Second Sets Omnibus

Fifty - River

“What?” I breathe, looking around the park, frantically trying to spot Lyric in the people milling around with their kids. “What the hell does that mean?”

Panic doesn’t even begin to describe the feelings bubbling to the surface. My fingers tremble, unable to stay still. Possibility after possibility runs through my mind. All ending in the worst-case scenario.

“Deep breaths. We think Lyric just went to play some hide and seek,” Olivia says, putting her hands up.

“Whoa. Wait. She was with Cal,” Rad says, pulling me into his side and rubbing a hand up and down my upper arm in support. “Don’t freak out yet, Pretty Girl. Kids do this all the time.”

Freak out? I’m beyond freaking out. My breaths come in short pants. Adrenaline pours through my damn veins until I’m a trembling mess. My daughter is missing, and everyone thinks it’s normal. It’s not. This party is about her. Making her the center of attention. Something she can’t pass up. If Olivia is frantic and pale-faced, then something is truly wrong. You can’t convince me otherwise.

“Look at me, Riv. We’re at a huge amusement park. She probably wandered off with one of the other kids, and they were playing. Cal turned his back for five seconds to grab a drink for them, and when he turned around, she had taken off. We’ll find her.” Olivia gives me that Veritas look she loves to give me when she knows she’s right. Or wants to prove a damn point. She’s awful fucking bossy sometimes.

“I’m so sorry, Little Star,” Callum says with tears, looking on the verge of a freakout. “I didn’t… I would never…” His gaze falls to the ground. Hiccups fall from his lips as he tries to take deep breaths.

“It’s okay. She’s probably trying to find her favorite ice cream,” I say, squeezing his hand with reassurance. “You didn’t do anything wrong. She could have done this with anyone. Even me. She’s five. They’re slippery at this age.” I try to give him my best reassuring smile so he doesn’t continue to beat himself up. But it doesn’t work. His face falls, and tears slip down his cheeks.

Olivia claps a hand on his shoulder, taking control of the situation before we all start slipping into hysterics.

Ly is probably having fun somewhere with one of her cousins. That’s it. She hasn’t been kidnapped or abducted by aliens. There’s a perfectly rational explanation for this.

“Believe me, that child wanders when she wants to. Something probably caught her eye. Maybe a balloon or a unicorn. We’ll all split up and look for her,” Olivia demands, looking each of us in the eye. “Calmly and collectively. The partygoers are helping, too. There’s no need to freak out yet, okay? Last we saw her, she had come out of the fun house with Cal. They went to the hut, fifty feet away, to grab a drink. No one saw her slip away when Cal put in the order. Remember, she’s wearing her unicorn dress. Riv, you’ve got a picture?” When I nod, she nods back. “Good, send it to all of us. We’ll start canvassing the area and trying to find her. Since it’s just us in the park, maybe call her name or call out her outfit.”

My heart races in my chest when I bring the photo up on my phone and send it to everyone I can think of at the party. Someone will see her. Or find her. They have to. She can’t be too far away. It’s her damn birthday party.

Right?

“You two, start over there,” she says, pointing to me and Asher, who stands rigidly beside Callum with worry in his eyes. “And you two over there, you two over there. Okay? You all have your phones?” Everyone nods in silence as the situation sits heavy on our shoulders. “Good. Please message me. I put my number in each of your phones when I had them on your trip to Central City. And I’ll meet you wherever. I will check over by the entrance and canvas, making sure she didn’t make a break for it.”

My eyes follow her finger, pointing to the right where the unicorn carousel stands still, and the tall roller coasters stand beyond that.

“Okay,” I breathe, sucking in air, trying to clear my muddled brain.

“We’ll find her, Little Brat. It’ll be okay,” Asher whispers in my ear, gently taking my hand in his.

Together we walk as a unit, splitting off from the rest of the group as Olivia directs them to different areas to search.

I swallow hard, remembering Lyric’s words from this morning.

“Mommy, I can’t wait to ride the unicorn ride. The one that spins in circles and has pretty music.” I grin as she twirls in her dress, going round and round with a squeal of pure joy.

It was one of the first rides she begged to go on when we stepped foot in the park.

I heave a breath when we all separate. Echoes of Lyric’s name being shouted through the park rattles my nerves. This isn’t like her. She doesn’t wander off. She…

“She’s going to be okay,” Asher says, clinging to my hand as we walk around the carousel, sitting hauntingly still in the middle of the day.

The sun blares down on us without a cloud in the sky. It’s the perfect day to celebrate a birthday. If the birthday girl wasn’t missing. How could this happen in such a short period of time? How could she just wander away without anyone noticing? Doesn’t this place have cameras? My heart drops more. Desperation claws at me. I need her in my arms.

As we make our way around the ride, the operator casually lounging back in a chair catches my eye.

“Maybe,” I mutter, pulling out my phone and bringing up the picture of Lyric from this morning. “Excuse me, Sir. Have you seen this little girl?” I ask the operator as he lounges back in his chair.

A toothpick hangs from his mouth, jolting around when his tongue rolls. He pushes his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose, staring at the picture of Ly in her pink, purple, and sparkly unicorn dress, smiling at the camera.

