Chapter 4
Kade
Ihaven’t been able to focus on anything, replaying my confrontation with Allie from two nights ago over and over in my head. I haven’t talked to Allie in over a year. Not since the night she ripped out my fucking heart and stomped all over it.
Yeah, I saw her, been in the same room as her even, on the few times she’s come back from school, but we never spoke.
And after seeing her, despite knowing she’s nothing but a snake in the grass, I can’t shut off the emotions that creep to the surface whenever she’s near.
When I spotted her car in The Rusty Nail lot, I froze. It was like time stopped.
I tried to walk away, but then I heard the desperate edge to her tone and hesitated. I’ve spent months trying to hate her, but hate isn’t the only emotion I feel when I look at her.
Allie was never just in my head. She’s in my fucking blood. In my heart and soul.
I grit my teeth against the anger that rushes in when I think of that stupid fucking ring on her finger. If she wants to marry some rich fucker, then so be it.
She made her choice. I wish I could shut it off. Forget she exists. Just like the night I drove out to Seattle right after she left for college.
I was determined to fix things. I wanted to be with her, and I thought she wanted to be with me.
It wasn’t until I arrived at her dorm that I realized just how one-sided our relationship was.
She didn’t even hesitate to kiss another man or invite him back up to her dorm.
It was like she had already moved on and forgotten about me and what we shared.
I try not to let that cloud my judgment. I’m here on Bishop business. To silence Allie before she does something that’ll get her killed. She’s as stubborn as a bull and has every intention of burying my family if she doesn’t get what she wants.
And what she wants isn’t something I can give her.
I couldn’t tell her that Saint was safe, or that my brother was planning to marry her.
If she accidentally told someone, and my father found out, all hell would break loose.
Let alone ruin all our plans. Both Calder and I had warned her to mind her own business, but Allie doesn’t give a fuck about danger. She thrives on it.
Rules don’t exist in her world. She lives to break them.
She won’t stop searching for Saint. Not until she gets an answer, or until someone physically stops her. Hopefully, for her own sake, I can.
I run my hands through my hair, shaking the water off after I dunked my head into a clean, cold trough. Usually, I don’t hesitate. If my father gives an order, I carry it out. We all do. That’s how the Bishop family works.
And my father demands I scare Allie into silence or end her permanently.
And as much as Allie breaking my heart hurt, I know there is no way in hell I can kill her.
The thought of physically harming her makes me sick to my stomach, but scaring her, making her think I would hurt her?
I can do that. I can bully her. Force her into compliance.
And that’s exactly what I’ll do tonight.
If only to save her from something far worse.
The Porter ranch has security and cameras. But all the time I spent with Allie means I’ve learned where the blind spots are. Here’s hoping the Porters haven’t changed anything since Allie went off to school.
I flick the headlights off as I turn onto the dirt road, which is really more like a footpath worn into the earth, that runs alongside the southern fence closest to the main house.
Anticipation builds in me. I can’t wait to see her again.
To watch the fear fill her eyes. For her to realize just how much she’s fucked herself by pushing things.
I squint to make out the scenery, as the cloudy skies partially block out the half-moon.
I won’t hurt her, but the other night, there was a moment when she looked scared, and I’d gotten harder than I ever had in my life.
It felt like... power. In a relationship where we’ve always fought for dominance, part of me can’t wait to feel that heady rush again.
I climb out of the truck, grab my small handgun from the glove box, and quietly head along the path leading toward the back gate.
I trip on some downed brush and freeze, my heart pounding as I watch the camera on the fence line angled away from me.
As long as it doesn’t turn, I’m safe. I guess it wouldn’t matter even if it did get a good shot of me.
From what I’ve seen, the security staff is shit.
They don’t review footage, and if they do, I’m sure it’s only when they’re told to.
Nevertheless, I give it a minute, and in the silence, I hear my father’s mocking voice in my head. “You’re a fucking failure, Kade. A failure. You can’t do anything right.”
It doesn’t matter if I do things exactly as he wants. It’s like no matter what I do, I fuck it up. Every action is a failure simply because it’s connected to me. I am a failure. But I won’t be tonight. Not with so much on the line.
