Page 121 of Haven

“Rory, you don’t let him have that power. You are learning and remembering things that happened to you. I need you to lean into the people you care for, and talk. I know feelings aren’t your favorite, but don’t let him have that control over you. Fight him.”

“You know, the people who supposedly care about me keep hiding things from me.” They didn’t realize I was outside the office when they were talking. All three of them. I didn’t know if I should feel hurt, betrayed, or both; but then I yelled at Widow and wanted Vesper. “Hades, Vesper and Widow are hiding something from me. I think Kace killed two girls, but I don’t have proof, and they didn’t tell me.”

Izzy shifted her pen between her fingers. I expected to see a reaction or something that showed her shock, but her face remained neutral as she moved her notepad up her leg. “Okay. Let’s slow down for a second. Walk me through what you’re feeling.”

“I feel like I am going to do something I regret, not to myself. I’m tired of people thinking I am going to break. Secrets piss me off. Hades and Vesper are supposed to care about me, but they are still keeping things hidden from me.”

“People do crazy things when they are in love. Maybe in their eyes, it’s how they can protect you. Talk to them.”

“I am. They need to treat me as an equal before I stab them.” I held up a hand quickly before clarifying, “Don’t report me. It’s a joke for the time being. We need to work together, and that means on everything including the steps that make me uncomfortable. I don’t want to lose anyone else because of him. He already took my sister, and he’s tormenting her…I can’t lose anyone else because of his obsession with me.”

When I returned home, I plugged my phone up on Vesper’s charger. She wasn’t in her room, but her Escalade was outside. She must be in the shop or somewhere else. Widow wasn’t here because her bike was gone, and I knew it would be a cold day in hell if Vesper rode on the back of Widow’s bike. It would be hot to see, but Vesper would walk before sharing a bike. She also hated motorcycles.

With Widow gone, I was going to take this chance to look in her office. It was late and most of the Vipers were off doing their own thing. I walked into Widow’s office, looking for anything related to Cinder or whatever Vesper and Hades were talking about. Two weeks had passed since I came back to Briarwood. I knew things happened back here when I was in Crestview. I wasn’t stupid, and I saw the docks were closed when Hades brought me home. Something was going on, and it was my fault. This person wanted me, so why didn’t he just come after me? Ever since I came back home, he had vanished. I knew he was still watching me, but the Vipers would destroy him if he attempted to do what he did in Crestview.

Scrounging through her draws, I found a locked one. Thankfully, I was rebellious during my healing journey; Cinder liked to hide my keys so I couldn’t go joyriding, but I quickly learned how to pick locks. Thank God for YouTube. I pulled a bobby pin from my hair and maneuvered it inside the lock. After a few moments of twisting, the drawer popped open.

I scrounged through the files, seeing a manila folder with Vexxed Vipers scribbled on the front of it. I pulled it from the drawer and sat it on Widow’s desk. This would either be something that broke my heart or nothing at all, but if they knew something and didn’t tell me, then I had a right to know. I opened the file and I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. There were more pictures of me. Now that I had a better understanding of what happened to me, these made me sick. I always wondered why I was dressed certain ways and I thought it was because of Jude’s viewers, but it had been for the boy, to be his princess.

When I pulled the next photo away, I stumbled back and hit the wall. It was a girl. A teenager. I looked at the rest of the pictures and saw another girl, placing the two side by side. They looked like…princesses. Bile burned the back of my throat as I saw the bruise patterns, the cuts, and the way their throats were slashed. There was also a note. Prince Charming—Kace. He was killing girls and making them look like princesses because he couldn’t get to me. I needed to give myself to him. There was no reason any more girls had to die because of me.

The door opened, and Widow walked in. I looked at her with teary eyes and shaking hands. “Phoenix, what are y⁠—”

I jumped up and stormed out of the room. She was fast on my trail, but I needed to get out of here. It felt like I couldn’t breathe. I grabbed the keys to my bike and left in a blaze of tears and gravel. After my wreck, I knew Widow would follow me but, fuck, I needed a goddamn break. Why was this happening to me now? Who did I piss off in another life to make someone angry like this?

“Rory, stop!” Widow yelled as she chased after me.

I grabbed my keys and my jacket, then raced outside to my bike. “Just stop, Widow. Leave me alone!”

“I’m not letting you go this time.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to chase me.”

Ninety-Nine

Vesper

Iheard their bikes, and before I could get out to my Escalade, Rory and Widow were gone in a cloud of smoke. I was elbow-deep under a 1980 Firebird, fighting with a faulty fuel pump. I hated sports cars; Parker was lucky their buddy paid me a shit-ton of money to fix it. After Rory left, I wanted to be in the room when she got back, but I needed to finish this so I could enjoy tomorrow with her.

She sealed the deal. I would find this bastard and do what I could to kill him. He made my girl cry more than once, and other than fucking Widow, no one made my girl cry. Widow was starting to piss me off, too. I knew she was pressured because of what happened before, but that was the past. If this experience taught me anything, it was to love hard and without fear. I loved Rory, and I wouldn’t let anyone make me feel guilty about it.

I walked out of the garage to see the commotion of the other Vipers. “What happened?”

Mal stepped forward. “Rory saw the pictures of Cin and then found the girls he killed.”

Fuck. I knew she would find out.

“Rory will be okay with Widow. Even if I want to kill her. Maybe this is what they need to talk this shit out. I’m gonna wash up and try to call her.” Mal nodded as I walked to my room.

When I stepped inside, Rory’s phone was vibrating. Well, never mind about calling her. I’ll have to call Widow. I grabbed her phone and there were incoming messages from someone named Kace.

KACE

Princess. Stop ignoring me.

Your tears look delectable. Are you thinking of me?

I can’t wait to see you again. I miss you.