Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
LILY
After being delayed by a crash in town, the police finally showed up.
They’ve been here for hours. From surveying the site, reading my messages, taking statements from all of us, and now searching the yard, they’ve chased the daylight away.
The flashing red and blue lights cast eerie shadows across the yard as the sun sets, making the familiar trees look menacing.
I’ve always loved the woods, nothing but trees surrounding me for miles, but every shadow now looms with unknown dangers.
The sympathetic look on the officer’s face doesn’t make her words any less terrifying. “I know this is hard to hear, but based on the escalation we’re seeing, I really think you’re dealing with a dangerous stalker. These things tend to get worse, not better.”
My stomach churns as I nod, and I wrap my arms tighter around myself. The cool evening air cuts through my cardigan, but the chill I’m experiencing comes from somewhere much deeper.
“Is there anyone you can think of who might do something like this? An ex-boyfriend, maybe? Someone who’s shown obsessive behavior?”
Matt’s face flashes in my mind immediately. The photos on my phone. His explosive anger when he found me here. “My ex, Matt,” I say quietly. “He’s been angry about me staying here with his friends.”
She studies me, mind whirring. “Angry how?”
I grimace. “Calling me names. Showing up here to cuss me out.” I shrug. “Usual break up stuff.”
She frowns. “That’s not usual, but okay.” The officer jots something down in her notepad. “Have you documented any of the harassment?”
Heat floods my cheeks. Is that what Matt is doing? People are hurt in breakups and it makes them do weird things but harassment? I mean, Matt did go out of his way to come to the house to berate me in front of the guys.
“Uh, no, I’ve mostly been trying to ignore him. I thought he’d move on.” A hard line forms between my eyebrows. “Should I have reported it?”
She sighs. “Situations like this are complicated, especially with someone you had a relationship with.” She closes her notepad, expression serious.
“Given what we’ve found here tonight and what you’re telling me about your ex’s behavior, I strongly recommend that you and your friends consider staying somewhere else until we can investigate further.
I’m not saying he’s guilty. He is a suspect, though. ”
The words steal my breath. We have to leave?
This place has become home to me. The thought of leaving fills me with panic, like as soon as I find somewhere else to stay, the spell will break and the guys will decide they’re done with our little fling.
But it’s more than that, isn’t it? It has to be.
“These things can escalate quickly and become very dangerous,” the officer continues, glancing toward the car where officers are still searching for evidence, though I’m only half listening now. “We don’t want to take any chances.”
Numbness trickles through my limbs and I follow her gaze. None of this is real. It can’t be. It’s like I’m watching someone else’s life implode.
The officer turns back to me. “I’ll be in touch once we process everything here. In the meantime, please be careful. I want to make sure you understand the danger is very real.”
Swallowing, I clear my dry throat. “I understand.”
With a satisfied but grim nod, she heads back toward the other officers who are photographing the car and searching the yard for footprints or any other evidence. The sight makes my stomach lurch all over again.
“Lily!”
Callie and Aspen rush across the yard; their faces are etched with worry. The guys must have texted them. Before I can even open my mouth to explain, they’re pulling me into a fierce group hug that immediately breaks down all the walls I’ve been trying to maintain.
“Oh, honey, are you okay?” Aspen’s voice is soft with concern as she rubs my back.
The tears I’ve been holding back finally spill over.
All the fear and anger and violation I’ve been trying to be strong about comes pouring out in ugly, gasping sobs against their shoulders.
There’s something horrifying about the officer’s reaction.
Before, I managed to convince myself that the texts and pictures weren’t a big deal.
Seeing that concern and fear etched into her face? That rattled me to the core.
“I’m so scared,” I whisper between tears.
“We’ll figure out who did this.” Callie’s voice is sharp with fury.
They guide me away from the chaos of the crime scene to sit on the front steps, flanking me on either side like protective shields. The familiar comfort of my best friends helps ground me, makes me feel less like I’m drowning.
“Tell us everything,” Aspen says, taking my hand.
I give them the condensed version. The photo at work, the ones on my phone, Matt’s increasingly erratic behavior, his explosive confrontation here. They already know about the incident at the Halloween party. With each detail, their expressions grow darker.
“Jesus,” Callie mutters when I finish. “I knew Matt was a dick but he’s completely lost it.”
