Chapter 9

To say that I am mortified would be a gross understatement.

I just want to disappear.

First, however, I need a shower. A hot shower with plenty of orange blossom shower foam. I slather myself with it, letting the hot stream wash everything away—except my shame. That will take much longer to disappear, dammit.

Second, I check the time and call Marie while I rush to put on panties, a cotton bra, and dark blue lounge wear. They can order food tonight, as far as I’m concerned. I’m way too flustered to even face these men right now.

“Hey, Marie, everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, hon, we’re just wrapping up here and getting ready to bring the kids over.”

I can hear Sammy squealing and laughing with his sister .

“Do you mind if I pop by to get them instead?” I ask, my voice trembling slightly. “I need to take a walk and clear my head. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Marie replies after a brief but loaded silence. “Is everything alright over there?”

“Yes, absolutely. Some fresh air just sounds good.”

“Sure thing, hon. We’ll be waiting.”

“Thank you, Marie.”

“If you want, you can grab the bus from outside that flower shop just down the road from the boys’ house. It’ll drop you off closer to the daycare. Within decent walking distance,” she says.

I slowly unlock and open the bedroom door, carefully listening to every sound coming from downstairs.

“That’s not how you make the meatballs,” I hear Chase say. “They’re supposed to be smaller.”

“I’m sorry, are you the one cooking or is it me?” Wyatt snaps back.

I would appreciate this more if it weren’t for the uber-embarrassment from earlier. I hear Eric laughing as he tinkers through the kitchen with what I assume is a variety of pots and pans, likely trying to figure out how else he can help Wyatt. I should go down there to help them, especially since I promised I’d cook dinner tonight. I even bragged about my spaghetti and meatballs, which is what they’re trying to make in my absence.

But I can’t do it. Not after what happened. It’s too much. What I can do, however, is go get my kids from daycare. Go for a walk with my babies. And maybe clear my head a little while I’m at it. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to face Eric and his brothers tomorrow.

I can barely look at myself in the mirror, my core still tingling from all the wonderful and decadent things that Eric did to my body.

“You’re gonna burn it,” Eric warns Wyatt.

“Open that damn bottle and stop nagging me.”

I make my way down the stairs, quiet as a mouse, then sneak out the front door. I’m practically running from the house all the way to the bus stop. The bus arrives a minute later and I hop on, catching my breath as I find a seat.

I register very little on the way. My head’s too busy whipping up all sorts of disastrous scenarios after the day I’ve had. At least it got my focus off the past, off Colby altogether. At this point I can barely remember what the man looks like. It’s what I wanted—to completely forget that he exists. Maybe this was the first step toward achieving that. Letting another man command my heart and my body.

Maybe I’m finally healing.

I get off the bus and walk to the daycare. As I approach the building, a strange feeling comes over me. A familiar and icy claw once again tightening around my throat. What is happening to me? Is this another panic attack?

My pace slows down.

There’s a car parked outside the daycare, right in front of the building, and it immediately catches my attention. I recognize the model, the sleek, dark green color, the chrome jaguar lunging from the hood’s edge. It sends shivers down my spine .

“Oh, God,” I hear myself gasp, then instantly dart behind the nearest tree.

It’s Colby’s car. He’s not even trying to hide. He’s being as ostentatious as can be. I don’t know how he found us but he did. I told him I grew up in Cedar Hill, at least 20 miles away. Why did he come here? Dread forms in my bones and my stomach feels as heavy as a block of lead. I can’t move from this spot. I can barely breathe, the horror I feel filling my veins with ice.

What do I do? My hands are shaking. I could call Marie but I don’t want her knowing about this. I don’t want to involve her in this mess. I haven’t failed my children thus far—I’m sure as hell not going to fail them now, especially knowing we’re so close to something better. I promised Sammy and Luna that I would keep them safe.

He’s just sitting in the car. I can see the faint light of his phone through the windshield, reflecting onto his face. He’s too focused on his phone to notice me. Good.

Like a rabbit darting away from a predatory hawk, I run up the road and sneak through the side alley to my right. It’s narrow and damp and poorly lit, but I know where it leads. Seconds pass slowly until I reach the end and find myself standing before the back door of Marie’s daycare.

At least I did the right thing filing a restraining order along with the divorce papers. Marie knows that my babies’ father is bad news but I never went into detail. I only wanted her to be aware in case Colby found us and tried to take them away in my absence.

He did that a few times while we were still married, and it scared the daylights out of me. He took them and didn’t answer his phone for hours. He did it on purpose to scare me, to torture me. There’s no way he’s getting anywhere near them ever again as long as I can help it.

I slip through the back door trying to figure out what to tell Marie. If Colby realizes Sammy and Luna attend daycare here, he will post himself or one of his goons outside every day until they’re able to follow them back to me. I don’t have an immediate escape plan if Colby finds me—I don’t know how I’ll save myself and my children.

I greet the staff on my way in. Most of them are familiar with me since Marie was kind and persistent enough to make sure they knew who I am.

“Hey, is Marie upstairs?” I ask one of the teachers’ assistants.

“Yes, she’s with Luna and Sammy. They’re the last dinosaurs,” the girl replies with a soft giggle.

“Thanks!” I say as I run up the stairs.

My sneakers squeak on the marble floor as I make a tight left turn and head for the playroom. Colby didn’t see me but he’s still outside. He could come into the daycare at any minute, looking for Sammy and Luna. If he does, he could find us up here. The mere thought is enough to get my blood pumping, my adrenaline going into overdrive, but I need to keep my game face on as I walk into the playroom.

