It’s official. I’m going to go back out there and kill Fin with my bare hands. I pace around the foyer before I wrap Reagan in my arms. I hear footsteps running toward us and pull her behind me.

“What the fuck happened?” Remy yells as he throws his arms up. “Fin’s back there, confused as fuck.”

“Fin?” Aimee screeches. “That’s the fucker who raped Reagan!”

Remy’s expression matches mine. We see red.

“Aimee, stay with Reagan, and do not let her out of your sight. Remy, let’s go.” I turn around and kiss Reagan’s forehead before leaving her side. It kills me to leave her like this, knowing how afraid and hurt she is.

I pull Remy toward the party and tell him to be on the lookout for Fin. He’s a sneaky fucker, so I’m sure he’s hiding if he hasn’t left yet.

I’m covering every inch of my parents’ house, determined to find him, get answers, and show him what it’s like to feel pain. Anger seethes through me, and murderous thoughts fill my head.

“Son?”

I turn to see my dad, worried and confused.

“What’s going on?”

I come close to him and lower my voice. “A few years ago, Reagan was attacked.”

I hear a gasp and see that it’s my mother. She’s holding on to my arm.

I continue, “It was Fin who attacked her. She knows him as Zane, and so does Aimee. Now, where is he?”

Saying all of this to my parents is a knife through my heart. The piercing pain slits me, and it’ll continue to haunt me for the rest of my life. I’m seeing Fin’s hands hurting her, telling her not to scream, and forcing himself into her against her will. Everything burns, and it feels like someone’s pouring acid into my eyes and mouth. The love of my life is hurting, and it’s because of the fucker I called my best friend. I feel completely useless since I can’t find him.

Remy comes toward us and shakes his head.

“Fuck.” I practically growl as I pull away from my parents.

Then it hits me. I know exactly where he’s hiding.

I storm through the yard, heading toward the pool house.

When we were younger, he’d stay here whenever he needed to get away from his house. His parents were functioning drug addicts, pill poppers—a lot like Remy’s mom throughout his childhood. There were several nights Fin stayed over for dinner with me and my family. We took him in. We took care of him. Hell, my parents took in both of them and gave them stability. But, Fin, he turned out to be a monster lurking for prey.

I storm through the door and see him in the corner. His phone drops from his hand, and he looks at me.

Confused.

Nervous.

Scared.

“You fucker!” I scream as I launch at him.

Once we’re on the ground, I elbow his cheek and slam my fist into his jaw. My hands wrap around his neck as his hands wrap around my wrist.

“Please!” he screams as he struggles beneath my grip. “Please! Listen to me. I’m fucking sorry,” he gasps.

I hold his throat tighter and see his eyes closing.

“Son!” I hear my dad scream as arms try to pull me off. “Let him go. This isn’t the way to do this.”

“Yes, it is,” I snarl as I fight the tears.

All I can see is Reagan’s beautiful face full of tears and bruises. She’s on her bed, holding herself, crying softly, and there’s no one to help her.

Well, I’m fucking here to help her, and I’ll always be here to help her.

Fin’s a fucking dead man. The law won’t touch him, and she’ll never get justice. If I can kill him, then she’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.

“Drew!”

Reagan’s voice pulls me out of my anger, and I turn to see her in Aimee’s arms. Her hands are covering her face, and I watch her crumble.

“Please stop,” she begs.

Before I can turn back, Fin punches my stomach and pushes me off him. I land on my back and quickly pull myself together. Remy’s wrestling with him, but he wins and rushes out of the pool house.

“Fuck,” I scream as I attempt to follow him.

“No,” Reagan begs. “No, please don’t do this. I’m begging you.”

“I can’t let him go.” I point out toward the unknowing party. “He hurt you. He needs to pay.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t lose you.”

My beautiful, strong girl is pleading me to stay with her. She’s fighting back her fears and standing before me, asking me to stop, and all I can think about is getting her justice and making him pay. The sheer determination on her face to calm me down works. Her own tears dry, and the grip she has on my arm tightens.

“We need you.” She pauses and holds my hand tighter. “Dawson and I need you.”

Without another thought, I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. She wraps her arms around my waist and holds me tight.

“No matter what, I’m here, and I’ll never leave you, baby. I’m going to protect you and keep you safe. It’s you, Dawson, and me. Forever.”

“Forever.” She hiccups and holds me tighter.

“I’ll never fail you. Never.”

* * *

The days following the return of Fin, I’ve been home with Reagan and Dawson. We spend our days waking up together in bed, and Dawson and I make her breakfast, followed by a morning walk and coming back to relax and play endless games. Dawson has a list of one hundred things he wants to do before school starts again next month. We’ve accomplished forty-five of the one hundred, and tonight, we’re crossing off three more from the list.

Dawson’s sitting on the blanket with Reagan and Aimee while I’m making popcorn with Remy.

“How’s she doing?”

I shrug. “She’s scared because he’s out there. We’re talking to the police in Boston, but without evidence, they said it’s a he-said/she-said situation. Chicago PD is aware. No one’s seen or heard from him though. I don’t know what else can be done. I have my lawyer looking into this. The statute still stands, but without evidence, it’ll be harder to prove.”

The most important thing is, Reagan’s healing. She’s seeing another therapist and coping with her fears. My girl’s strong, and she can withstand anything that comes her way.

The first few days were tough, and she cried every second. I held her tight and kissed her and loved her. After a while, a light came back in her eyes, and she shone bright.

“That sucks.”

I grunt. “Yeah.”

