Page 66 of Always Watching
“I just want to know why he sent you when I askedhimfor help.”
“Look, Dad may have taught us, but we both know I’m better at cleaning up your messes than he is. I’ve spent our whole lives doing it, remember?”
I remembered. It was why I’d called him to begin with.
“Wylder, listen…” I trail off slowly, and my eyes flick back to the bedroom. “This is important.”
His face softens slightly, and he digs into his bag and pulls out a saw and a plastic tarp. “I know. I already made a call. I’m just waiting for my contact to get back to me. Do I still need to put in that favor? Seems like you figured out who was causing your problems.”
I only hesitate for a second, because I really do understand what I’m asking when I ask him to call in favors.
Then again, he’s alreadyherecollecting on his end of the deal, so… I suppose I don’t have to feel that guilty about it after all, do I?
“I know we figured out who it was, but I want to backtrack all the messages he sent Ranen. If I can, I want to erase any trace of this asshole ever knowing about him or what he does. Honestly, if your contacts are that good, I’d love for Ranen’s name to be completely deleted from even renting here. I don’t think this is going to circle back to him, but…”
The thought squeezes tight in my chest, that something I did in haste might end up coming back down on Ranen’s head. I’ve never really worried about being caught before, because I’ve always been so careful and meticulous.
The second emotions were involved, the second there was someone else to be considered when it came to my… activities.
Shit.
I understand why Wylder thinks who we are and emotions like love can’t mix.
That just means I have to do an extra good job when it comes to cleaning this mess up, so I can prove him wrong. Because at the end of the day, I know one thing.
There’s nothing in this world that’s going to take Ranen away from me. Not this fuck up, not the police, not some stalker asshole who thinks he can have him…
And not my family.
Ranen’s mine. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I can keep him.
Chapter 23
Ranen
Iscroll through mysubs list slowly, trying to see if something stands out that could belong to Mr. Barlowe. It’s not easy, since I have over two thousand subscribers. Maybe that’s why North asked this of me. He knows it’ll keep me occupied while he and Wylder do… whatever they’re doing.
Wylder was a surprise. I expected him to be handsome as well, since both Atlas and North are, but I didn’t expect him to look like he does. His name suits him. Even with basic jeans and T-shirt on, he looks like he’d be more comfortable living off the land, that he’d find the woods more preferable to the big city. His hair is long and brown, like maybe he only grows it because it’s easier than cutting it every few weeks. The whole time he was standing in my kitchen, his eyes bounced around my house, landing on one spot for a second or two as if to catalog it before moving on. He seems like he’s always on high alert.
Their mother must have been incredibly beautiful as well. Atlas looks decades younger than he is, North has the face of a Greek god, and Wylder looks like someone who could be theposter child for off the grid living. The entire family looks like they belong on the cover of a magazine.
Yeah, Murder Weekly.
I roll my eyes, though a smile crops up on my face. I’m not sure how I ended up in this situation—a dead body in my kitchen, the man I love being the murderer—but I don’t think I want out.
And what was that Wylder said? Something about killing people who’d sent me threatening messages?
Since I have my site up, I scroll back to the messages I got after the attack. Three men. Three motherfuckers who didn’t think I warranted feeling safe in my own home. I check their usernames, then go back to my viewers. They haven’t been active since… right after I got out of the hospital.
My smile widens, though I know it’s fucked. I shouldn’t feel touched that North wanted to ensure they didn’t make me feel like shit again. I shouldn’t be happy that they’re no longer in the world.
Oh god, who am I becoming?
The ringing of my phone makes me jump, my heart thumping hard. I guess I’m not completely devoid of any feeling, since my fear ratchets up. Is it someone who knows about Mr. Barlowe and will call the police on North? Will they take him from me?
I grab my phone with a shaky hand and turn it over so I can see the screen. The pent-up breath caught in my chest eases out when I see Olly’s name.
We have our movie date in a few days, something we’ve kept up with, even with North here and me wanting to be under him all the time. I don’t want to be one of those people who drops his friends when I have a boyfriend.