Big smile, Halle, you can do it, I think to myself.

I do my best to plaster on a big smile as I walk through the door but Marie sees right through me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks in a tone similar to Eric’s earlier.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just winded from that flight of stairs,” I chuckle nervously. “I clearly need to do more cardio.

”

“Don’t bullcrap a bullcrapper, missy,” Marie replies, an expert at censoring herself in front of my children. “What is going on? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“Mama!” Luna exclaims as she and Sammy come out of the playhouse. “What are you doing here?”

“Gammy Marie is taking us home,” Sammy says, looking at me with a hint of confusion in those beautiful, sparkling eyes of his.

“Yeah, you didn’t have to come,” Luna adds.

“Wow, you two seem so happy to see me,” I say. I know I’m trembling when Marie comes closer, and I suddenly feel like a frog that’s about to get dissected and put under a microscope. “I’m okay, Marie, I promise.”

“Kids, I need you to grab your stuff and get ready to go home,” Marie tells Luna and Sammy. “You know the drill. Don’t forget your story books.”

“Gammy Marie gave us new stories!” Sammy exclaims, eager to show me as he carries over a generous stack of children’s books. “This one has dinosaurs!”

“Oh, honey, that’s great! We’ll need to do something nice for Gammy Marie,” I reply with a warm smile, surprised at how my children have taken so quickly to seeing Marie as their grandmother. Lord knows Harriet Nash never warmed up to her grandkids the way Marie has. It’s incredible and heartbreaking at the same time. I wish Sammy and Luna had grown up with better influences. I struggled alone on that end. “How about we bake her a cake?” I ask, giving Marie another reassuring smile. “A delicious blueberry cheesecake.”

“Halle,” she says, all serious and frowning again, taking advantage while the kids are busy getting ready to leave. “

What is going on with you? And please, no lies. You can’t shoulder everything on your own and you shouldn’t. Talk to me.”

“You’re right.” I release a heavy sigh, conceding. “Remember how I mentioned that Sammy and Luna’s father is a bad man?”

“Yes.” It hits her right away. “Oh, no, Halle. Where is he? Did he find you?”

“He’s outside the daycare sitting in his car as we speak. I don’t think he knows I’m here. I don’t think he knows the kids are here, either. Otherwise, I reckon he would’ve found his way in by now,” I reply. “But there is one thing I do know for sure. I can’t take Luna and Sammy out the front door.”

“Of course not,” Marie gasps, her gaze darting around the playroom for a few seconds until she spots a set of keys on the desk. “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.” She retrieves the keys and hands them to me. “Take my car. It’s in the back parking lot. The red Buick.”

“I know the one.”

“You’re gonna take Sammy and Luna home. There’s a service alley connecting to the southwest corner of the parking lot. It will lead you away from the main street.”

My knees quiver. Yet again, Marie has figured out a way to save my sorry ass. I stare at the keys in my hand while Sammy and Luna zip up their bags and load them onto their backs.

“Thank you so much, Marie. You’re amazing. I’ll reimburse you for the gas and—

”

“No. What you will do is get these babies home safely and tell my sons about this,” she cuts me off with a stern look on her face. I’m guessing this is the “Angry Mom look” that the guys have mentioned more than once. “If your ex is hovering around looking for a way in, then Eric, Chase, and Wyatt need to know about it. They need to know everything you can tell them about the guy, because otherwise you’re also putting them in danger. I’m deeply fond of you and your children, Halle, but my sons are my sons. They have a right to know about this.”

She is absolutely correct, and she has every reason to be protective over her sons. Marie is a mother, just like me. I would do everything in my power to protect my children, too, regardless of their age and stage in life.

I nod slowly, feeling my cheeks burn. This was more of a reprimand, not necessarily a request and definitely not advice. “You are absolutely right, Marie. Your sons deserve better,” I say, my throat closing up. I keep my smile on and march forward. “I’ll take the kids home and let the guys know what’s going on.”

“Thank you, honey,” Marie replies, softening a little. “I’ll keep an eye out the window. Where is that bastard?”

“Parked in front of the main entrance,” I sigh with embarrassment. “Dark green Jag.”

“Alright. You run along, kids, I’ll see y’all tomorrow,” Marie says with a smile, planting a kiss on top of Luna and Sammy’s heads before taking her spot by the window. “Remember, Halle, the truth is always better, no matter how unpleasant.”

I nod. “Have a good night, Marie. Thank you for everything,” I reply and take my kids’ hands. “Ready to go?” I ask them .

With a resounding yes from both, I give Marie one last weak smile of gratitude then sneak my kids through the daycare’s back door.

A heavy weight of sadness overcomes me because I know I’m never going to see her again.

Come morning, I’m going to pack our bags and leave the Danson brothers’ house. Their mother is on point when she says that they don’t deserve to be kept in the dark. But they’re in more danger if I tell them, and I can’t bring myself to stick around and risk Colby finding us. What I can do is quietly extract myself from their proximity.

I buckle my kids into the car seats, shut the doors, and get behind the wheel, turning the key in the ignition while nervously looking around to make sure Colby isn’t anywhere in sight. He’s probably still out front, waiting for us to come out.

My stomach churns.

Following Marie’s instructions, I head out of the parking lot and down the service alley, farther away from the daycare. Farther away from Colby.

The demon has returned and I need to find out how he traced us here. This wasn’t by accident. He’s been looking for me and the realization hits me like a hammer to the gut—the man is a predator.

I am his prey.

Which is why I need to get myself and my children out of here and away from the Danson brothers.