Page 11 of Ky

Of course, confronting him would have been a big mistake, and common sense prevails, as I continue walking on shaky legs up to my door.

I walk through the house, peeling off my clothes as I head into the bathroom. I turn on the faucets to fill the soaking tub with hot, bubbling water. My phone, placed on the bathroom vanity, starts vibrating, letting me know there’s an unread message.

I ignore it as I slide into the bubble bath with a contented sigh, leaning my head against a fluffy towel. When it dings again, I curse whoever it is and reach for it, only to have the blood drain from my face and freeze in my veins when I read the message.

Unknown: Do you really think you can escape me, princess?

I lose my grip on the phone and it noisily lands in the now lukewarm water. I snatch it from the water and, without thinking, hurl it forcefully at the bathroom wall, watching it shatter into a million pieces. It couldn’t be? Not after all this time?

The shock of the message from Angelo popping up on my phone abates, and I jump out of the now tepid bath water, feeling as though I’d been violated.

Tomorrow I’ll get another burner phone, and I’ll keep doing it until the bastard decides I’m not worth the effort, and finally leaves me alone.

Yeah, good luck with that.

I slip into my pajamas and pad barefoot into the kitchen, quickly preparing a meal. Even though I’m not that hungry, I make it anyway, knowing Willow will be home soon.

Just as I thought that, the doorbell rings, and I run to answer it, seeing Zoe standing on the porch, holding Willow’s hand. A wide smile on my face just as my girl throws herself into my arms.

“Hello, sweet pea. Missed you. How was your day with Zoe?” I ask, motioning for Zoe to come inside as I carry Willow to the couch. Putting on one of her favorite cartoon movies, I turn to Zoe, leading her to the kitchen.

“Thank you so much for bringing her home,” I say, starting up the Keurig. “Did you want a coffee?”

“No, thanks. I should be going. Bodi’s waiting at home for me.”

I smile indulgently at her, hating this feeling of jealousy of my friend.

“Same time again tomorrow?” she asks, and I smile wide.

“Only if you have nothing else on.”

“Oh, Pish posh. I love looking after Willow, she’s a dream child.”

I can’t help the light giggle that escapes at her words.

“Thank you. Then yes, please, same time tomorrow.” I open the door, and she steps over the threshold. Looking like she wants to say something more, she shrugs then turns to leave. I wait until her car disappears from view before I shut and lock the door, arming the alarm. My Willow has disappeared into the fantasy world of Anna and Elsa, so I leave her to it and finish making the pasta dinner.

When my girl has eaten, I take her to the bathroom to give her a bath, before dressing her in clean pajamas. Taking her to bed,I tuck her in before reading her a story. Within minutes, she’s asleep. Turning on her nightlight, I close her door.

Walking into my kitchen, which was off the dining room, something I hardly ever used, I clean up Willow’s plastic dishes, put the pasta and sauce into separate storage containers and put them in the fridge.

Feeling at loose ends, and it being way too early to go to bed, I sit on the couch and turn on the TV to distract myself with one of my favorite shows

Despite my efforts, I couldn't shake the feeling that every noise meant Angelo would appear at any minute, even though he kept sending his goons to do his dirty work.

I've tried everything to create a sense of safety for Willow and myself since running away, but it's clear that none of it has been effective. Moving to a small town in Texas, such as Briar Creek, and adopting a new identity, hasn't deterred him from trying to find me.

I had been on the move for years, it’s something that is now deeply ingrained in my psyche, even though I’m heartily sick of it. I want to stay in one place longer than just a year or less. And I loved it in Briar Creek.

But do I dare put down roots here?

Or should I pick up and go somewhere else now that he’s discovered where I am?

Unable to stop the tears from falling, I burrow deeper into the blanket, as if doing so would somehow make me safer from the boogeyman. Tonight’s events finally catching up with me, as I let myself break down. I was lucky that Ky was there tonight to save me from one of my brother’s goons.

Ky, a beautiful specimen of a man. Someone I had to admire from afar ever since I arrived in Briar Creek. Why choose Briar Creek, I hear you ask? Well, it's nothing simpler than pointing afinger on a map and deciding there and then, this is where I was going to go.

When I first arrived, I didn’t even know he was here, the first time I’d seen him was when he and Ink helped me on the side of the road. And that should have been a sign for me to pack up everything and to leave. But I couldn’t do it to Willow, even though staying meant that he could find out the truth.