Page 138 of Beautiful Revenge

My hand flies to my chest as my heart speeds. “Holy shit, that startled me. It was a bird. There’s a bird in the house. This is horrible. It makes me so sad to see it this way.”

“Fuck.” Devon exhales. “Don’t leave. I’m coming to you. Felicity saw Janie outside the main gates. She was with someone. Do you think anyone followed you?”

I spin around when I hear a noise, but it’s just the bird flapping around in the hall trying to find a way out. “Goodness, this place is like a haunted house at the fair. And the only reason I know that is because Grandma would take me every summer. So the fact that her house now feels eerie is oddly weird.”

“Baby, answer me. Do you think Janie followed you?”

I walk down the hall on the lookout for the damn bird. “Do you think it’s really her? I’m not sure why she’d come back.”

“I should’ve gone with you,” he mutters.

“As much as I love spending time with you, I am capable of moving around the world by myself, Devon.”

“I feel very out of control right now,” he grumbles.

“I do know how much you love to be in control.”

“You love it.” Every bit of his cocky side comes out, and I can tell he’s loosened up. “Especially last night.”

I don’t confirm or deny it, because he knows the answer. I do.

In fact, I can’t think of one thing I don’t love when it comes to him.

“Baby, if you need me to convince you how much you love it, I will. Maybe after your contractor leaves, we can baptize your grandma’s bedroom.”

“For the love, that is so wrong.” I’m about to tell him how wrong it is as I make my way back down the stairs and turn the corner.

I scream.

And this time it’s not because of a bird.

“Harlow?” Gone is the cocky. Devon is back to intense.

I step back and run into an old table that was left behind by the last owners.

I white knuckle my cell and don’t take it away from my ear when I demand, “What are you doing here?”

His tone is as sinister as his expression. He points a gun at me with one hand and grips Janie’s arm in the other. Her face is twisted silently in pain as he gives her a shake.

“Drop the fucking phone, Harlow,” he demands.

I don’t drop my phone. My gaze shifts from Janie to him. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve known him, he doesn’t look like himself.

“Allen.” I call him by name so Devon knows what’s happening. “Let Janie go. You’re hurting her.”

“Allen? Your dad’s VP that was fired?” Devon growls as his engine revs. “Hang on, baby. I’m halfway there.”

“I said, drop the damn phone!” Allen yells.

I swallow over the lump in my throat and try to calm my heart. “I’ll put down the phone when you put down the gun.”

“Fucking hell,” Devon bites.

Allen moves. He points the gun at the ceiling, and shoots.

I recoil and scream.

“Harlow?!” Devon calls for me, but I’ve lost him.