“Oh, my God,” I gasped, stumbled back.
Isaac grabbed me, pulled me into his arms, and held me, his hands curling protectively over my head as I fisted his shirt and sobbed.
I walked with him when he led me out of the room. He guided me over to a barstool, held me as I composed myself. I couldn’t seem to let go of him, not sure why.
“We need to call the police,” I suggested.
“There’s nothing they can do,” Isaac said softly. “But it’ll be taken care of.”
Nothing they could do? Someone had broken in. Those were … death threats. Surely they could do something. Find the asshole. Put him behind bars. Anything.
I heard footsteps, then Ian’s voice. “Fifteen in the bedrooms alone.”
I pulled back from Isaac. “Fifteen what?”
“Cameras. There were two in Dante’s room. We took them down before we let you in the house.”
“Are they all gone?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought you set the alarm?”
Ian, obviously hearing my distress, walked over, hugged me against him, kissed the top of my head.
“We did,” Isaac responded. “He bypassed it somehow.”
“But there’s another alarm,” I stated. “The light on the house.”
“Yeah. It’s on a separate circuit. Detects any motion. It doesn’t send a signal, though.”
“I called Ransom,” Ian said. “Asked him to come by. I don’t trust my equipment alone. Need him to sweep again, make sure I didn’t miss anything.”
Isaac nodded. “When he gets here, I want you to go to our room.”
I shook my head. “No. Please. I … I want to be with you.”
He must’ve heard the terror I had tried to disguise. I didn’t want to fall apart, but this was terrifying. Especially for Dante.
Isaac pulled me into him again. This time I wasn’t sure I could ever let go. I was trembling, petrified. Not only for myself but for all of us. This guy … he was batshit crazy. He’d attacked me once, got into Isaac’s. What would stop him from coming back, killing us all in our sleep?
I sobbed.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Isaac whispered in my ear, then gripped my shoulders and shifted me back. “I need to check the weapons. Don’t move from this spot.”
When he turned, I noticed the black pistol tucked into the back of his pants. He was a bodyguard, so that came with the territory, right? I hadn’t seen any weapons since we got here, so I could only assume they had them locked up.
“Don’t move,” Ian said, following his twin.
When Isaac and Ian headed down to the basement, I remained where I was, my gaze scanning the kitchen, wondering if the asshole was out there watching us. Dante hadn’t come out of the room, and I was tempted to check on him but scared to at the same time. I knew he needed to process, but he needed us, too. It was always a difficult decision when it came to overstepping with Dante. I didn’t know who this guy was, what he wanted from Dante, but it wasn’t a lover’s jealousy that had driven him to destroy that room. No, it was insanity.
Ian and Isaac returned a few minutes later. They both headed straight for Dante’s room, then brought him back out. It looked as though they’d had to force him, but they were gentle at least.
“Take Everly to the living room,” Isaac instructed. “Turn on the TV. Settle. And don’t move. Under any circumstance, understand?”
Dante’s voice shook when he said, “Yes, Master.”
Dante took my hand, tugged me toward the living room. When he went to sit at one end, I sat beside him, getting as close as I could.
We remained just like that when Ransom Bishop knocked on the door.
IAN
I greeted Ransom at the door. “Thanks for coming, man.”
“I brought backup,” he said before stepping through the doorway and into the foyer.
Behind him was Zeke Lautner. A few steps beyond, Liam Murphy stood sentry, their keen gazes scanning the street before they stepped into the house.
I shook Zeke’s hand, then clasped the hand of my fellow Irishman, pulling Liam into me and slapping him on the back. It was good to see him, though I wasn’t fond of the circumstances.
“Let’s see the damage,” Ransom said, his tone flat and even, a no-nonsense guy when it came to business.
With a wave of my hand, I directed them toward Dante’s wing of the house. I pulled up the rear when Isaac appeared and led the way.
All three men were silent as they took it in, walking through the bedroom, the bathroom. Ransom went into the closet, glanced around.
“Let me see your computers,” Zeke said, his deep voice booming. “I’ll do a quick scan, ensure he didn’t plant something there.”
“Sure thing,” I replied. “They’re in the basement.”
He gave a backhanded wave, signaling he would find the way.
“He’s lost it,” Ransom mused, staring at the destruction.
