Page 121 of Wicked & Wildflower

All of my instincts go on alert at the sight of them.

Something happened.

“Lou?” I ask, panic rising in my chest.

“She’s okay,” Leo reassures me. “She’s asleep in her own room.”

Knowing I should let her sleep, my instincts betray my efforts as I step to the side of the bed she’s sleeping on, brushing my lips across her temple. I need to feel the warmth of her skin—it has been too long, and I’m too worried to go without reassurance.

She stirs, turning to face me as her eyes slowly flutter open. She blinks rapidly, taking in her surroundings before realizing I’m standing in front of her. “Everett?” Her voice is groggy and sleep-mused, so I hush her, kissing her head again.

“I’m here, baby. I needed to make sure you were alright.” I run my fingers through her hair. “You go back to sleep, Wildflower. I’ll be here when you wake up, okay?”

She raises a hand, covering my fingers with her own. “You promise?”

I bend forward, pressing my lips to hers breathly, inhaling her coconut scent and warmth. “Yeah, baby. I promise.”

She turns back over, inching closer to her sleeping sister as I back out of the room and shut the door behind me, following my brother into the kitchen.

“What the fuck happened?” I ask.

“You hungry?” he asks, opening the fridge.

Actually, I am, but there’s no way I’m going to keep anything down until I understand what happened to Dahlia. “No.”

He nods, shutting the fridge as I fall into a barstool across from him. “We caught the fucker leaving notes on her car.”

“What?” I immediately stand back up.

“Calm down,” Leo says, motioning for me to sit. “I took care of it. It won’t happen again.”

I nervously scratch my beard, taking a seat as Leo does the same across the island from me. “Who was it?”

“Random kid. He was paid by her father.”

“And that’s who has been behind it this entire time?”

My brother nods solemnly.

“Fuck.” I rub my eyes, suddenly feeling bone tired. The last forty-eight hours have been a whirlwind of stress and anxiety. This was the last thing I expected to come home to, but when I saw the message from my brother that something happened to Dahlia, adrenaline rushed through me. I couldn’t breathe, or think, or halt until I reached her.

“Is this guy a complete basket case or what?” I ask.

“She has been blackmailing him.” Leo sighs.

“Who?”

“Dahlia,” he confirms. “She has been blackmailing him with files that incriminate his company. This was his retaliation.” He runs a hand down his face. “I don’t understand his motivations—I’m not even sure he understands them. I guess he thought he could scare her into running back to Kansas?”

“Why the fuck would Dahlia blackmail him?” I seethe.

Unease funnels in my stomach at the thought of the secrets she’s been keeping all this time. Why would she knowingly and willingly play with fire after she spent her entire fucking life being burned? I rub my chest, feeling the sensation there, the worry and dread and trepidation.

I swear to God, she’s the most complicated, stubborn, reckless woman I’ve ever met. I feel so angry at her for putting herself at risk, and at the same time, I’m in utter awe, because I know whatever her reasoning is, she was doing it to protect her sister and her daughter.

Dahlia is complicated, stubborn, and reckless, but fuck—she’s also selfless. She’s protective and nurturing. She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever known.

“She drives me crazy,” I find myself murmuring.

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