Page 62 of Found Through Fire

Technically I got shot first, which wasn’t fatal, I might add. It was a graze! And from the amount of people trying to shoot me and how many times they tried, it was still a win! And the “bomb threat” had just as good of a chance of being the new socks that I ordered!

Future-Mr-Fox

So I will take the “down playing shit” question as a yes.

What the fuck happened?!?!

Me

Okay! Fine!

So I got an email from the wannabe Poe. It looks like he was still able to get in. The email had pictures, but the most problematic is that he had some from the garage last night and of you and Grey coming in and leaving my house…

Future-Mr-Fox

…

He was walking around your house… What the fuck, Willow!? He could still be there! Are you home alone right now? You said you had shit to do today.

Me

I’m working from my home office today, so yes I’m home. But none of the pictures were from the inside, just the outside of the house.

Future-Mr-Fox

I’m on my way. All of those doors better fucking be locked! Do not step a foot out of your house until I get there.

Me

I feel like I would have preferred to have been asked nicely, so I’m going to pretend you asked nicely instead of giving me an order.

Future-Mr-Fox

… I’ll be there in 30. Don’t push me, Willow. We can talk about your smart mouth and not taking shit seriously when I get there.

Me

Cool, good to know you don’t freak out in these situations. I’m pretty sure I can take a bad poet with a camera.

He doesn’t text back, and I’m thankful for it. I kill people for a living, but everyone is running around like I’m defenseless, and it’s starting to piss me the fuck off! Hopefully Grey will keep his cool. I know my dad is going to want to assign a babysitter full-time now, but even if Grey and I are civil at the moment, and Knox and I are doing whatever we are doing, I need my space.

Hopefully, the alphaholes will stand the fuck down and understand that I can handle shit on my own.

I place my elbows on my desk and rest my forehead in my palms. This plan of “finding my normal” is going horribly. After a while of silently reflecting and giving myself a pep talk on how things will mellow out eventually, I realize that it has been at least two hours since my last cup of coffee, so I should get my mid-morning pot going.

Just as I stand up, the gate notification goes off, and I see Grey looking out his window, glaring at the camera like he’s trying to see me through it.

I open the gate and walk over to my coffee maker. I definitely need more caffeine for this.

CHAPTER 25

GREY

I’m livid as I hang up the phone from talking to Michael. That piece of shit stalker was just walking around her property all last night as we were playing happy fuckin’ family in the house. Gig went over the upgrades that he made to her security system, and there were more backups and add-ons than the system at the base. There were no blind spots when he showed me feed from all the cameras. How did this fucker get in without triggering it?

I can see now that Michael wasn’t overreacting when he wanted someone to stay with her at night. He said there were no pictures from inside the house sent to her, but there is the possibility that he hasn’t played that hand yet. I think he’s just toying with her—showing her and us that he is slowly closing in on her. If he could get through her outside system, he’s going to try his hardest to get through the house system, and that isnothappening while she’s there alone.

When Michael told me she’s at the house by herself, I started a mad rush to gather my shit and get back to her as fast as I could. I made the thirty-minute trip in fifteen, and am now waiting for her slow fuckin’ gate to open.