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Of course you have.

I can almost hear the wry tone, picture the slight smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Lock your door,I type.Use the chain. And call me if you need anything.

I will.

We both know she won't, at least not yet.

She's not ready to admit she needs help, needs saving, needs someone to stand between her and the monster who's slowly killing her.

But she's thinking about it, and I'm happy with that for the time being.

I pour myself a whiskey, knock it back in one burning swallow.

Tomorrow I'll start gathering intel on Dylan Mitchell, learn everything there is to know about him.

I’ll find his weaknesses, his secrets, his soft spots.

Because when the time comes—and it will come—I'll be ready to destroy him completely.

CHAPTER THREE

Everly

The pregnancy test box sits on my bathroom counter like a live grenade.

I've been staring at it for twenty minutes, unable to move, unable to breathe properly.

Three tests, because I couldn't buy just one.

I had to be sure, had to have backup in case I did it wrong, in case the first one lied, in case my shaking hands dropped one in the toilet.

The cashier at the drugstore didn't even look at me twice.

Just another woman buying pregnancy tests at ten in the morning, nothing unusual about that.

She didn't know I'd driven to a store three towns over so no one would recognize me.

Didn't know I'd paid cash so there'd be no credit card trail.

Didn't know my hands were shaking so badly I dropped change all over her counter.

"Just take it," I whisper to my reflection. "Just get it over with."

But knowing and confirming are two different things.

Right now, I can pretend.

Right now, there's still hope that I'm wrong, that the missed period and nausea and exhaustion are just stress.

Once I take that test, once I see those lines, everything changes.

My phone buzzes.

Vail again.

Everly, I'm really worried. You've never called in this many times. Please just let me know you're okay.