When Rivals Love (Bayshore Rivals 3)

My heart decides to do that stupid pitter-patter thing in my chest, and I can’t help but smile, my lips turning up at the sides. It feels foreign like I shouldn’t be doing it, but I want to smile. I want to be happy.

Together Banks and I eat an early lunch. Afterward, we chill on the couch for a little while, where he cradles my belly and talks in a baby voice to it. I laugh so hard that my eyes tear up. For a few hours, I forget about the heartache that is behind us, all the hurdles we’ll have to get over in the future, and all the uncertainties we’ll have to face.

At the time, I didn’t know that this was going to be the calm before the storm. A moment of blissful happiness before everything comes crashing down on me. Before, my life took a turn for the worst.

“I think I’m going to take a nap,” I yawn after we’ve been lying still for a while.

“Go ahead, I’ll clean up the dishes from earlier and maybe join you in a little bit.”

“Alright, I’ll try and wait up for you,” I tell him and plant a quick kiss on his very kissable lips. I want to linger there longer, but I know if I do, I’ll never get to take a nap, and lately, that’s all I’ve wanted to do. Sleep, and eat, and sleep some more.

Walking into my bedroom, I realize that I don’t even need to change clothes since I stayed in my PJs all day. I slip into my bed, the one I rarely sleep in. I usually spend the night in one of the guys’ rooms, but they still wanted me to have my own room.

My head hits the pillow, and a wave of exhaustion washes over me. Who knew someone would be tired from doing nothing all day?

With my eyes closed and the heavy blanket wrapped around me, sleep finds me quickly, dragging me into a dreamless slumber. Before my brain can shut all the way off, the sound of glass shattering rips me back to reality. My eyes blink open, and for a moment, I think maybe I’ve dreamt it.

Shoving into a sitting position, I toss the blanket off. I don’t know how, but I instantly know something is wrong. The rational part of my brain tells me to calm down, maybe Banks just dropped a glass. But my gut tells me something else, that something terrible is about to happen. It’s only a feeling, but it’s strong enough to be taken seriously, very seriously.

All the exhaustion vanishes as adrenaline takes over, pumping through me with a furious fire. Holding my breath, I listen to every single noise.

When I hear the shattering of glass again, I know my gut feeling was right. Ripping the door open, I start down the hall, my feet slapping against the wood floor in a flurry.

“Stay upstairs!” Banks yells from somewhere on the first floor, clearly hearing me. “Go into your room and lock the door.”

For a moment, I just stand there, my feet cemented on the floor. I want to listen to him, I want to be safe, but how can I leave him down there all on his own. What if Xander sent more guys? What if… No, I can’t think like that.

I need to… what should I do? Oh, god. I can feel the air entering my lungs, but I’m not breathing, not really. The air inside them stills. Then it hits me. I need to call the police. Patting myself down, I realize quickly that I didn’t bring my phone up with me.

Shit, it’s still on the kitchen table.

More glass shatters downstairs, and I find my feet moving without thought. No…wait… that wasn’t downstairs. I turn around and look in the direction I think the sound came from. I think this time, it came from upstairs. Someone broke a window up here. Before I can start to move again, I see a figure appear at the end of the hallway.

Shelby.

She looks so different that I almost don’t recognize her. Her normally straight, shiny hair is uncombed and messy. An unfitting gray jumpsuit is covering her slender body, and as my gaze moves down her, I notice she’s not wearing any shoes. The socks on her feet are nasty, covered in dirt, and mud and have holes in them. But what makes her seem like a completely different person isn’t her get up.

It’s her eyes.

The look in her eyes is nothing short of bone-chilling. Cold, detached, unhinged… batshit crazy. How can this be the girl who’s been my best friend all my life?

“Hello, Harlow,” she greets, and even her voice sounds different, disturbing. I take a small step back, ready to make a run for the stairs to get away from her. But when she reaches around to her back and pulls out a black object from her waistband, I freeze. My heart stops. My lungs deflate. My entire life shatters.