Page 241

“He’s going after Raya,” Dalton whispers, his head snapping up. Max nods.

“You guys might want to call and warn her but yeah, I think that’s the safest guess. We have a warrant out for his arrest but you know just how slippery this fucker is, man.”

What?

Why does it sound like they’re giving up?

“Wait, that’s it?” I ask, turning to Max with wide eyes. He blows out a breath and runs a hand through his hair.

“For now.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Lennon. This wasn’t ever about you. You just got caught up in something so much bigger than any of us realized.”

I turn, gesturing out the window. “So, he just gets to run around out there, free? After everything he’s done?”

“No,” Max says. “He doesn’t get to just run around free. I can’t promise when or how but we’ll get him, Lennon. And I think his focus is securely on Raya at this point so that means, you are safe.”

I scoff.

Safe?

I’ve never felt more in danger in my damn life.

“I need to call Raya,” Dalton says and I glance up as he reaches for his phone. Max grabs Owen’s mugshot off the table before taking the evidence photos from Dalton’s hand. He slips them back into his folder.

“I’ll call Storm and let him know what I found.” He snaps the folder closed and turns towards the door. “He can pass the information along to Raya.”

Dalton pauses, watching him for a moment before he nods. “Yeah, okay. I’ll check in with him later, too.”

Max nods at us and makes his way over to the door before turning back. “I’ll let you guys know if I hear anything else but for what it’s worth, my instincts are telling me that the part of his plan that involved y’all is over.”

Dalton nods and Max slips out of the room as I continue to stare at the wall in front of me, my mind spinning.

Because even if Max is right.

Even if Derek is no longer a threat to us.

How in the hell do we move on from here?

Chapter Forty

Rooster

Home.

We’re finally home and my girl is here to stay but it still feels like there is so much shit hanging over us. But maybe we just need to get back to our life.

If Max is right, the threat is over.

And right now, I just need to focus on taking care of my girl.

We reach the bottom of the stairs and I look over at her. “Baby, you want me to carry you?”

“No,” she sighs, looking up at the climb in front of us with a grimace. “I think that would hurt worse. Just don’t let me go.”

“Never.”

With my arm around her waist and her fist gripping my shirt, we start slowly making our way up the stairs. Her steps are cautious and I know she’s in pain but she’s pushing through. When the doctor told us they were going to send her home this morning, all I wanted to do was get her back here and get her in bed where she could relax.

“I need a favor,” she whispers, out of breath, when we reach the top of the stairs. She looks at the bedroom door before turning to me, her teeth working her bottom lip.