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CHAPTER 1
Della
Yanking the heavy drapes open in my crafting room, I’m enveloped in the sun's warmth as it bounces off the water from the family pool and cascades around me like a calming hug. For so long, I was afraid to open the curtains in here, afraid to be seen. Of being watched by him.
But he’s gone. Or I think he is.
I hope he is.
I don’t know why I believe this, only that when I awake in the mornings, I no longer feel suffocated by the dread that he’ll spot me during the day. That he’ll follow me to the craft market and, inevitably, touch me.
A touch that would feel like a burn.
A touch that would infuse my entire body with what he feels towards me. Sometimes, it’s anger and pain, other times, it’s sexual and makes me vomit. The one constant is that I know what will occur if he ever gets his hands on me for real.
Death.
It’s in the air when he’s around me. His detestable need for me runs to the very core of who he is as a person. He’s out to hurt me. Hurt my father. And after our last encounter over two months ago, I realized my time might nearly be up, but still, I have no idea who this person is that is taunting me or what his motivation is.
Yet, today feels like a rebirth of the world around me, and I’m not sure if it’s because my father, Carter O’Neill, one of the Kings of New York, has hired someone new to protect me or if it’s because my tormentor is truly gone.
Since today is my one day a week that I go to the market, I suppose I’ll find out. My supplier called yesterday to inform me that the mini labradorite protection crystals have finally arrived. I paid a hefty sum to have them cut to the specifications I needed for the necklaces and matching rings I had planned to make.
“Della.” My father's commanding but soft tone comes from the doorway of the room. “You opened the curtains.” Turning, I smile at the man who has never hesitated to love me since the day I was dumped in his lap at three years old.
“I feel relief,” I respond, and one of his rare smiles appears. Until recently, I was the only person to be gifted with one, but now, there’s a girl he’s grown… Obsessed is the only word to describe what he feels for her. “Cece is coming with me today.”
I’ll admit, Cece’s a nice girl. She has a final year of high school left, but today, she’s playing hooky to come with me. She is super smart and has already skipped a grade, so I don’t worry too much about her missing class in the first few days back to school.
“She needs to be in school, Della.” The growl in his voice has me biting my lip. My dad is enthralled in a stalker kind of way with the young woman. And to top it off, he’s pissed that she is so damn young. Once she turns eighteen, I just know I’ll have to push them together.
“We’re meeting at lunch. She’ll miss two classes.” His scowl deepens.
Pointing a finger at me, he grunts, “Don’t get attached,” and storms off.
He’s right. Despite customarily trying to protect myself from people, I get attached to the ones I love and let in. CJ Cavanaugh and her sisters are the only ones who have never disappointed me. I know Cece through Odette Sinclair and felt an instant connection to the young girl. I can sense her pain like a mirror of my own. She needs someone who will be there for her. Lord knows, her mother isn’t. The woman is as selfish as they come.
Determined footsteps come from the hallway, so I take a peek out to see who is here and gasp when I find Holy Sinclair. That man is the most obnoxious male I’ve ever met. He’s also the only person I’ve never been able to get a read on.
I’ve known Holy for years; however, we’ve never really spoken beyond introductions and courtesy, but something has always drawn me towards the intense man. He constantly watches me when we’re in the same space but never tries to approach me, which is why I’m so confused about him being here now.
Watching the two men enter Dad's office, I push them from my mind and turn to grab my bag and phone, which I’m constantly losing, before heading to the kitchen for a muffin that our housekeeper, Yelena, made fresh this morning. It’s what woke me up.
“Good morning, Miss Della. How did you sleep?” She always has a bright smile for me. Yelena has worked for my family since before I came to live here. If not for her, I think Dad would have drowned in all the things he didn’t know about raising a little girl.
“Better as soon as I woke up to the heavenly smells coming from what you’ve been baking.” Yelena blushes, and I laugh because she’s so sweet but has always struggled to accept compliments. “Truly, Yelena, what have you cooked up?”
“Maple bacon muffins.” I grin as she hands me one. Bacon sits on top, and there are swirls of maple syrup throughout the confection.
“Gramps got to you, didn’t he?” I swear the man’s been in love with her my whole life, but they’ve never gotten together because of her shyness. She might be in her fifties, but she blushes like a virgin.
Yelena shrugs as she continues cleaning up and decides what she’s making for dinner. “You have fun at the market today, dear!” With a nod and thanks for the muffin, I head out in search of my driver and bodyguard, Cowboy.
Exiting the house, I notice the car isn’t parked in the driveway like it usually is. I have a strict schedule due to my abilities. I stick to it because it’s the only way I’ve ever felt safe. My anxiety begins to grow when I notice the gate is locked, and there are three men at the guard tower beyond the fountain in the middle of the driveway.
The garage doors are closed, and no one else is around. As my heart pounds relentlessly, I feel the edges of my vision dimming. “Breathe, Del, you have to breathe,” I mutter to myself and slowly back up into the house. Stumbling as I close the door, I trip and crawl my way up the stairs as my ears begin to ring. The panic attack is encroaching swiftly, and I’d rather be locked away in my room before anyone else can witness it.
My name is called, sounding like it’s traveling through a tunnel, yet I continue my route until I feel the door give under my weight. Slamming it behind me, I throw the three locks and rush to my closet.
