Page 81 of His Haunted Desire
When we finally find her in the hallway, she’s sitting in a chair, tears streaking down her cheeks.
“They searched the house,” she moans, gazing up at us with bleary eyes. “Didn’t they call you?”
Raiden checks his phone. “Shit. I didn’t feel it.”
“They searched the house. He’s not there. He has a small apartment too, but he’s not there either.”
“He’s gone on the run, then,” Raiden growls. “Which means itwashim.”
“They found notes and photos in his room at the house,” she says. “Notes about me, you, and Julian. Photos which he’d drawn on. Letters about how much he hates us all, how he wants us to die, all of us. He was going to killmetoo.”
“He wrote letters about wanting to kill you?” I say, bringing her into a hug without even thinking. “That’s just awful, Evangeline. I’m so sorry.”
She claws onto me desperately. “I thought I was helping him. I thought I was doing my best. The entire time, he hated me. He was thinking about how to take my life, my fortune, my trust, my… everything.”
I look at Raiden over the top of her head. Evangeline has melted into me like a scared child, pressing her face against my chest as if she can’t handle this. I don’t blame her. She gave him all her love, and he spit in her face in return.
“I think we should go,” I say.
Raiden doesn’t hear me at first. He looks like a man ready to erupt, his muscles bunching against his suit like the fabric isgoing to tear away Hulk-style, his chest heaving. He stares off into space as though he can see Sebastian, as though, in his head, he’s doing evil things to him.
“Raiden?” I say, louder.
“Hmm?”
“I said I think we should go.”
He nods slowly, with a spaced-out look on his face. His mask is stripped away. He can’t hide his true feelings from me anymore. “You’re right. Let’s move.”
CHAPTER 30
RAIDEN
“You must come home with us for a nightcap,” Grandma says as the limo drives through the rain-soaked streets.
I’m relieved when Aurora says that she will. I’m also relieved that Aurora has taken it upon herself to comfort Grandma, holding her hands and letting Grandma lean against her. She looks deflated.
I seethe, trying not to explode. Sebastian, the lunatic, the scheming prick, first forcing Julian to turn against me, then planning not just my death… I could handle that. Come for me. Fine. We’ll have a fight and see who comes out bloodier.
But Grandma too? That’s just deranged.
The driver guides us toward the large entrance of the home I recognize so well. Though, as we ascend the steps, I feel like a stranger. Grandma gazes around with shocked eyes at the mess left behind, paintings taken from the walls, rugs covered in boot prints, furniture moved.
“At least they were thorough,” Aurora says, offering a tight smile.
I match her smile, grateful for the effort she’s making.
“Take Grandma to the living room,” I say. “I’ll get us a drink.”
“Thank you, Raiden,” Grandma mutters in a frail voice.
Aurora leads her through the house. I warn myself to calm down as I head into the kitchen. There might be a long road ahead of us. Sebastian could be anywhere. He’s held all the cards this entire time. I’ve been in the dark, with no room to plan, no idea I even needed a plan.
I carry a brandy and some hot cocoa into the living room. Grandma sits at the window, staring out, completely still as if she’s got no energy left inside her.
Aurora stands and walks over to me, lowering her voice. Even now, with my world threatening to collapse, I can’t help but admire her beauty. Her perfection.
“She just told me something we should probably look into,” she says softly.
