“It would be more perfect if Mia were here so we could shower her with kisses,” Lily said.
She spoke my very thoughts.
Mia would be the first baby in the family. We were all anxious for her to arrive. My mother had already spent a small fortune setting up a children’s wing in the mansion and had been interviewing nannies. Will and Miranda would never hire a nanny, but Mom wanted an experienced caregiver on retainer just in case they needed one. My mother had never been maternal. She loved her children dearly, but caring for them hadn’t come naturally for her. I hoped motherhood came naturally for me whenever I had a baby. Of course, I needed to fall in love first. No. First I needed to have a man in my life…
“What now?” I grumbled when my phone chimed again. I swiped the screen and saw a file with my name on it. Without thinking, I clicked it because I was annoyed. The file took only a second or two to download. A weird feeling came over me when it opened.
Dozens of pictures appeared of me. I nearly dropped my phone as I slowly scrolled through them, noting all the places I frequented. I felt the blood draining from my face. Had someone been following me? There was even a photo of me drinking cucumber water at the spa last spring when Miranda and Lily had joined Mom and me. The day I got deathly sick…
“Sim, what is it?”
I heard Will’s concerned voice, but I couldn’t stop looking at the photos.
There were pictures of me in a dressing room as I tried on clothes. At the salon. In restaurants. At the beach.
Bile inched up into my throat when I got to the last photo—the most recent one.
“Do something.” I barely registered Miranda’s soft voice.
Will snatched the phone out of my hand. “What the fuck!”
I turned to my right, squinting my eyes to see out past the swimming pool and stone wall. How could they have gotten a picture of me here on Will’s estate?
I started to shake as tears blurred my vision. I was numb to everything going on around me while I scanned the area for anyone I didn’t recognize.
Someone had been watching me for nearly a year. They were watching me now.
Someone was stalking me.
Stalker.
Suddenly, I heard Will barking orders, but I hardly cared when my privacy had been invaded. When I had been violated.
What did they want from me? Money? Were they showing me the pictures they planned to blackmail me with, images of me in all but a thong in a dressing room?
Terror speared down my back as I buried my face in my hands. I was frozen in place. Unable to move while chaos broke out around me. Refusing to believe any of this was real.
“Axel! Axel!” Will shouted. “Get her. I’m taking Miranda inside.”
I heardhisvoice.
Felt him pick me up and carry me inside.
But I couldn’t stop shaking or the tears streaking down my face. Even surrounded by his vast muscular body, I couldn’t acknowledge Axel as my mind whirled with only one question:Who’s been watching me?
2 Axel
WHEN I HEARD the panic in Will’s voice, I instantly knew it had to do with Simone. I ran out to the veranda and saw him helping Miranda up.
“Get her!” Will pointed at Simone. “I’m taking Miranda inside.”
I didn’t question him and ran to Simone, who appeared distraught.
“Sweetheart, come here.” I collected her into my arms and carried her trembling body into the house. “I’ve got you.”
Whatever the fuck had happened was serious, scary fucking serious. My heart raced but I didn’t see anything amiss. It was a freaking baby shower, for Christ’s sake.
I tried to set Simone on the sofa, but she fisted my shirt and smashed her face in my neck. Shit, having her this close after months of missing her weakened me. I couldn’t fall under her spell again, not when I had my own shit to worry about with my brother.