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“You don’t have to walk me out.” I grab my purse and keys.

“Of course I do.” He opens the front door for me.

My heart flutters. God, these men are everything. The cool mid-November wraps around me. The closer Thanksgiving gets, the colder everything is. I’m glad I grabbed my cardigan before I left my room, but it’s probably time to dig out my heavier coat. Hudson falls into step beside me, his presence solid and reassuring.

We walk in comfortable silence, the sort that comes from being completely at peace in a relationship, and I’m not keen to break it. It’s nice, sweet and I⁠—

I stumbled to a stop, mouth falling open as I take in the massacre on my hood. A dead rabbit is spread out like some kind of offering, its neck hanging at an unnatural angle, white fur matted with dark stains. But that’s not the worst part. Pinned through its chest with a kitchen knife is a piece of paper, the edges fluttering in the morning breeze.

“What the fuck?” Hudson’s voice is low and dangerous as he steps in front of me.

My hand flies to my mouth, bile rising in my throat. The metallic smell of blood mingles with the crisp fall air. I have to swallow hard to keep from throwing up all over the driveway.

Hudson moves forward with careful steps, like he’s approaching a bomb. He covers his hand with his sleeve and pulls the knife from the rabbit’s chest, tugging it free with a sickening squelch. The world tilts on its axis, and I fight to keep my morning muffin down as he unfolds the blood-stained note.

His jaw ticks as he reads, eyes growing darker with each word. When he looks at me, anger flickers behind his usual calm demeanor, and I already know who it’s from. The same person who’s been texting me.

“‘You know who you belong to,’” he reads aloud, his voice rough. “‘I’m tired of waiting for you to make the right decision. Stop playing games, Lily. Next time won’t be so gentle.’”

The world sways again. “It’s escalating,” I whisper, my hand still pressed to my mouth.

“Escalating?” His frown deepens. “This has happened before?”

I want to lie. To pretend this is some random psycho, but the look on Hudson’s face tells me he’ll see right through any bullshit I try to feed him. I can’t keep lying to myself. This is far beyond simple harassment.

“Nothing like this,” I say quickly, gesturing at the horror show on my hood. “But there have been other things.”

Hudson pulls his phone from his pocket, fingers flying over the screen. “Hold that thought. Gage and Cole need to be here.”

Moments after he sends the text, the front door slams open and Cole comes jogging down the driveway, Gage close behind. Cole’s features twist when he sees my car.

“Holy shit.” Gage stops dead in his tracks. “Is that⁠—”

“A dead rabbit with a threatening note,” Hudson finishes. “Lily said it’s not the only thing though.”

All three of them look at me expectantly, and I suddenly feel like I’m under a spotlight. I wrap my arms around myself, the afternoon chill seeping through my cardigan.

“It started a few weeks ago,” I begin, my voice trembling slightly. “Pictures in my paperwork.”

Hudson’s hands clench into fists at his sides.

I swallow. “Then the texts started.” I pull out my phone with shaking fingers, scrolling through the messages I should have deleted but kept as evidence. “Pictures of me in your house, pictures of us together.” I chew on my cheek and hand them the phone so they can see and read the texts.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Cole scowls at the screen.

“Why didn’t you call the police?” Gage asks, his voice gentle but concerned.

“And tell them what? Someone’s sending me creepy texts and taking pictures of me? Half the guys in this town have probably done that at some point.” I laugh, but it comes out hollow. “I thought it would stop.”

“We’re calling the cops.” Cole is already pulling out his phone.

I don’t fight him on it. This has gone too far. The blood dripping down my hood has finally driven home how serious this is. As Cole dials 911, all I can think about is how this psycho knows where we all sleep here.

What’s to stop him from coming back?

I glance around, stomach turning and blood chilling. “What if he comes after you guys?” The words tumble out. “What if being around me puts you in danger?”

Hudson steps closer. “Hey. Look at me.”