What do I care? Why am I so angry? What the hell do I want?
I’m so fucking pissed it takes me forever to ask myself why, if Ross is upset with Octavia getting a boyfriend, he’d post mysterious messages on my goddamn door.
After work, I know I should head straight home so that Octavia can leave.
Leave and go to her fucking boyfriend.
Instead I cruise through town, going in circles, trying to work off some of the stupid anger and adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
Trying to clear my mind and think.
Yeah, it makes no sense for Ross to target me.
Then again, you can never tell how psychopaths think. And there is the fact Octavia is at my house every day. I confronted him, told him she works for me. That she’s mine.
No, I never said that last bit. Fuck. And there’s no mistaking the hot rush of pleasure at the words as they echo in my mind.
Mine.
She’s not mine.
Back to Ross. He has access to basic information about me. He knows Octavia works for me. He’s obviously interested in her in some fucking twisted way and thought up this weird-ass plan to scare her.
Or scare me into firing her?
Far-fetched, much? Where’s the connection to Octavia in his messages? How was I supposed to figure this out?
Then again, nobody said he’s the brightest bulb in the box.
But why wouldn’t he go after her boyfriend instead of me? Unless he has, and I don’t know about it.
I’m getting nowhere like this. So I head home after all, and park outside, my gaze instantly going to the door, checking to see if there is another message.
There is.
I climb out of the car as if in a trance, stagger up the path to the house.
It says, “Looking for me?”
Son of a bitch.
I tear it off my door, not caring if I tear it to pieces.
Ross is a dead man.
“You’re late,” Mary yells and throws her doll across the living room where it hits my leg.
Good aim.
“She was worried,” Octavia says, keeping her gaze on Cole who’s busy with a coloring book.
Not looking at me.
“That’s okay.” I pick up the doll and walk over to the sofa where they’re sitting. “I throw things around, too, when I’m upset.”
Mary takes the doll when I offer it back to her but then turns away from me.
Awesome. Now they’re all ignoring me.