I launched out of bed, heart hammering, while every nerve in my body screamed. I darted to my desk, yanked open the security monitor controls, fingers fumbling over the touchscreen as I pulled up the feed.
The screen showed nothing but a flicker of the same frame looping on repeat, an obvious override if you looked close enough. Someone had got in and made damn sure I wouldn’t see it happen.
My stomach twisted into a knot as the truth sank in. He had somehow planned this. How long had he been following me? Watching me?
I ran for the door, instincts kicking in as I yanked it open and scanned the lock. It was still engaged. The chain, untouched. But that didn’t matter. I ran to the back door and noticed it was ajar. Just enough for someone like Caleb to slip through.
The air rushed from my lungs, and my heart raced so hard I felt it in my throat.
He’d been here. In my apartment. In my bed. With his hands on my body while I slept, dreaming of him fucking me, not realizing he already had his hold on me in the most twisted way.
I stumbled back, gripping the counter behind me to keep from collapsing under the weight of what that meant. All thosedreams, all those filthy fantasies that haunted my nights, weren’t just in my head. They were echoes of him. Warnings I’d ignored.
And now I knew, with bone-deep certainty, that he’d found me.
Caleb Killic had breached every wall I’d built. Every line I drew. And now?
Now everything was going to go to shit.
An hour later,I was sitting in the Rouge Roulette, tucked into the corner of Rhea’s office with a bottle of water I hadn’t touched, clutched in my hand. My legs bounced uncontrollably, adrenaline still coursing through me. Rhea was on the phone with Obsidian, pacing behind her desk, looking furious.
They were trying to figure out how the hell Caleb had gotten past our security, how he’d walked into my bedroom like he fucking owned it. I wasn’t hearing the details anymore. My brain kept looping at that single image, his coin. That fucking note.
The door slammed open with enough force to shake the walls. We both looked up, startled.
Paramore was standing at the doorway, breathless and pale, like she’d seen the devil himself. Her eyes locked on mine, wide and stricken, and I knew whatever it was, it was bad.
"Paramore?" My voice cracked. I set the water down and crossed the room. "What is it?"
She hesitated. Swallowed hard. "We found her."
My stomach turned to ice. "Jinx?"
Her lips trembled, and the tears came fast. "Sh-she’s dead."
“No,” I whispered, already backing up, shaking my head like that would change what I’d just heard. “Where?”
“You don’t want to know,” she whispered.
“Paramore.” My voice dropped, low and sharp. “You need to tell us. Now.”
She grabbed my arm like it was the only thing keeping her upright, her grip trembling. "Outside."
Rhea stepped forward. “Out—what?”
“In the dumpster,” Paramore choked. “Outside the club.”
The world spun as both Rhea and I looked at one another. She didn’t wait. Neither did I. We ran down the stairs into the main floor and rushed to the back exit, shoving the door open, the stench of the alley punching me in the face. Beer, urine, and the unmistakable stench of rotting flesh.
A car was parked crooked, hazards flashing like some kind of sick beacon.
We moved toward the side of the dumpster, the buzz of the hazards flashing behind us sending an eerie light our way. Rhea reached for my hand, and I didn’t even realize I’d grabbed her back until we rounded the corner and saw her.
Jinx was there, tucked into herself like a child, as if curling up could have protected her from the brutal way they’d taken her out. Her body lay beside the metal bin, half in the shadows, her heels the only thing sticking out. They’d wanted to hide her, but didn’t care enough to finish the job. Bruises marred her arms and neck; raw welts pressed into her skin. Her eyes were open, wide and glassy, staring into nothing, like whatever was left of her had left long before her last breath. A sharp gash, filled with dried blood, scarred her neck.
We stood in silence, every muscle in my body locked up, stomach twisting. I wanted to touch her, to close her eyes, but I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t fucking breathe.