His brows raise as he checks it over and gives me a sharp nod. My heart leaps out of my chest with hope latching on.

“Yeah. I saw her about five minutes ago. She was walking with some guy in a red zip-up hoodie.” He shrugs nonchalantly, pointing in the direction of the rollercoasters.

My heart drops. Red hoodie? Who the fuck was wearing a red hoodie? Everyone I saw was in T-shirts or dresses. It’s seventy fucking degrees right now.

So, who the hell has my baby?

“What? What did he look like?” I stumble over my words, begging my heavy tongue to cooperate.

“About this tall,” he says, holding his arm up. So not fucking helpful. “Brown hair. That’s about it.”

My eyes dart around when we take a few steps away from the operator. Someone has her. She could be anywhere. Fuck. With trembling hands, I let Olivia know what I just found out so she can keep an eye out in case anyone wants to leave.

Thoughts scramble in my head. Ly has never taken the hand of a stranger she…

“Up there,” Asher rumbles, turning paler than a fucking ghost. His entire body vibrates, pointing toward a giant roller coaster in the distance as he squints against the sun. “She’s up there with someone on the boarding platform.”

With someone. It repeats in my fucking head. Someone. Not anyone we know. A stranger. I follow his line of sight, gazing at the tall roller coaster in the sky. My daughter sits at the entrance of the tallest ride in the park at the boarding platform. With a stranger holding her hand. High in the sky, barely visible from where we are. The only colors streaking in the wind are the multiple colors of Lyric’s unicorn dress. And the dark red hoodie the person wears to conceal themselves from us.

It’s her. But who the fuck is he? Who has Ly? It’s not anyone in the family. They’d have sent a message.

“Who the fuck is it?” I growl, taking off in the direction of the rollercoaster. Fuck common sense. Fuck it all. My soul calls out to the little being I created, needing her to be with me.

Not him.

“I don’t know!” Asher shouts frantically, chasing after me at a quick pace. “I just called Olivia about where we’re headed and that we saw her.”

“Good!” I shout, running toward the coaster and up the paved slopes carrying me up, up, and into the fucking clouds.

My heart pounds in my ears, drowning out everything as I run behind Asher at full speed. At some point, probably because he’s athletic, he passed me, giving me his back and leaving me in the dust with my heaving lungs.

When we finally get to the top of the entrance, I stop dead, slamming into the back of Asher with a quiet umph.

“Shh,” he murmurs, looking at me over his shoulder with furrowed brows. I nod shakily, swallowing hard when Lyric’s little voice filters through. It takes everything inside me not to jump into action and scoop her up.

“I want my mommy,” her little voice sniffles quietly.

“You’ll see her again,” the unfamiliar man’s voice says, carrying through the rock-like surroundings encasing the entrance to the roller coaster currently not running.

It’s deep. Gruff, even. No one I recognize from my life. Has some crazed person followed us here? The boy’s fan? My brother’s fan? Fuck! Another stalker? It can’t be mine. He’s fucking dead. All the possibilities run through my mind in overdrive.

“I want her,” she cries again, yelping when he does something to her.

I tense. Every instinct inside my body screams for me to run in there and save her. I need my goddamn baby to be safe.

“She’ll come!” he says in a sharp voice through heavy breaths, causing Lyric to sniffle hysterically again. “She’ll come. Now, quiet.”

“We need to do this slowly…” Asher’s eyes fall on the man with his back to us. His red hoodie clings to his body, and the hood covers his hair.

Asher pulls out his phone and carefully checks his messages, updating Olivia on where we are and that we need help immediately. Also, snapping a picture of him and sending it on. With shaky fingers, Asher connects a call to Olivia and leaves it in his hand, letting Liv hear everything that happens. Hopefully, with her training, she’ll record everything for later. In case this all goes sideways. But if the swooping in my stomach is any indication of how this will go, it won’t end well.

“This room echoes. You know?” the man in the red hoodie calls out. “I can hear every word you say. It looks like your mommy finally made it,” he sing-songs the last part mockingly. “Let’s get this party started. I’m tired of waiting.”

My heart falls into my ass when he spins around toward us with a black gun nestled in his hand, pointing it toward my baby clutched in his tight, unrelenting grip. Tears work down Lyric’s face as she trembles, but she doesn’t pull away. Whatever fear she has, she knows she needs to stay still.

The moment my eyes collide with his, I die a little on the inside—those eyes. I know them. I recognize that face. It’s someone I saw a week ago at Dead End. Someone I just happened to run into. Maybe it wasn’t such a fucking coincidence that he was there.

Donavon fucking Drake. That is the whole reason the boys left. The videos he kept. The way he stalked me back then. My nightmare has followed me here. But why? Why him? And why the fuck now? I already had one stalker. I don’t need another psycho in my life. Besides, Olivia checked in on him multiple times, assuring me he was gone. He was in Europe. Away from here. But yet, here he stands with a weapon in his hand, smiling maniacally.

“Rivey, so good to see you again,” he coos, tilting his head to the side with a sadistic grin.

My lips pop open, and I shake my head. “Van…” I trail off in horror, shaking my head. “I don’t understand…” His grip tightens on Lyric’s arm when my eyes dart to my baby in the clutches of madness.