Tonight, I’ll prove to him I can get the job done. And I’ll keep her safe in my own way. I latch onto the pain Allie caused me. The hurt I spent a year sitting on. That’s what I need to focus on. Allie Porter is the enemy—a stubborn brat who doesn’t know when to quit.
Tonight, she’ll learn. She’ll see a side of me that I’ve never exposed her to.
If she thought the way I acted in the bar parking lot was harsh, I can’t wait for her to realize what else I have inside me.
My blood hums with adrenaline. I wonder if she’s expecting me to show up.
If she will be ready for an attack, or if she thinks she’s safe tucked away on her mommy’s ranch.
She isn’t safe, though. Not from me. Never from me.
Whatever I become tonight—it’s her own doing. Not only to protect her but also to remind her that we aren’t friends, we aren’t shit, and that it’s all her choice.
I cut through some dense forest and spot the house nestled in the center of probably a thousand pines all crowded together, stretching up like they’re competing to touch the sky.
It’s been over a year since I snuck inside this place.
I remember the rush I felt at the idea of being caught.
Allie was always worried, afraid of what her mother might think if she found out, but I didn’t give a fuck.
She didn’t want to disappoint her mother, and we both knew nothing would be more disappointing than discovering your daughter hooking up with the Bishop fuckup.
That should’ve been my first clue she didn’t want me, that she only liked using me.
She fooled me real fucking good. Hook, line, and sinker. I could kick myself for making it so easy to be betrayed by a girl who only thought of me as a good time.
An excuse to be wild and free.
To her, I was an escape and nothing more than a thrill.
To me, she was everything I could never put into words—a diamond in a heaping pile of bullshit. Looking back, I realize I should’ve seen the end coming.
I’ve never been good enough for my father or my brothers. So what made me good enough for Allie? Nothing. Not a damn thing. Otherwise, we would still be together, right?
I need to shut this pity party down before I go inside. If I don’t, I won’t get anything done. There aren’t any lights shining from the windows, so I continue on my way.
I use the tree line to conceal my movements. The shadows swallow me, and my familiarity with the landscape makes my steps confident and quick. I remember how to get in and do exactly as she told me back then.
Doubt she ever thought this information would be used against her.
I locate the pair of doors leading down to what used to be a root cellar. The flimsy lock is pointless, thanks to years spent in the elements.
I’m not surprised Emma hasn’t noticed it’s broken. Security doesn’t seem to concern her. And she thinks she’s competition for my family. I snort, and the sound echoes through the large space. I find the stairs that lead up to the butler’s pantry in the dark.
All is quiet on the main level, with everyone tucked safely into bed. I move cautiously, listening for any sound that might mean a witness I’d have to silence. That would make this whole situation uglier than it needs to be.
Doesn’t mean I won’t get my hands dirty if necessary, though.
I reach the foot of the stairs and stop, straining my ears for even a hint of a sound. When I get nothing, I continue forward, taking the stairs two at a time. At the landing, I turn right.
My heart picks up speed as my anticipation builds.
I creep down the hall and pause outside her door.
A feral smile curves my lips unconsciously. I probably look like a fucking psychopath right now. I wait for a heartbeat, grab the knob, and ease the door open.
As soon as I open the door, her sweet scent of berries and sugar reaches me, making my gut clench. Fuck me. She always smells good enough to eat.
Remember why you’re here.
Stepping into the room, I close the door behind me, lock it just in case, and face the four-poster bed across the room.
She’s sleeping peacefully. Unaware of the nightmare lurking so close it could suffocate her.
I don’t so much as blink, or even breathe, when she rolls onto her back and throws an arm over her head.
I just stand there, watching her, my heart beating like a drum inside my chest. It’s like I’m in a trance and unable to look away.
After a few seconds, I creep closer. Her red hair is splayed out across the white sheets.
She looks like a porcelain doll, her features so beautiful that she almost seems unreal.
I study her high cheekbones, my gaze burning a path across her face, over her tiny nose, and heart-shaped lips.
She’s too pure to touch when your hands are as bloody and filthy as mine.