. Someone who knows the codes to our security system entered your room."
Their efficiency should be comforting, but all I can think about is the flower crown. A mockery of a tender moment, turned into something sinister. I feel violated in a way that's almost physical, as if unseen hands had touched me while I slept.
Ethan's hand tilts my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Hey. Look at me." His blue eyes are fierce, determined. "We've got you, understand? All of us. Nothing is going to happen to you."
I nod, not trusting myself to speak past the lump in my throat.
"Go with Declan to pack what you need," he continues. "You're not spending another night alone in that house."