“The one and only…” His eyes immediately dart to Asher, who stays in front of me, protectively covering my body with his. “What the fuck is he doing here?” His teeth grind together as his eyes narrow in on Asher frozen with his hands up. Van wildly waves the gun in his direction. “I told you! You are mine, River West! You both are!” Van shouts erratically, stomping his foot.

I stiffen at his words. “Y-yours?” I stammer.

My heart threatens to punch out of my chest when he throws his head back, laughing like a loon.

“Mine. All mine. You always have been. How do you feel knowing your guy here sold you out? He came to me. Begged ME for those videos…”

“Why did you take videos?” I breathe, stepping around Asher. “Why would you do that? That’s gross.” I shake my head, begging to keep his attention on me so Lyric and Asher can run away.

Now would be a good time for Olivia or Carter, or fuck, I’ll take Jordy, to show their faces with guns blazing and take this asshole down for good.

“Stay back,” Asher hisses through his teeth, trying to grab my elbow.

“No more,” Van hisses. “You’ve touched what’s mine for far too fucking long!” In the blink of an eye, he raises the gun in Asher’s direction, waving it around.

“Whoa!” I shout, stupidly jumping in front of Asher. “Van. What the hell is going on? Explain it to me!” I scream, bringing his attention back to me. “Look at me, Van. Explain what’s happening.” I lower my voice, trying to sound as calm and collected as possible. Something I don’t fucking feel right now. Panic takes me over when he doesn’t lower the weapon, leaving it pointed in Asher’s direction.

His face hardens—a twitch forms in his right eye, highlighting his loss of composure.

“Oh, right. I’ll explain everything to you, Rivey. Just let me touch you. I need to fucking touch you,” he pleads with desperation. “Let me feel you, baby.”

Fat chance.

“Let Lyric go,” I say, motioning toward my baby still in his clutches.

For as long as I live, the haunting expression holding her captive will keep me up at night. Somehow, Lyric has retreated inside herself, no longer blubbering, or trying to pull away. She’s a shadow of nothingness. I need to take charge of this situation before she sinks too far into herself and I’m unable to pull her out. My baby doesn’t deserve to live through the pain of Van’s obsession. I’ve protected her from this for so long.

“No,” Van snarls, baring his teeth. “I let our child go, and you’ll take off again and let these assholes raise her. You are both fucking MINE!” His voice echoes off the walls, filling the room with his rage. It’s so visceral, the tiny hairs on my arm stand on end.

My breath catches in my chest, refusing to refill my lungs. Our? He’s delusional. Concocting this fantasy that Lyric and I are his. His? Really? My mind races out of control. What the fuck do I do here? I’m so out of my goddamn depth. I need to get Lyric away from him. I have to think on my fucking feet to get his hands off of her and onto me.

It’s time to save my baby and Asher. No matter the cost.

I inch forward, avoiding Asher’s desperate glare to keep me within his reach. His head shakes with limited movements, like he’s reading my mind.

“Okay,” I say, holding my hands up, placating the asshole. “Let’s just talk, Van. Okay? Let’s work this out. You can touch me. Just let her go.” I swallow razor blades when his eyes light up, traveling up and down my body with intense interest. Disgust fills every molecule of my body when he zones in on my breasts, licking his lips. I shiver, holding back the vomit threatening to spew from my throat.

I can do this. This is for Lyric and her safety. For Asher. For everyone else he wants to injure. I can only hope Olivia gets her ass up here before anything else can go wrong.

“River,” Asher begs with choked emotions as I inch closer to Van. Every step I take is a nail in my coffin. “Don’t,” he pleads, reaching a hand out to pull me back.

But I’m too far gone now. Lyric is the most important thing in my life, and I can’t lose her. She's my baby. I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep her safe. Even if it means putting my own life on the line. Shoot me. Not them.

“Don’t you fucking put your hands on her again! She is not yours! She has never been!” Van cries out, lifting the gun in Asher’s direction.

I’d rather endanger my life than have any harm come to Lyric or Asher. It’s my job to protect her. My fucking duty as a mother. And I obviously didn’t do enough to keep her from his grasp. Somehow, he swooped in when no one was looking and stole her from us.

By why? How? How is he even here?

“What’s going on, Van? Why are you doing this? Why are you here?” I whisper, wincing when his angry gaze whips to me and he points the gun right at my heaving chest.

Sweat prickles along my neck the further I walk. With small, measured movements, I inch across the platform until I stand directly before him until the gun pushes into the middle of my chest.

A breath away—within reach.

I turn everything inside of me off, shutting down. If this is my end, then that’s it. I’ve had a good life. Fought the good fight. If it helps Asher and Ly make a break for it, then it was all worth it. They’re worth it.

“I had to get your attention somehow. You blocked my calls. I couldn’t see you anymore! You wouldn’t even talk to me without turning your nose up at me,” he growls angrily in my face with a hint of betrayal sparking in his eyes. “So, here I am,” he says, lifting his chin in victory.

Every ounce of emotion vanishes from his face when he looks into my eyes. Blank. Dark. Nothingness. Reminding me of his expression at Dead End when I watched him from afar. I try to hold back the flinch when his finger runs down my cheek, caressing me like he used to.

