Conspicuous Secrets

Chapter Fifteen

I posted Chapters 14-15 so make sure you are reading them in order:)

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Kason's phone rang as it was barely starting to get dark. "Yeah, I can...okay. Bye." He hung up his phone before he turned to me. "I have to go pay some bills in town for my dad. He got off of work early because he isn't feeling well."

I nodded and stood from the bench. "I can walk Lucy home so you can go ahead and leave," I offered. "It's already getting late. I don't think you should have to be out longer than necessary."

"Are you sure?" he asked, standing and pushing his phone into his pocket.

With a smile, I nodded. "Yeah, I don't mind," I said honestly.

His grin was filled with relief. "Thank you so much." I watched him jog off to his car and leave, leaving me alone with all the children in the park.

I called out for Lucy and explained to her what was going on. Fortunately, she was done playing at the park and was ready to leave. So, I walked her home.

"Do you want me to help you around the house while I'm here?" I asked Lucy's father.

Daniel shook his head with a thankful grin curling his lips. "No, no. Go home. It's already getting late." I nodded, not bothering to argue. After watching him take a sleeping Lucy in his arms up the stairs, I turned around and made my way home.

Everything was quiet and normal as I walked home. However, my habit of constantly looking over my shoulder continued. I couldn't help it. The paranoia was always there.

As I walked through my driveway, I noticed a cardboard box on my doorstep. Furrowing my eyebrows, I picked up the package. I hadn't ordered anything since we moved here. I carried the lightweight box inside the house and placed it on the kitchen counter. Dropping my bag on the floor and my phone on the counter, I grabbed a sharp knife from a drawer and opened the seal. I opened the four cardboard flaps and found the box was filled with pictures.

There were dozens of varying pictures of, Gavin, Kason, Aria, Holden, Marla and me. Some of them were of us sitting in our favorite café, others of each of us walking down the street. I was frozen as I stared down in the box. My heart was picking up its pace by the passing seconds. My mother's old wedding ring rested underneath the scattered pictures.

My father had taken my mother's ring right after he killed her.

The knife dropped from my hand and clattered to the floor when I came to the realization. Knowing immediately what all of this meant, I ran to the front door and locked it, then did the same to the back door. My heart was racing with my biggest fear in mind. The man who ruined mine and Gavin's life. The man who murdered my mother. The man who almost successfully killed me.

Racing back to the kitchen, I picked up the knife off the floor then rummaged through the stuff on the counter for my cell phone. Once I found it, I quickly dialed my brother's number. "Hello?"

"Come home right now," I demanded, peaking through the blinds over our kitchen window.

"Why?"

"He's here, Gavin. He's been here this whole time. He's known where we were since the first day we got here," I informed him.

"What?" he was surprised, breathless. "Is he with you? Are you hurt?"

"He's not here, but he left a box of pictures and mom's ring on our doorstep," I rambled quickly. "Gavin, I'm scared. Please, come home now." My eyes were tearing up as my thoughts were circling a mile a minute over all the possibilities of where he was right now.