Seb and I move closer, looking over his shoulder as he flips through it, seeing all of our information but more importantly, photos of us—not only from recently but from years ago. He’s been watching us and knowing exactly who we
are and what we do all along. It’s all been one long game.
“Fuck!” I shout when he stops on a photo of me and Lexi at the fun day yesterday. How the hell did he get that? “He’s coming after us.”
My stomach rolls, my teeth gritting as I clench my jaw. I need to get the fuck out of here.
My hands make quick work of the subpar cuffs before I undo Seb’s and West’s, our heads snapping up and seeing all eyes still on us. We don’t bother to be discreet this time as we run out of the front of the gallery and hail a cab to take us back to the warehouse where my car is.
I won’t let this fucker hurt me or my family; I’ll hunt him down like the prey that he is.
I do exactly what Evan says: I head back to his cabin, jump in the shower and then clean. I had nothing else to do while I waited for Kay, so I scrubbed all of the surfaces and organized his t-shirts so that he can see the slogans at a glance.
My eyes wander to the part of the floor that I know takes you down to his safe room, and I’ll admit, I’d love to go down there and explore some more, to see Evan in his environment and watch him work.
Sitting on the pullout sofa that I’ve pushed back together, a feeling of peace washes over me. This place feels like home: Evan feels like home. A home that I never thought I’d find. My eyes flutter shut as I think back to last night. I’ve been waiting for months to feel him against me—inside me. I’ve never felt so enthralled by anyone before. He’s my person. The one who I can be unapologetically me with.
My eyes open when there’s a soft knock at the door and I stand up, walking over and pulling it open, being greeted by two smiling faces.
“Ready?” Kay asks.
“Yep.” I close the door behind me, following them to an SUV outside of the warehouse and sliding into the back. I note that there are several cars missing and my stomach flips at knowing that Evan is out there. I knew a little about what he did, but knowing that he is out there right now has my nerves shot.
Kay and Kitty start talking in only the way that a pair of people can that have known each other for years. They try to include me in several conversations but I feel stilted, a feeling rolling through me that makes me uneasy. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but it’s not good. I’ve only had this feeling once before and that’s before my uncle came to tell me that my gran had died.
My breath catches in my throat at the memory and I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to push it aside as Kay pulls the car to a stop.
I open my eyes, seeing the row of shops and looking at Kay and Kitty as they spin around to face me.
“You okay?” Kay asks, her brow furrowed in confusion.
I open my mouth, about to tell her about the feeling that is flowing through me, but I decide against it. “Yeah.”
She worries her lip, her eyes flitting between mine before she nods, turning toward Kitty.
“Come on, let’s go shopping and get some food.”
They both push out of the car and I open my door, following them before saying, “Shopping?” Kitty raises her brow at me. “What are we shopping for?”
She scoffs. “Clothes… shoes… bags…” She leaves it hanging in the air while I stare at her confused.
“Come on,” Kay says, hooking her arm through mine and pulling me into the shop that Kitty walks into. “Let’s go and have some fun and try not to worry about all of the guys.”
“Worried?” I snap my head toward her, my eyes wide. “Should we be worried?”
“Nah,” Kitty says, hip-checking me. “They’re all good, they’ve got this.”
I swallow, trying to paste a smile on my face as they both start to look at the clothes hanging on the rails. I’m not close with them because we haven’t spent that much time together, but they’re the only two girls that I know; not only that but they’re also Evan’s family.
I watch them out of the corner of my eye, trying to work out how they interact. Apart from that first time with Livvy, I’ve never been shopping with women. I can’t help but wonder if I’m acting the right way.
My hands land on a pale-yellow dress, the material soft like silk. I pull it off the rack, almost in slow motion and hold it up. It’s the kind of dress that I used to dream about wearing. The thin straps are delicate and my fingers run over them, imagining what they would feel like against my skin. The split from the bottom all the way up to the thigh leaves little to the imagination and my feet automatically move toward the dressing room doors, determined to try it on.
I walk past Kay and Kitty, both who are looking at clothes themselves.
As soon as I get into the dressing room, I pull off Evan’s t-shirt, the cut-off denim shorts and pull the dress off the hanger.
Slipping it over my head, I relish how it glides over my skin, flowing over my curves but dipping into my waist and elongating my whole body. The cowl neck accentuates my décolleté, highlighting the bones and making me feel so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes.