Chapter 11
Kiera
My soul was light once more.
Well. Lighter.
My baby was home, and I didn’t want to ever let her go. I was already dreading the day in two weeks when I’d have to take her back to school. But until then, I was going to make the most of every minute with her.
Billie had only been home for three days, and we’d already crammed so much in. Shopping at the mall to buy a new dress, meeting James’ new wife—his sudden nuptials had come as a huge surprise—baking cookies and cakes, and my favorite, cuddled up on the couch as we binge-watched Disney films.
Our time together had been made even better when Alec announced he’d be away for work for a few days. Lingering in the back of my mind was Jackson, though. He’d been suspiciously quiet since the night he’d snuck into my bedroom, and I was certain he was biding his time.
I only hoped he’d wait until Billie had gone back to school before he started playing his twisted games with me again.
“Have you got your toothbrush?” I said, sliding my gaze from the road to Billie, knowing she was going through a phase of not wanting to brush her teeth.
“Yes, Mom,” she drawled, rolling her eyes.
God, I loved the sassy attitude she was developing. There was a time when I thought I’d never see my daughter reach her tenth birthday, let alone see the confident little girl she was turning into.
I may have hated my father’s secret society and everything it stood for, but it was because of Legion that Billie was still here today, happy and healthy.
I grinned at her. “Good. You don’t want your teeth to fall out.”
“Mom, come on,” she huffed. “You and I both know my teeth won’t fall out if I forget to brush them once.”
Turning off the main road, I pulled the car to a stop outside the Kents’ house, hoping, like I had the entire way here, that Billie would change her mind and decide she didn’t want to have a sleepover at her friend's house.
I hadn’t wanted her to stay away overnight, needing to spend as much time with my daughter as possible. But she’d begged me to let her go, and I could never say no to Billie, especially as Lucy was her best friend, and the sleepover was in aid of her birthday.
We’d met Lucy and her mom, Megan, at a parent-toddler group.
Megan and I didn’t have much in common, other than we were both teenage moms and were judged by the other moms at the group for having kids so young.
As the girls had grown up, we’d been on numerous playdates, and even though Megan and I weren’t exactly friends, we stayed in touch for the sake of the girls.
“They might do, you never know,” I replied, twisting to face her once I’d killed the engine. “Are you sure you want to stay for the night?”
I’d lost count the amount of times I’d asked her that in the last few days. The last time she had a sleepover at Lucy’s, Megan had phoned me in the middle of the night, asking me to collect Billie because she wouldn’t stop crying for me. Granted, that had been two years ago.
The front door to the Kents’ house opened, and the second Billie’s eyes found her friends, an enormous smile lit up her face. Any chance of getting her to change her mind and drive her home so we could spend the night eating cookie dough while we snuggled under a blanket was long gone.
“Yes, Mom. I’m sure,” Billie said, her tone laced with excitement. “Besides, you’re having an evening with your friends.”
“I know, but I’d rather spend the night with you.
” And I would. For once, I didn’t want to be around Donna, Ava, and Michelle.
A flash of uncertainty washed over Billie’s face, and a pang of guilt hit me.
I was being selfish. Reaching into the back seat, I grabbed her bag.
“Okay, fine. We’ll hang with our friends tonight, but tomorrow, cookie dough and movies. Deal?”
She beamed at me. “Deal.”
Kissing her on the forehead, I swallowed the painful knot of emotions clogging my throat. “Go have fun. I’ll pick you up in the morning.”
Getting out of the car, Billie skipped to greet Lucy at the front door, disappearing inside without a backward glance.
“Are you sure you don’t want a glass, Kier?” Donna asked, waving the wine bottle in front of me. “You know you can stay here the night so you don’t have to drive home.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted. I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since Billie had returned home from school, and I was desperate for the buzz that always came with drinking my body weight in wine.
“No, I best not in case Billie wants to come home,” I replied, reminding myself that I needed to be available if Billie got upset again.
Ava nudged my hip. “Party pooper.”
I gave her a small smile as we slid onto the stools around Donna’s kitchen island, a spread of snacks in front of us. For the umpteenth time, I checked my phone, my shoulders slumping when there was no message from Megan asking me to collect Billie.
“So, who wants to hear what happened at the last party I went to?” Donna asked, waggling her brows.
“I do, I do,” Michelle squealed, bouncing in her seat.
Before Donna could launch into her latest saga, the phone I carried everywhere with me under Jackson’s orders vibrated in my front pocket. A ten-ton weight landed in my stomach at knowing who had just messaged.
“Uh, actually, I just need to visit the bathroom,” I said, bolting out of the room before they could stop me.
Locking myself in Donna’s small toilet, I pulled the phone out and nervously loaded up the message.
Jackson:
Meet me here in thirty minutes.
A map with a pin dropped at a location was sent with the message. The weight already lying heavily in my stomach doubled in intensity.
What if I needed to collect Billie while Jackson was demanding God knew what from me.
I couldn’t go.
Why of all nights had he chosen tonight to seek his next bit of revenge?
Sighing, I tapped out my reply, hoping like hell I wasn’t playing with fire.
I can’t tonight. Billie is home from school, you know that, you saw her. Please, not tonight, Jackson. I’m begging you.
Pressing send, I held my breath as I waited for his reply.
And I waited.
And waited.
A thump on the door made me almost drop the phone. My heart raced furiously as I stared wide-eyed, half expecting Jackson to suddenly kick the door down.
“Kier? Are you okay?” Donna called.
I squeezed my eyes closed and slammed my palm over my heart, willing it to calm down. “I’m okay, I’ll be out in a second.”
“Okay. Did you just get that weird message?”
My heart didn’t just calm.
It stopped.
In a rush of panic, I flicked the lock and yanked the door open, finding Donna staring at me with confusion written on her face. “What message?”
She held out her phone to me. “This. It’s not very clear, and you can’t tell who it is, but all three of us got it at the same time. Did you get it?”
Bile churned in my stomach as I peered down at her phone, the screen showing a grainy image of two people. Donna was right; you couldn’t tell who it was, but I knew. It was a photo of me on my knees, sucking Jackson’s cock from the night of the party.
The phone I was still clutching in my hand vibrated. Hesitantly, and keeping the screen facing away so Donna couldn’t see it, I read the latest message.
Jackson:
I’m not fucking around, Kiera. Get your ass to the location, or I’ll send the actual video to everyone. You’ve already wasted five minutes. Time’s ticking.
“I have to go,” I said, barging past Donna to get my purse containing my car keys, and doing my best not to vomit.
“Go? Kiera, what’s going on?” Donna replied, following behind me.
“Nothing…it’s…it’s Billie. She’s not feeling well.” Grabbing my purse and ignoring the stunned looks on all three of my friends' faces, I practically ran to the front door and out to my car.
Twenty-five minutes, or he’d send the video.
And I knew he wasn’t bluffing.