shrugged. "We haven't opened it. Thought it was better to wait for you two first." He slid off his stool and grabbed two extra tumblers from the glassware cabinet, then poured the same Scotch for Archer and me.
"Thanks," I murmured, taking the offered drink, aware I'd need it no matter what was in the box. Shit's sake. Being stalked and almost killed all the time was going to turn me into an alcoholic before I even hit my birthday next month.
I untangled my hand from Archer's and took a gulp of the liquor before moving closer to the package. It looked innocent enough from the outside, but so had the box with a dead bird in it.
"Alright, open it," I said with a sigh.
Kody slid the box closer and flipped the lid off in one quick motion.
I let out a heavy breath. As far as stalker mail went, this wasn't the worst. Not by a long shot. But it was right up there on the creep factor. A page torn out of a glossy magazine had clearly been the trigger point for today's attack, as the full page image showed Archer and I locked in a crazy intimate embrace while the vodka bottle sat on the low table beside us. Archer's face had been scribbled over so many times in black marker pen that it was entirely blotted out, and the paper had torn slightly.
There was a Barbie doll with the pink hair, but she didn't wear any little replica outfits this time. Instead, down the length of her body, down her arms, legs, and even across her forehead, the same word was scribbled over and over.
MINE.
Then, just in case we didn't get the message, there was a box of matches and a pair of mud-crusted, black lace panties. The same pair I'd been wearing that day with Archer before we went to Wisteria. The same ones I'd kicked off on the side of the road and left behind in the rain and mud.
No one spoke.
Then Archer slammed his crystal tumbler down on the countertop so hard the glass shattered, but he didn't even flinch.
"He's a fucking dead man," he announced in a voice as cold as the grave.
I bit the inside of my lip, holding back the scream of frustration, rage, and fear that wanted to tear free of my chest.
"Are you okay, babe?" Kody asked in a quiet voice, his arm resting around my waist in a gesture of comfort.
I nodded, even though I wasn't. Not by a long shot. But then I wouldn't ever really be okay until my stalker was caught and the hit out on me cancelled. So for now, I just needed to be satisfied with surviving.
"I'm going to take a shower," I told them, placing the lid back on the box to hide the contents once more. "Can you guys store this wherever all the rest of the creepy shit is stored?" I didn't know, and I didn't care to know. Probably in my dad's fake office.
Steele gave me a frown of concern. "Are you sure?"
I forced an amused smile to my lips. "About showering? Absolutely. I smell like smoke, and I'm in serious need of a cleanup. Remind me to wear panties next time I leave the house, alright?"
Kody and Archer shared a fucking smirk, the bastards, and Steele just pouted.
"No fair," he grumbled. "But do you mind if I just double-check your room before you shower? This package was found on the front doorstep, so that means whoever left it there got past the front-gate security."
Another ripple of fear passed through me, but I nodded.
Steele and I left the kitchen, passing through the foyer to the main staircase, but a knock on the door caused us both to freeze just two steps up.
"I've got it," Steele murmured, stepping back down. He pulled a gun from beneath the hall table, which appeared to only be there as decoration. It always held a huge arrangement of flowers—Steinwick's doing—but apparently it also hid a convenient weapon.
I clutched the stair rail in a white-knuckled grip as Steele checked the security camera, then gave me a small nod of reassurance. He opened the door, keeping his gun just behind his back, but it was only the front-gate guard.
"Sir, letting you know we've checked the cameras. No sign of whoever left the box," the guard—Dave—told Steele in a clipped, professional voice. "Our guess is that he jumped over the south fence where there's a dead zone."