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T H I R T Y O N E
Inside and surrounding areas are all clear, Sargent.
A police officer could be heard from Athena's radio as she walked down the porch steps of my father's house.
"10-4. All clear over here as well." Athena replied before turning her attention towards Evan, my father, and me as we waited to hear any information. "We checked every corner of this house as well as yours, Agatha, and not a single sign of Ian ever being inside in either of them."
I felt my father's and Evan's eyes on me as if waiting for me to explode at any second somehow.
There was no doubt that my father thought that I was starting to lose my mind about the possibility of Ian sneaking inside our houses and stealing his granddaughter's stuffed animal. Granted, I understood that I've gotten obsessed with certain situations before, but this was different.
I could care less about what my father thought. I was sure that the master behind all this mystery was Ian. There was no other person on this planet that would be this sick when it came to hurting me. Unless—
"We checked footage from the security systems in both houses, and there was no suspicious activity," Athena continued explaining as she gave me a concerned look. I could tell she believed me. She promised me that Ian would never hurt me again the last time he did, but I could also tell she had a slight doubt. "They also started the process of tracking where the text message originated from, but that will take a while."
"So we are just going to wait until he decides to do something horrible, aren't we?" I exasperated, running my fingers through my hair.
"Louise, sweetheart, I know you are not going to let this go, but right now, the best we can do is trust Athena and her team. If there's no proof, no one can do anything." Dad said, trying to be the voice of reason like always.
"I can't just sit and wait for that asshole's next move. He's been torturing me for years, and I'm sick and tired of it."
"Aggs, I think your dad and Athena are right," Evan said.
"You waiting around without taking action? That's a first. Aren't you always stepping into unwanted situations because you don't think first?" I snapped. All this situation had my anxiety bubbling up, and I could feel it about to come out in a not-so-healthy way. "Oh wait, I just realized I'm not Taylor."
Not wanting to start arguing with anyone, I distanced myself from the others, trying to calm down. I needed to think straight if I wanted to find Ian and put a stop to this.
"Agatha," I heard Evan say from behind me. Regret instantly washed through me after hearing how unbothered he said my name when I had just insulted him.
"I'm sorry. What I said was uncalled for." I apologized, fidgeting with the engagement ring on my finger.
"You are not wrong, though," Evan admitted. A small sigh left my lips as I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind, pulling me back against his hard chest. "You are right. You aren't Taylor, which is why I'm not reacting without thinking right now like I would because you mean so much to me. You and Maia are all I have, and if I lost either of you because I was impulsive, I wouldn't forgive myself."