“I’ve been watching you, Rivey. Protecting you from the shadows. You should thank me for the pictures I took. I had to look at you through your cameras to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”

My lips flap open and closed at his words. My stomach drops at the realization. Sharp memories float through my mind of the stalking I endured at the hands of…

“It was you?”

“Finally, you get it. It was for your own good. I had to keep my girls safe, Rivey. I had to make sure you two were always protected…”

“But Adrian. That… that guy!” My stomach clenches, threatening to spill the treats I had earlier. “He-he…” I stammer, reaching for the words desperate to escape my lips. “No. No. Not you…”

“Killed himself? I know. It was so tragic. But someone had to take the fall. Your little agent friends were getting too close. I had to throw you off the trail. And my poor cousin needed to die.” He scrunches his nose at the thought, turning my stomach more. “They took you away from me! You should have stayed in East Point. You should never have run from me! I can’t believe you didn’t like my gift.”

Red blood flashes in my mind. My pictures splayed across my front porch. Dripping. Red. Lyric’s screams. It all scrambles in my mind.

“It was always you?”

Hopefully, someone with a gun will get here soon before someone gets hurt. It’s the only thing holding me together.

“When they left, he promised me I could have you! He said you’d run right into my arms like they never existed!” His shouts reverberate off the walls again when he yanks the gun from me and points it in Asher’s direction with a snarl. “But you didn’t. And I was sent the fuck away by my father. An internship. Like I fucking wanted anything to do with my father’s career.” He rolls his eyes, scoffing at the idea.

“I never promised you anything,” Asher says with a fake calm, taking a step forward. His wide, hazel eyes dart to Ly, checking her over as she stands still in Van’s grasp. “I never said she’d be yours. I said she might come running to you for support. But that’s it.” He swallows a lump in his throat, his eyes darting to me as if he’s trying to convey a silent message meant for the two of us. “But I know now that I made a mistake that night. I should never have come to you for help.” He shakes his head. “I never should have done what I did.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Van howls, stiffening his arm. “You’re a goddamn liar. You all used River.”

“Like you did?” Asher retorts, cocking his head with confidence.

“I didn’t use her!” Van shouts manically, waving the gun around. “I didn’t do anything! She was mine!”

“Yours?” Asher scoffs, continuing to step even closer to us despite my silent protests.

No. No. Please. Step back. Don’t come any closer. I’ve got this.

“Yes,” Van growls, gritting his teeth. “I put my claim on her a long time ago. You had no fucking right to touch what was mine.” He shakes his head back and forth, squeezing his eyes shut.

My heart drops into my ass when Asher lurches forward, grabbing Ly by her other arm and yanking her out of Van’s death grip. She stumbles forward into Asher’s arms with a frantic yelp, knocking her out of her stupor. It’s a small reprieve from the craziness going on around us, like time stands still.

“Go,” Asher yells. “Get help, baby!”He urges her, throwing her toward the door with tears in his eyes. “Please!” He begs, stepping toward her, frantically hurrying her along and herding her toward the opening.

Tears stream down Lyric’s face when she stumbles away from us. Her eyes dart back and forth with uncertainty. Trembles roll through her tiny, frozen body, shaking every inch of her.

“Mommy,” she sniffles, taking a step toward me with wide eyes, staring straight at the barrel of the gun, pointing at her tiny chest.

“No!” I shout, gluing my eyes to Van and his movements. Something depraved brews behind his dark eyes as he calculates his next moves. Lyric was his leverage. And now, she’s out of his grasp. Will he harm her, too?

“If I can’t have her, then no one will,” he says, staring directly into my eyes. A void opens in his dark eyes. There are no emotions resting behind them. Just a black hole of nothingness. “No one touches what is mine, again,” he says with a deadly calm—the calm before the shit storm about to rain on all of us.

An ache pangs across my chest when he cocks the gun and fucking fires it. No hesitation. No second thoughts. Like this was all a part of his plan. A small smirk pulls at his lips when my body flinches back and my gaze darts to my helpless child, standing stock still.

The bullet careens in Lyric’s direction, like a fucking missile aiming straight at her little chest, which heaves out of control as sobs flow from her throat.

I can’t fucking move to protect her from harm’s way. I can’t stop the bullet from speeding toward her little body. Everything is spiraling out of fucking control, and I can’t stop any of it from happening.

“No!” I shout as the loud bang reverberates off the stone walls. My fucking ears ring as the noise from the blast blocks everything out. I cry out, covering my ears from the closeness of the sound, deafening everything.

My eyes dart to Lyric, checking her for injuries. I make a move to run to her, despite the gun still hanging in the air, but a strong grip grabs the back of my neck, halting my retreat. Helplessly, I watch from a distance, cataloging her body inch by inch. Her shrill, frantic screams fill the room, penetrating through the static in my ears.

“Go!” Asher shouts, jumping directly in front of her with a fierce expression, pushing her once again and knocking her back.

All the color drains from my face. With an umph, he gasps out, grabbing at his calf. Those wide, hazel eyes connect with mine, darkening as he shouts out in pain, and hops around.

“Again,” Van chuckles, pulling the hammer back and firing directly into Asher’s thigh.

