Opening the door, I am hit in the face with the smell of coffee and something sweet, like pancakes or French toast. Making my way to the table, Nyx is perched on Graham’s lap. The vibe is a little more tense than I imagined it would be, but then my gaze crashes into the ocean blue eyes of Callum.
Fuck, this man.
“Come sit down, Sunshine,” Cal smirks as he pats the seat next to him.
I nervously walk around the breakfast table. It is loaded with everything you can think of. A bowl of mixed fruit, bacon, and sausage spilling over the sides of the plate, a stack of pancakes that looks about to tip over, a bowl of what appears to be a strawberry compote, a couple of cans of Redi Whip, and real maple syrup. Yuck. I prefer the processed-corn-syrup bullshit. The second my eyes land on the maple syrup, Nyx jumps up from Graham’s lap and runs to the kitchen.
“Here, Kyra. I totally forgot you prefer this nonsense.” She giggles as she hands me the sugary processed syrup.
“Oh my god! You are amazing!” I take the syrup from her and sit down at the seat Callum pulled out for me.
We all fill our plates and eat in almost complete silence. This is not what I expected for the Hutchinson brothers. They are both energetic puppies in human form. Normally, the two of them never stop talking or even sit still.
“So, what is the plan?” All four sets of eyes met mine with a look of concern.
“After you went to bed, we opened that package we found. The stalker sent us a box of pictures of us.” Nyx answers softly.I know that this is scaring her. “Let’s eat breakfast, then I’ll get you home.”
When Nyx and I arrived at the house, we found a box left at the gate. There was no shipping address or return address. I know that Nyx has been having creepy notes left at her apartment; this must be her stalker escalating.
“Oh, that sounds creepy,” I say while digging into my breakfast. If the Devil Dogs are on the case, she should be safe.
There it is…Mike’s truck. He is supposed to be hunting. He’s not supposed to be home. This is not going to be good.
“Hey, do you want me to go into the house with you?” Nyx’s face shows every ounce of anxiety that I am feeling.
“No.” It’s short and to the point. I take a deep breath and open the door to Nyx’s SUV. My overnight bag is slung over my shoulder, and my head is held high.
“Please call me if you need me. I’ll stay just down the road. Your number shows on my screen, and I’ll be right here.” She calls from the driver’s seat. I nod my head to acknowledge her words.
I close the door to the SUV with a deep breath, I put on a brave face, and make my way into the house.
Ok, Kyra. Let’s see what the monster has for me today.
The door squeals every single inch it opens. Announcing my presence like a white trash trumpeter announcing the queen to her subjects. But instead of me being a queen among her subjects, I’m just me, just a sad girl who smiles when she’s with her friends but always comes home to her abuser.
“Where the hell have you been?” His voice echoes through the quiet house.Has he been just sitting here stewing, waiting for me to come home?
“Umm…” My voice is so low that I’m not sure he even hears me acknowledge his question.
“Answer me, you stupid bitch.” He is out of his recliner in moments. Storming across the living room, his stomps rattling the pictures hanging on the wall.
“I’m sorry. I was with Nyx last night.” My voice shakes as I speak the words.
“What, you thought I was gone, so you decided to go fuck around on me? You thought I wouldn’t know you were gone?” He is just an inch from my face. I can smell the wintergreen chew he has crammed his lip full of. I lower my eyes to his holey socks. Trying not to cause more issues. His large hand grasps my face. His thumb digs into the right side of my mouth while the four fingers squish the opposite side of my face. “You know you are not allowed to leave the house without telling me.”
“I’m sorry.” I just keep repeating those two words, over and over. If I say them enough, maybe he will believe me.
“Do you think saying sorry changed that you were out whoring yourself around with that girl?” His spit flies out of his mouth and hits my skin. I suppress a shudder at the chewing tobacco smell.
“No, that’s not it at all, darling. We were just having a bonfire at her boyfriend's house.” He doesn’t need to know that there were other people there, and he definitely doesn’t need to know about Cal.
His hand drops from my face just as his free hand slaps across my cheek. Tasting the tang of blood in my mouth, he must have split my lip. My hot tears stream down my face, and I take off for the bedroom.
“That’s right bitch. You keep lying to me, and you will feel each lie I find out about.” His voice follows me down the short hallway. “I love your fucking tears.”
One day, I’ll be able to get away. Maybe…
CHAPTER 8
