Page 234 of Safe Word

And then, just as I reached the highest step, my eyes landed on it.

A small box sat at the base of the door. Harmless at first glance. Ordinary, even – about the size of a black jewellery case.

But the moment I saw it, my stomach dropped.

The air, soothing and warm a second ago, suddenly became sharp and biting over my skin. My breath went tight in my chest.

I snapped my head towards the street, searching for Vinnie, but he was gone – swallowed up by the night.

A prickle ran along the back of my neck.

I looked around, hyperaware of the streetlamp flickering just a few feet away, the way the distant hum of the city seemed to pull back, as if waiting. Listening.

Then I looked down again. The box sat there, utterly still, as if watching me right back.

I should have left it alone. I would have.

If it didn’t have Cain’s name on it.

I jabbed the call button again, my fingers tight around the phone. Nothing. The arsehole still wasn’t picking up.

‘Fuck!’ I snarled, pacing in front of the door. My breath came fast, uneven, each inhale laced with irritation. ‘Why the fuck aren’t you answering?’

A pang of dread skittered down my neck. What if he was hurt?

The night air bit at my skin as I inhaled sharply, forcing myself to focus. The box sat in front of my uncle’s door like a tiny Pandora’s box of nightmares – small, unassuming, yet it radiated wrongness.

The call went straight to voicemail. After the beep, I took a deep breath, tempering my unrest.

‘Cain. I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, but I’m standing outside my uncle’s place, and there’s a box here with your goddamn name on it. Come here. Please.’

I hung up, my pulse a frantic drumbeat in my ears.

My eyes locked on the box again.

An insidious shiver rippled through me. It spread like frost under my skin.

Could it be from Travis? But why the hell would he leave something for Cain? Unless he wanted to mind-fuck him.

Then Vinnie’s words slithered into my thoughts, a whisper of warning I’d shoved into the back of my mind.

‘If Cain ever shows a dark side, I’m a phone call away.’

I bit my lip, hard enough to taste copper, grounding myself against the rising dread.

What if I hadn’t seen the worst of Cain yet?

What if the side of him I thought was dark had been just the shallow end of an abyss?

What if he was tangled in something bad – something Travis-level bad?

I sure know how to pick ‘em.

A bitter laugh tried to claw its way up my throat, but it died the moment my gaze returned to the box.

A small, unassuming package. A silent dare.

I considered waking Matteo. If anyone knew how to handle things like this it was him. But perhaps, it was nothing at all.