The blast deafens me further, and I wince, trying to focus on Asher. I pull. I yank. I try to break free. I’m ten seconds away from kneeing Van in the nuts to flee, but he pulls me against him with a satisfied hum.

Asher’s eyes widen, rolling into the back of his head when the pain takes him down to his knees.

“I’m sorry,” he gasps out, barely audible for me to hear him.

“No!” I grasp Van’s forearm, trying to force the gun from his hands. If I could make it fall to the ground then he’d stop shooting Asher, and I could break free.

“Oops,” Van grins, firing one more shot into Asher’s upper leg.

All the color drains from Asher’s face when he falls over onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He blinks several times, heaving desperate breaths, but the pain is too much. Every tight muscle uncoils in his body, falling limp until he’s carried away into unconsciousness. Dark red blood pushes through the fabric of his jeans, staining the fabric at an alarming rate. I don’t know much about anatomy, but getting shot isn’t good. Even if it’s just one leg.

“Asher!” I screech, trying to pull away from Van’s embrace again. My foot stomps into his but does nothing to loosen his hold. If anything, he clings on tighter with his painful grip. Digging his fingertips into my neck and holding me hostage.

“Stop fighting me!” he grits out in my ear, pulling me further into him. “You’ll never fucking fight me again after all these distractions are out of the way. You’re mine. For fucking ever, Rivey.”

Sobs wrack through my body as I helplessly watch my entire world fall apart. Tears roll down my cheeks. I can’t get away. I can’t save anyone in this room.

“Run,” I croak out, trying to gain Lyric’s attention.

Her saddened gaze locks on Asher lying lifeless on the cold ground with blood trickling out of his leg from the three wounds, no doubt ending his life. He doesn’t twitch or fucking react. His chest barely moves with his labored breaths. If we’re not careful and don’t get the help we need, he’ll be fucking dead.

Lyric is frozen, unable to move when she needs to run. Her soft whimpers spear through the room, infiltrating through the static clogging up my ears.

“Daddy!” she cries out, twisting her face in anguish at the sight of him. “Daddy,” she whimpers again.

“NO!” Van shouts, huffing against the side of my neck when he raises the gun yet again. “He’s not your daddy.”

Lyric’s eyes dart to mine, gliding over my tear-soaked face and onto Van. Her tiny head shakes at his statement, not understanding him.

“He is my daddy,” she says through a quivering lip, standing tall. “And you hurt him.” A fierce expression pulls at her face, narrowing her eyes at him. Her tiny fingers form fists at her sides, like she’s about to pounce on the asshole behind me.

“Get help,” I croak out again through my bubbling emotions. “Ly!” I shout, clinging to Van’s forearm and digging my nails into his flesh. He doesn’t budge, but the grunt in my ear lets me know I’m inflicting some sort of damage.

“Run!” I shout through my fear, waving a hand at her to get a move on. If Van has a chance, I’m sure he’ll take her out, and I can’t fucking witness that and do nothing.

“Mommy!” she quivers with uncertainty, wavering where she stands tall.

“Run, Lyric! Don’t look back!” I grunt when Van grabs my hair in his tight grip and abandons my neck. His sickly long fingers weave through my locks, holding me firmly in place. I couldn’t move even if I fought again. But it should be me. Not her. I can take this trauma—something she shouldn’t have to endure. “Run and get help! Run, baby!” I shout when he lifts the gun again, pointing it right at her stomach.

My skin crawls—my heart races. Stars burst behind my eyes as I gasp for air. The walls close in on me rapidly when his hands land on me.

Lyric’s eyes dart between us, frantically taking the picture in. She tries to step toward me. I’m her protector, the person in charge of keeping her safe. She wants to dive into my arms and never let go. But I can’t right now. I shake my head as best I can, straining against Van’s hold on me.

She needs to run before he does something stupid like hurt her. He could fucking shoot her, and then my life would truly be over. She needs to get the fuck out of here.

“Run, baby! Don’t look back at me. Please!”

Get Liv. Get the fuck out of this shit show—is what I want to shout. But I can’t give Van any more ammunition. If he knows we have help just steps away, he might do something drastic.

With one last little whine of despair, Lyric runs out of the entrance. My ears ring again, overtaking everything when the gun explodes. My breath hitches when I try to pull away, desperate to chase after her. Or jump in front of the bullet myself. Relentless tears pour down my face when the dust finally settles, and Lyric is nowhere to be found.

A single hole rests in the stone wall with dust billowing from it. She’s safe. Lyric is safe, running to get help for Asher. Van can take me. Do whatever he wants to me. As long as Lyric is safe. And Asher gets the ambulance he desperately needs.

My mind swirls as the room softens and all the noises come to a halt. The static in my ears eases away when Van lowers his gun, staring toward the entrance where the bright sun shines through.

Why is this happening?

Van was the one who broke up with me. He sent me away. All because his parents couldn’t stand the thought of him being with some Central girl. So, why is he standing here, holding me against my will?

“You see him, Rivey? You see him now?” he asks with a false sense of calm taking over his tone. With the gun in his hand, he grips my chin, forcing my gaze to Asher, lying on the ground with blood dripping like a leaky faucet out of his leg. “He’s bleeding and practically begging for his life. How about another shot to make sure he never fucking comes back?” he hisses in my ear, raising the gun again in Asher’s direction.