“I don’t know if it’s really him though.” The words come out shaky. “I mean, I think it is, but what if it’s not? What if it’s some random person?”
“Who else would it be?” Aspen asks gently. “You said so yourself he’s been acting strange since the breakup.”
“I know, but . . .” I scrub my hands over my face, trying to make sense of it all. “Matt can be a jackass, sure. He’s selfish and mean and probably a narcissist. But this? Killing an animal? I don’t think he’s capable of that.”
Callie shakes her head. “Maybe he’s always been this level of crazy and you didn’t see it.”
How many red flags did I ignore during our relationship? How many times did I rationalize his behavior or convince myself things would get better?
“Plus, he made a huge scene at Gage’s job site the other day,” Cole’s voice makes us all look up. He’s approaching with Gage and Hudson behind him, their faces grim. “Got himself fired for being a complete asshole.”
This is news to me. I’m a little hurt they didn’t tell me, but it quickly fades away. I didn’t tell them about the texts because I didn’t want to unnecessarily worry them. They were probably doing the same for me.
“What happened?” I ask, though I’m not sure I want to know.
Gage runs a hand through his hair, jaw tight.
“He showed up and started changing the plans for the house we’re renovating.
When I told him to stop, he went ballistic.
Started calling you . . .” He pauses, glancing at Callie and Aspen.
“Calling you names I won’t repeat. Carl and I had to remove him, and I ended up firing him. ”
“He was completely unhinged,” he adds, sinking down on the step beside me. “Screaming about how we chose you over him.”
Cole shakes his head. “Honestly, I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“As much as I don’t want this to be him,” Hudson says with a heavy exhale. “I think it is.”
My heart sinks. Matt’s been spiraling for weeks.
I’ve been too focused on my own life to really see it.
Or maybe I didn’t want to see it. It’s easier to pretend your ex is being dramatic than to accept that he might actually be dangerous or the fact that I might become another statistic. Male fragility is toxic as hell.
“Do you really think he could do something like this?” I gesture toward the crime scene tape.
“I think Matt’s capable of a lot more than we gave him credit for,” Gage says darkly. “The question is why.”
“Well for starters, he’s a narcissistic piece of shit who can’t handle rejection,” Callie says bluntly. “He’s pissed that Lily moved on and found something better. So now he’s trying to punish her for it.”
The thought makes my skin crawl. This is what it comes down to? Him trying to terrorize me because I dared to be happy without him?
“But why kill an innocent animal?” The words come out as barely a whisper. “That’s so cruel.”
None of us have an answer for that. The silence stretches between us, heavy with implications no one wants to voice. If Matt really did this, if he’s escalated to this level of violence and manipulation, then what else might he be capable of?
The short term rental we found is nice enough, but I barely slept last night.
Between the guys taking turns checking the locks and everyone jumping at every noise outside, there was no rest. None of us managed more than a few hours of shuteye.
By morning, I’m running on adrenaline and the strongest coffee Cole could make.
Walking into the office is like stepping back into a life that doesn’t quite fit anymore.
The familiar buzz of phones and hushed client consultations should comfort me, but instead, everything is foreign.
Like I’m wearing someone else’s clothes.
Parading around like everything is fine when I’m ripping at the seams.
Sarah waves from her desk, her smile faltering when she gets a good look at me.
I probably look like I’ve been hit by a truck, which isn’t far from the truth.
I don’t doubt that the details from the crime scene are spreading around town, but I’m not sure if it’s reached my coworkers yet. It’s naive to hope that it never will.
She meets me at the coffee pot in the breakroom.
“Morning,” I mumble, filling up a mug with the company’s logo on it and taking a big drink before adding more coffee to the cup.
“Long night?”
“Something like that.” I put on a brave face. “How are you?”
“Good.” She grabs a coffee too and follows me back to my desk.
Laura stops right outside the breakroom, giving us both a glare that could melt ice, her brunette hair pulled back in her standard work bun that looks so tight it has to hurt. No wonder she’s such a jerk. I ignore her as best I can.
“God, she’s such a cunt,” Sarah whispers once we’re out of earshot. “Hey, are you up for lunch? Work sucks without you.”
“Of course.” I drop my purse at my desk.