My Boss Is My Stalker's Twin

CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST RULE

The first rule is: don’t go to the lighthouse.

I broke it before lunch.

Kieran didn’t need to tell me twice. The second he said “off limits,” I knew that’s where Nico was hiding. And if I wanted to stay on this island, I needed leverage.

The lighthouse was a 20-minute walk through the woods. Abandoned, paint peeling, windows boarded up. It looked like it hadn’t been used since the 90s.

It also looked occupied.

Smoke curled from the chimney.

A black SUV sat behind it, hidden from the main road.

I stayed low, crouched behind a fallen log.

“Talking to yourself again, Mara?”

I spun.

Nico stood three feet behind me, hands in his pockets like we were meeting for coffee.

“Don’t call me that,” I said.

He smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes.

“Cara Mills, then? Cute. Kieran bought it for about 12 hours.”

My stomach dropped.

“How long have you been here?”

“Long enough,” he said. “Long enough to know Kieran gave you until Friday.”

I stood up. Slow.

“You’re not supposed to be on this island.”

Nico shrugged.

“Kieran owns it. He can’t keep me off forever. Family and all that.”

Family.

The word made me sick.

“You need to leave,” I said. “Now.”

Nico took a step closer.

“Or what? You’ll tell him? Go ahead. He already thinks you’re lying.”

He was right.

And I hated that.

“I know what you did,” I said. “I have the files. I know you paid off the site admin to keep the photos up.”

Nico’s smile faded.

“Careful, Mara. You don’t want to push me.”

I pushed anyway.

“If you touch me, Kieran will bury you.”

Nico laughed.

“Kieran? Kieran’s the reason this happened. He always gets what he wants. Including you.”

I froze.

“What are you talking about?”

Nico’s eyes darkened.

“He’s been watching you since Boston. Did you really think he hired you blind?”

The woods went quiet.

“No,” I said.

But my voice shook.

Nico stepped back, satisfied he’d hit me.

“Think about it, Mara. Why would a billionaire CEO hire a random PA with fake references? He knew exactly who you were.”

He turned and walked toward the lighthouse.

“See you at dinner, sis.”

Sis.

He only called me that when he wanted to hurt me.

I didn’t follow him.

I ran back to the house.

Kieran was in his office when I burst in.

“Do you know where I was?” I said.

He didn’t look up from his screen.

“No. And I don’t care. You’re still on probation.”

I slammed the door shut.

“I saw Nico. At the lighthouse. He said, "You've been watching me since Boston.”

That got his attention.

Kieran stood up.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No. But he said—”

I stopped.

Saying it out loud made it real.

Kieran came around the desk.

“Said what?”

“That you hired me on purpose,” I said. “That you knew who I was.”

Kieran’s jaw tightened.

“And if I did?”

My chest went tight.

“Then you lied to me. Just like everyone else.”

Kieran stepped closer.

“I don’t lie, Cara. I omit it.”

“What’s the difference?” I said.

“The difference is I’m trying to keep you alive,” he said.

I stared at him.

“By lying?”

“By controlling what you know,” he said. “Nico’s dangerous. The less you know, the safer you are.”

I shook my head.

“I’m not a child, Kieran. I don’t need you to protect me.”

Kieran’s eyes dropped to my hands. They were shaking again.

“You’re shaking,” he said.

“I’m angry,” I said.

“Good,” he said. “Anger keeps you sharp.”

He reached out, like he was going to touch my arm.

He stopped himself.

“Go to your room,” he said. “We’ll talk after the board call.”

I wanted to argue.

But the look on his face stopped me.

For the first time, Kieran Hayes looked scared.

I left.

The board call ran long.

When I went back to his office at 6 PM, he was gone.

On his desk was a note.

_Don’t leave the east wing.

I crumpled it.

I wasn’t staying locked up while Nico was out there.

At 8 PM, I heard shouting from the west wing.

Kieran’s voice. Angry.

Nico’s voice. Laughing.

I crept down the hall.

The west wing door was cracked open.

Inside, Kieran had Nico pinned against the wall.

“You touch her, and I end you,” Kieran said.

Nico grinned, blood on his lip.

“Already did,” he said.

Kieran’s hand tightened.

“What did you say?”

Nico leaned in.

“I sent the photos to her new boss. All of them. Uncensored.”

My blood went cold.

Kieran hit him. Hard.

Nico dropped to the floor, laughing through the blood.

“You can’t stop me, Kieran. I’m your brother.”

Kieran stepped back, breathing hard.

“Not anymore.”

He turned and saw me in the doorway.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then Kieran crossed the room in three strides and pulled me back into the hall.

“Get inside,” he said.

I didn’t argue.

He shut the door and locked it.

“What photos?” I said.

Kieran didn’t answer.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled fast.

Then he turned it to me.

My face. Naked. Posted on a private forum.

Date: Today. 7:42 PM.

Nico had uploaded them while we were talking.

I felt sick.

“Take it down,” I said.

“I already did,” Kieran said. “But it’s out there. Once it’s online, I can’t pull it back.”

I sat down on the floor.

Hard.

Kieran knelt in front of me.

“Look at me, Cara.”

I couldn’t.

“Look at me,” he said again. Softer this time.

I looked up.

His eyes were furious.

Not at me.

At Nico.

“I’ll kill him for this,” Kieran said.

I shook my head.

“No. Don’t. He wants you to.”

Kieran ran a hand through his hair.

“What do you want me to do?”

I thought about it.

Then I said the only thing I could.

“I want to know the truth,” I said. “Did you hire me because of Nico?”

Kieran hesitated.

Then he nodded.

“Yes,” he said.

The word hit me like a punch.

“But not why you think,” he said fast. “I didn’t hire you to hurt you. I hired you to keep you close. Nico’s been obsessed with you for two years. I found out he was planning to come after you again. I needed you here, where I could protect you.”

I stared at him.

“You could’ve told me.”

“I tried,” he said. “You wouldn’t have come.”

He was right.

I wouldn’t have.

I stood up.

“I need to call Lena.”

Lena was my only friend who knew the truth.

She was also a detective.

Kieran stopped me at the door.

“Not yet,” he said.

“Why not?” I said.

“Because Nico’s watching your phone,” he said. “I’ll get you a clean one. Tomorrow.”

I nodded.

Kieran opened the door.

“Stay in the east wing tonight,” he said. “Lock it. Don’t answer if someone knocks.”

I went back to my room.

I locked the door. Twice.

At 11 PM, someone knocked.

I didn’t answer.

A voice came through the door.

“Cara? It’s me. Open up.”

Nico.

I stayed silent.

He knocked again.

“I know you’re in there. Kieran can’t protect you forever.”

I held my breath.

“I’m coming back for you, Mara,” he said. “And this time, Kieran won’t be in the way.”

Footsteps faded down the hall.

I waited ten minutes before I moved.

I checked under the bed. In the closet. Behind the door.

Nothing.

But I didn’t sleep.

At 3 AM, my phone buzzed.

Not my phone.

The burner Kieran gave me.

One message.

_You’re mine, Mara. Always have been.

I deleted it.

Then I looked at the door.

The lock was broken.