How many more fucking bullets does he have?

His hot breath rolls over my neck as he holds me tight to the front of his body, letting me feel every disgusting inch of him. Spiders crawl under my skin at the nearness to him. My mind begs me to run. Bile rises in my throat. Desperation claws at me.

“Please don’t shoot him again, Van. I’ll do whatever you want. Please don’t hurt anyone else,” I beg, with tears pooling in my eyes and rushing down my cheeks. “Van,” I plead.

“I love it when you say my name,” he whispers, pressing his lips on my hair. “Say you’ll be mine forever.”

“I’m yours.”

For now. A gag sits at the back of my throat when I say those words.

Until I shoot you in the dick for ever laying a hand on Lyric, me, and for shooting Asher three fucking times. If only I had packed my knife. The same one Kieran gave me all those years ago so I could protect myself. But I left it at home, tucked in my dresser drawer with my other weapon. I was stupid to think I’d be safe at my own daughter’s birthday party, surrounded by Veritas agents.

“Good. Rivey. This is going so well. It’s funny… When you called Kat to let her know you would be in Central City, I was there. Right beside her, listening as you spilled where’d you’d be. I knew I needed to make my moves. And fucking fast. So, here we are, baby,” he coos again, dropping his arm to his side, removing the danger to Asher’s rapidly deteriorating state.

Everything seizes inside me, and I blanch. “Kat? My PA? Kat?”

“Yeah, baby. That’s the girl. Your PA. I’m Trevor. Her boyfriend,” he whispers in my ear, forcing me to step back with him into the darkness of the unknown.

I stumble over my feet, unable to fall forward when his grip gets tighter and tighter. My breaths barely have enough room to fill my lungs as the darkening room takes over my vision. How I long for the sunlight gleaming in. How I long to keep my eyes on Asher’s unmoving body.

“I’ve been him for six months. Did you ever wonder why I never showed my face?”

Trevor, Kat’s elusive boyfriend. The one she gushed about being in love with. She cried over him when he went away without a word. He never came to our company parties. Never took pictures. He was a fucking ghost in the waiting, preying on an innocent woman. No wonder we never met him and only heard about their time together.

“Why would you do that?” I croak, sucking in harsh breaths. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Kat likes you. She likes to talk about you and what’s going on with you. She was my in. I knew where you’d be every fucking day of your life. I had to date her and be with her to get to see you. It was the only way. And God! Sleeping with her, well, it was a way to be closer to you, Rivey. I could close my eyes and imagine it was your face. Your moans. I still have our movies together. I watch them every night before I go to sleep, fucking her… Or fucking my hand to you. It’s sad, but I had to get my info from her. After all, being close to her made me close to you. But don’t worry, I don’t love her like I love you. Poor pathetic bitch she is. I just had to show her a scrap of affection, and she was dripping wet.” He tsks at his manipulation, solely putting the blame on poor Kat, who was head over heels in love with this asshole. “Especially today on our daughter’s birthday. I wanted to be here to help you celebrate. You’ll love the home I have for us. Well, me and you. That’s okay, though. We’ll have more children. Just you and me. Forever.”

The impact of his words settles on my chest, caving it in. Oxygen refuses to enter my fucking lungs, seizing them every time I open my mouth.

“You dated her for the sole purpose of getting to me? You… You stalked me from the beginning?” I stammer, wrapping my brain around the idea that Van had been following me this entire time from afar, waiting in the shadows as he watched our every move. “Wait… Did you even go to Europe?”

Twisting me around, he forces my back into the roughly textured wall. I cry out when my head knocks into the stone, dazing me. Bright stars burst behind my eyelids. A sharp gasp rings out from between my parted lips.

Van cracks a smile, tsking at me in a cruel mockery. “Of course, I went to Europe, Rivey. Where do you think I picked up the cyber skills that allowed me to watch you from anywhere at any time? I was there for three years, eyeing your every move.”

“Cyber skills?” I swallow hard at the information flowing from his mouth like a villain revealing all his moves before he executes them. If I’m not careful with this conversation, bad things could continue to happen. I need to keep him talking and make him reveal everything. “What cyber skills?” Please take the bait. Please spill everything.

It’s a good thing this cavern echoes because Asher’s phone should be picking all this up.

“My favorite was hacking into your camera system, which wasn’t that hard, especially since it was my company that protected your precious home. A little slip of the business card to the perfect person had you right where I wanted you. But I couldn’t stay away, Rivey. I was tired of watching you on a screen. So, I came back and created Trevor so I could keep a closer eye on you.”

“But—I…” I swallow hard, willing my tears to go away. I have to keep him going and admit to everything he’s done to orchestrate this entire thing. “I only got the cameras because of the pictures,” I murmur with realization as vomit shoots up my throat.

He grins more. “I needed you scared and desperate for protection. Getting your picture wasn’t hard, though. It was easy to follow you around and watch you shop or play with our baby girl. It made me want this more,” he purrs with victory. “I’m so sorry I frightened you, Rivey. You were just so beautiful. I didn’t mean to scare you; I just needed to keep my eyes on you at all times and keep you safe.”