“She has you and Dawson. That’s important. Be strong for her, and she’ll be okay.”

I nod, and when the microwave beeps, I pull out the bag of popcorn and pour the contents in a large bowl.

“What about you? Care to fill me in on the situation with Aimee and Zoey?”

Remy pauses before answering, “You know, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I don’t know, man. Zoey’s comfortable and doesn’t expect anything from me. We fuck, and she leaves. I know she’s using me to get back at Lawrence. We keep fighting because she wants Lawrence to see her and I together. I told her I’m not playing any games and I’m too old for that shit. Then, there’s Aimee. She says it’s fine that we keep it a beneficial thing. She knows I’m not ready for a relationship, and I don’t see myself in one. I’m not blind though. She’s falling for me.”

“Let her go then. Don’t let her get too invested in you. It’ll hurt her in the long run.”

He sighs. “I wish I could let her go.”

“Come on. Let’s watch the movie, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Sounds good, man.”

* * *

The next afternoon in the office, I’m catching up on emails and waiting for Brett to come back with an update on where the hell Fin is. A knock gets my attention, and it’s my parents and Brett. The three of them sit down, and I join them at the conference table in my office.

“So?” I impatiently ask.

“No luck, boss. The company called me back and said the last they heard from Fin was a few days ago. He’s not responding to their messages. I put in a call to a friend and placed a trace on his credit cards, as per your request, and nothing.”

I slam the table with my fist. “Get me something, Brett.”

“Calm down, son,” my dad says. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. For now, let the police do their job. You can let Brett do the grunt work. Please. You need to think of Reagan and Dawson.”

My mother nods. “Drew, I know you’re in a tough position, and you want to do everything possible to get her justice, but, sweetheart, what you’re doing is illegal and dangerous. Take a step back. It’s Friday, so go home and go out. We’ll take Dawson for the weekend.”

I slump in my chair and let out a heavy sigh. I want to keep things light around Reagan. She’s been through enough, and I don’t want her to feel any of this stress or know what I’m doing.

“Okay.” I give in. “Brett, take the rest of the day off, and meet us tonight at ROOF.”

“Good choice, boss. My BFF works there and can get us a great table!” he exclaims. “I’ll see you around, say, ten?”

I nod. “Sounds good. Thank you for everything.”

“You’re so very welcome. The guy should pay for what he did. I’m just glad you’re all okay.”

“Thank you again, Brett.”

I hug my parents before going to my desk and shutting down. Someway, I’ll figure out where he is, and I’ll take matters into my own hands.

A night of celebrating our engagement is what we all need. Something to focus on other than the havoc Fin has brought into our lives.

* * *

Arriving at ROOF to find Brett has gotten us a private table from his best friend is a great addition to the evening. The music is lively, and the drinks are flowing. Reagan and Aimee have had three martinis since we got here two hours ago. I’m on my fourth beer, and Remy’s sober.

I look over his way and lean toward him. “You okay?”

“Zoey’s pissed we didn’t invite her. And now I’m not sure how she feels.”

“Fuck,” I mutter. “You think she’s falling for you too?”

“I’m almost positive. She came over last night and asked where I was going. When I didn’t answer she begged me to stay with her so we could talk. Then she said she’s not sure how she’s feeling for me.”

“I’ll take her out for lunch and talk to her. Maybe she’s confused and doesn’t know what she’s feeling. Her breakup from Lawrence is still fresh. Plus, I didn’t think she’d want to come and be around Aimee. You figure things out yet?”

“I slept over at Aimee’s apartment last night. Zoey blew up my phone, telling me to come over. She sent some pictures and I think Aimee saw. She didn’t say anything though.”

I lean on my forearms and turn my head. “You can’t do this to them. Aimee’s Reagan’s best friend. If you hurt her, it’ll hurt Reagan, and then I’ll have to hurt you.”

“I’ll talk to her later. Not tonight. It’s Reagan’s night, man.”

“You’re right,” I tell him.

I lean back on the sofa and reach my arm over Reagan’s shoulders.

She slides over to me and leans in, bringing her lips close to my ear. “You’re amazing.”

“Nah, babe. You are.”

She giggles, and it’s the best sound in the world. The drinks she’s consumed relieve the tension I know she feels, but she has tried so hard to hide it.

“I gotta go to the restroom,” she adds as she kisses the side of my neck before pulling back.

“I’ll come with.”

She holds me back and shakes her head. “I’ll be fine. It’s just around the corner. Be back in five.”

“If you’re not back in four minutes, I’m coming for you.”

“I hope you will.” She winks and trots off.

The crowd gets bigger, and I look around. I’ve been overly observant lately, more so than normal. Scanning the room, taking in my surroundings, has become an involuntary act, like it is something as common as breathing. I notice Remy’s looking around as well. We’re both on high alert. It probably wasn’t the best idea to come out, especially on a Friday night. I should’ve listened to my gut and cooked at home for everyone. It would have been much easier for me to relax had I been in my own home versus some highly crowded club.

I look down and notice the time on my watch. “Aimee.” I get her attention.

The both of us stand up, and Remy follows.

“Can you go check on her?”

“Relax, Drew. She’s fine. There’s no way in hell he’s going to show up, not when the two of you are ready to kill.”

I look at my watch again before looking at Aimee.

“Fine. I’ll be back,” she says with a laugh. “I guarantee you, she’s fine. You’re being paranoid.”

“Thank you,” I tell her as I sit down, watching her walk toward the restroom.

They should be back in less than two minutes.

Reagan knows not to make me worry. She’ll be fine. It’s all in my head.