Page 5

Instead of answering, I grab my phone off the counter, unlocking it with trembling fingers. “Because of this,” I murmur, sliding it toward him.

Penn picks it up, and as he reads, his entire body goes rigid. I watch his expression shift from disinterest to something far darker.

You think you’re safe? You think you can hide? I’m going to make you suffer, Mila. Going to defile you in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. You’re going to beg for death before we’re through with you. Just like Nathan did. Just like Penn will. You’ll never see it coming.

His grip tightens around the phone. “Jesus Christ,” he mutters, and glances up at me. “Whoever wrote this says they’re going to defile you.” His eyes glint dangerously. “Your brother wouldn’t do that to you.”

I give a mirthless laugh. “My brother just spent ten years in prison because of me and you. I’m not so sure there isn’t anything he wouldn’t do to hurt me.

He hates me more than he hates you. And besides, even if he wouldn’t do that, his threat is just as terrifying.

That’s exactly what he’s trying to do… scare the shit out of me. It’s working.”

Penn hands my phone back, then pours the steaming cocoa and pushes the mug across the counter at me. “I still don’t understand why you’re here. Why you think I can help you.”

I pick up the mug, inhale the sweet, spicy fragrance and take a tentative sip. The cayenne warms me instantly. “I came to you because I don’t know who else to go to. I don’t have anyone else. It’s a mystery, you’re involved, and two heads are better than one.”

Penn’s gaze sharpens. “What about your parents?”

A bitter laugh escapes before I can stop it. “We don’t speak.”

That gets a reaction. His head jerks slightly, brows furrowing. “What?”

I exhale slowly, staring at the marble countertop. “They never forgave me. They wanted to believe Peter could never do such a thing.” I lift my gaze to meet his. “Even after he took a plea deal, they blamed me.”

Penn shakes his head, disbelief cutting through his irritation. “He fucking admitted to what he did.”

“Didn’t matter.” I force a shrug, though it feels hollow. “They were more ashamed of me for betraying my family than they were of Peter for what he did.”

Penn’s fingers curl into a fist against the counter. “That’s fucking insane.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “My aunt took me in. Dorene—my mom’s sister. She let me move in with her in Florida, helped me get through school.” I exhale sharply.

Penn studies me, his irritation briefly giving way to something else. Something closer to understanding.

“What have you been doing for the past ten years?” he asks quietly.

I blink at the unexpected question.

“I… went to college,” I say, thrown by the sudden shift in conversation. “University of Central Florida. Got my degree in graphic design. I work remotely, so I can live wherever.” I force a small, dry smile. “Turns out designing book covers doesn’t require much social interaction.”

Penn doesn’t return the smile. “Sounds like you got your shit together.”

I hesitate before answering. “Well, I thought I had.”

A silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. Penn leans against the counter, arms crossed over his chest.

“I told you to stay out of it,” he finally says. His voice is flat, but there’s an edge beneath it.

The blame game.

I stiffen. “I didn’t have a choice.”

Penn’s eyes flash. “Bullshit. You could have walked away. You could have kept your mouth shut. If you had, you wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

Anger flares in my chest, pushing back the cold dread that’s been weighing me down. “And Nathan wouldn’t have gotten justice,” I snap. “If I had done nothing, they would have gotten away with it.”

Penn looks away, jaw tight.

I soften. “You went to the police first, Penn. You told them what you heard. But they couldn’t act on it until I backed you up.”

If I hadn’t corroborated his testimony, the police wouldn’t have had enough to move forward. But it also meant the team knew. Peter and Jace made sure of that. They told anyone who would listen that Penn and I were the reason their lives were destroyed.

That’s why we both got the same label.

Traitor.

I straighten, gripping the edge of the counter. “I have nowhere else to go.” I meet his gaze, willing him to see the truth. “I don’t want to put my aunt in danger. And you—” I gesture to the house. “You live in a goddamn fortress.”

Penn exhales sharply, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Mila…”

“Let me stay… just for a little while,” I press. “Please. Until we can figure this out. It’s happening to you too, isn’t it?”

He’s quiet for so long I think he’s going to tell me to leave. He doesn’t admit or deny if he’s getting the same threats I am.

But then, with a slow, reluctant sigh, he mutters, “Fine.”

Relief floods through me, weakening my knees.

“But just until we figure this out,” he warns. “This isn’t permanent.”

I nod quickly. “Of course.”

Penn jerks his chin toward the garage. “Let’s get your bags and pull your car into one of the bays. Then I’ll show you to a guest room.”

I don’t argue.

Because for the first time in weeks, I don’t feel entirely alone.