My body shudders at the thought of him watching my every move through the cameras in my home. “Why… How?” Fuck, I can’t get my damn brain to ask the right questions.

Van’s teeth grit when his hand tightens on me. “But then they came back and fucked it all up! They were supposed to stay away. They were supposed to never touch you again. You are mine, River. All fucking mine. You’d never know that I’ve done so many things for you, Rivey,” he whispers, putting his forehead against mine. “I saved you from Bradley’s attack at that shitty bar you worked at.”

“I saved myself,” I say, curling my lip in disgust at the thought of my attack at Dead End, resulting in my hospitalization. “I stabbed that bastard. Not you…” I grunt when his hand slams over my mouth, blocking me from talking properly.

“I was supposed to save you!” he lashes out, spitting in my face with every word. “I was supposed to pull you out of that alleyway and be the fucking hero. Me! Not you,” he growls again. “And definitely not fucking them!” The entire darkened chamber he’s pulled me into lights up with his voice, echoing for what seems like miles. Only a sliver of light from buzzing bulbs above us illuminates his demented eyes. “I set it all up so I could win you back. But you see how fucking well that worked out?” He rolls his eyes, clenching his teeth so tight, I swear he’ll snap them into pieces.

“You?” My muffled voice comes through his hand, widening his smile.

My stomach drops, thinking back to when I took out the trash at Dead End and was attacked from behind by Bradley. My former rapist. My abuser. The man who forced himself on me at the party where I drank too much, and Rad saved me.

“Me,” he whispers. “You ever wonder why he was at Dead End that night? Why was I there to stop him? I was the fucking hero. And then that piece of shit Kieran beat my face in.” He shakes his head erratically. “I hope he makes an appearance soon so I can give him the same treatment. One bullet for every asshole who has put their hands on you.”

My breath hitches.

“You’re fucking crazy,” I murmur through his hand again. “You can’t do this, Van. You can’t shoot them. You can’t take Lyric or me.”

A frantic squeal falls from my lips when he presses the gun to my jaw.

“I don’t think you’re in any sort of position to make demands. This is how it’s going to go. You’re going to text your bestie that you’re fine. Call off the dogs, Riv. Then, we’ll go out of this emergency exit and start our lives together before anyone can come to save you.” A sparkle lights up his eyes when his free hand digs into my pocket and pulls out my phone. “Unlock it,” he grunts, gesturing to my thumbprint.

“Okay,” I say, unlocking my phone with my thumb.

“Text her! They’ll be here soon. I’m going to leave them with quite the distraction to stop them from making it here.” He grins again when I grab my phone, bringing Olivia’s name to the screen.

I stare at it for several long seconds, debating what to say. We don’t have a code in place for situations like this. Now, I regret not having something. I can only hope Lyric gets to her quickly before Asher bleeds out.

Me

I’m fine. No rusH. Things are undEr controL… Please.

My heart stops when Van zeroes in on the phone, checking over my message before he allows me to hit send. I know the moment he sees my hidden message when he looks up at me and tightens his grip on his gun. He growls in my face—no doubt about to unleash a massive punishment for even trying to send that message.

“I’m not a fucking idiot, Rivey. I may be a little obsessive, especially when it comes to you. But any idiot would see the message hidden. Help? Is that really what you wanted to say? I have more than a gun in my artillery.” My breaths quicken when he drops the gun on the ground with a grin and digs through his pocket—never letting me go. Confidence puffs out his chest like he has this entire thing under control.

My breath stalls when he holds up a small object, reflecting off the soft lights above us.

“Boom,” he whispers manically, pressing down on a large red button. In the distance, a loud bang rattles against the walls. My spine stiffens as loud screams happen, and he beams more with pride at whatever the hell he just did. “You remember the night we met, Rivey?” he questions without giving me a chance to answer out loud.

It was a chance encounter at the record store. He came in, like he did often after, to purchase his favorite vinyl. Something he started collecting. One thing led to another, and I ended up ass over elbow in the backseat of his Mustang. The worst mistake of my life was ever entertaining this dickbag and letting him use my body for pleasure. The sex wasn’t even that fucking great. But by the way he lights up; he thought I was the best damn thing he ever had. Maybe I was. I mean, he is standing before me with a possessed grin on his face, looking off to the side like the memory of our meeting snapped something inside him.

I stiffen when he drops his nose to the crook of my neck, forcing me still. His disgusting breath rolls over my skin, getting heavier by the second. I quickly ignore the hard piece poking into my abdomen when he inhales again and runs his tongue along my flesh. If I had my knife, I’d cut his boner in two and shove it up his ass where it belongs. But I’m a dumbass and left it.

Fucking bastard. Always taking what the fuck, he wants. If I could move a muscle, I’d knee him in the goddamn dick. Or stab him. I swear the next chance I get; I’m chopping that appendage off so he can never harm another person again.

“You don’t have to say anything. I’ll remind you of it all,” he whispers, flicking his tongue over my ear lobe.

“The sun had just set, blanketing the party in thick darkness, which brought out all the freaks. Everyone was dancing and laughing and drinking their asses off. But they didn’t notice the most beautiful piece walking through the party. You were by yourself. All doe-eyed and petrified looking. But goddamn, the way you looked so damn sexy. I knew you were a Central girl the moment you got closer. But you never fucking looked at me. You were watching him and his cronies’ taking shots by the pool. I knew Knight from school. Hell, I had a fucking band, too! You never fucking noticed me…”

I soak in his confessions one word at a time, memorizing them for later. The truth is, I noticed him at one point in our lives. That we had fucked around so many times and had been in a relationship with each other. Until his parents intervened, we were a couple. Happy, too. But that’s all semantics now. Because they did me a fucking favor by pulling him back.

“So I slipped something special into your drink when you got glass after glass. Nothing bad, just something that’d help you notice me.”

The world stops at his confession. It was bad enough he was my stalker for the past three years. But this? He drugged me at a party. All these years I thought it was me who had drank too many glasses of alcohol.

I blanch, shivering at his words. “You did what?”My muffled reply comes out in a squeak.

He grins against my flesh. “Yeah, Rivey. It was me. You thought you drank too much, didn’t you? Nah. It was the drugs. Me. All me. I knew how to make you fall to your knees and give me what I wanted. Funny, isn’t it? You had no idea who took your V-card. Well, you’re looking at him.” He grins at that, cocking his head when tears flow freely from my eyes and down my cheeks.

I think I’m going to be fucking sick. Everything in my stomach sloshes, begging to cover his hand with my vomit.

“Why wouldn’t you just talk to me?” I whisper, shaking my head as best I can. “I don’t…”

“Then, I dragged you to a secluded spot… And well, you see where that goes. When I was finished, I tucked myself back in my pants with the intention of killing those mother fuckers who were waiting in the shadows to get a piece. Fucking Bradley. He had his eyes on you the moment he saw you stumbling around. You were mine to take over and over, and they were going to steal you from me. So, I decided to become the hero… I walked away for five goddamn seconds! They got you, and then Rad swooped in and put you in his car. But I never forgot about you, Sweetness. You were all I craved. So, we met again. This time, I made sure you loved me. And you did, didn’t you?”

I swear his monologue goes on and on for five thousand hours. He could probably get off on his own damn voice. But the longer I keep him talking and in one place, the better chance I have at surviving this whole ordeal.

“Why the fuck would you rape me?” I hiss frantically, clawing at his forearm, begging him to release me.

The entire time he’s been chatting away, he’s held me down. Despite the hand still stalling in his pocket. I’m afraid to know what he has up his sleeve next. It can’t be worse than the loaded gun by our side. Can it?

“And that’s where my obsession blossomed. The feel of you around my cock. The blood you sacrificed for me, baby. It made me want you over and over again. No matter what.”

Gag. Fucking hell.

“And my hatred for them was born. Fuck those assholes.” He licks my face again, groaning at the taste of my tears. A deep, hollow chuckle vibrates against my body when he steps back, finally revealing the other part of his plan. In the dim light, he holds up a syringe filled to the brim with a clear liquid. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t come willingly, so…” Using his teeth, he uncaps it and plunges it into my fucking neck. The second the liquid enters my bloodstream, my skin fucking boils. Heat spreads through my veins.

I cry out, scratching at him until he’s finished. He chuckles, throwing it aside with pride puffing out at his chest. He’s so fucking deranged; he thinks he did a good fucking thing.

“Have a good rest,” he whispers, grinning as he removes his hand from my mouth, watching his masterpiece fall to pieces.

I suck in a few breaths, trying to stay conscious when he lets me go. He hums to himself, stepping back to observe his handy work with a sparkle in his eyes.

The moment he’s off me, I slide down the rock wall with a groan. My head fucking pounds from the impact, and my face fucking burns from the barrel of the gun.

Whatever he gave me has my vision blurring, but not completely. No. I’m still in control of my limbs. For now, at least.

“What did you give me?” I slur, reaching around beside me as he hums again with happiness.

My tongue tingles as I try to lift it to ask the question again, but it doesn’t work. My fucking time is running out. Along with the light blinking out around me.

“Just something to make you sleepy. Then I can get you to our home without fanfare. You’ll love it!” he shouts, bouncing on his toes with excitement. I tune him out the moment he starts listing the things inside this magical house he built for the two of us.

I suck in oxygen as my vision blurs, producing two Vans prancing around in front of me. My ears start ringing, and numbness takes over my entire body.

I fight against the medicine, continuing to feel around me for the gun he dropped in haste to get the drug from his pocket. He threw it like he wouldn’t need it anymore. But I do. I swallow hard, which becomes increasingly challenging as the effects wear on me. But determination spears through me as my numb fingers feel the gun thrown beside me.

With every ounce of energy, I have left, I bring it into my lap to hold it steady. All those times, Olivia took me to the range to perfect my skills in case something like this ever happened finally come to fruition.

My time has fucking come.

Just as the darkness takes over my vision and I’m clinging to consciousness, I use my remaining energy to point the gun in his direction. He doesn’t seem to notice. Or maybe I’m too far gone. I grunt, squeezing the trigger, praying to the Gods above that this one shot buys me enough time. One shot fires off before the darkness completely takes over, pulling me under the spell of the drug.

I’m either a kidnapped girl walking, or I shot the man responsible for stalking me for three years.

I guess I’ll find out which soon.