I spent the next four days with the internal confliction on whether I should tell my parents about Dalton. Given he valued his life and hadn't made a reappearance, I had held off. There was just something so strange about the entire encounter, I couldn't put my finger on what it was.

Unfortunately, the minute I stopped in front of the doors leading out to the emptying lot, my eyes immediately found the old truck and I felt all the walls starting to close in around me. A few seniors passed me on their rush out the door, one girl stopped to ask if I was okay, but none stayed long enough to try and get a response. I'd just started to pull my phone from my back pocket when a hand caught my wrist.

"Danielle." Sebastian said my name with concern in his eyes. I couldn't help but question with the look he was sending my way if he'd been calling my name prior to approaching. "Are you okay?"

I opened my mouth, an answer on my tongue, but I couldn't force it passed my trembling lips.

My entire family had been thrust into the limelight with Dad's fame. We had our fair share of stalkers, paparazzi, and vulture reporters. But this felt different. Something about the way Dalton had looked at me was unnerving and I was beyond terrified to face him again.

"Pendejo." Sebastian huffed under his breath, following my gaze. "Stay here."

I blinked, repeating his words to myself once he broke passed the doors and outside. Once I'd fully comprehended them, I raced out after him, managing to catch him before he hit the asphalt.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, trying to catch my breath. "Sebastian, what is it you plan to do?"

He didn't answer me, but gently brushed by and continued to the truck. Having no doubt seen us leave the school, Dalton hopped out of the drivers side, but this time he wasn't alone. As he met us at the bed, another man joined us from the passenger side. He was much shorter than Dalton, and had a beer gut so large the bottom of his button up was riding up and no amount of forcing it down made it stay. His dark, beady brown eyes found mine immediately and the smallest hint of a smirk touched at his chapped, bitten raw lips.

"I thought I warned you to stay away." Sebastian tried to start for Dalton, but I intercepted him and pressed my palm flat against his chest. His eyes fell and that glare softened a bit as he stared down at me. "Move, Danielle."

"He's not worth it." I breathed, then stepping into forbidden territory added quieter, "If the rumors are true, you can't have another mark on your record, Sebastian. You don't want to risk this because of some stranger."

Dalton held his hands up in surrender and said, "I don't mean her any harm, man. I just. . . I just want to see her."

I felt my nose scrunch in disgust at the comment. His buddy's entire presence was adding to the uncomfortable tension hanging thick in the air.

"I'm surprised, honestly." The fat man commented, taking in every inch of me. Watching the man as intently as the man was me, Sebastian moved to block his view of me entirely. "You don't resemble her at all. Outside of the body, I mean."

Dalton shot the man a dark look. "Dylan."

"I'm just being honest."

"If you like being able to see, I suggest you keep your eyes off my girl, pendejo."

Dylan, taken back by the threat, finally glanced Sebastian's way. But unlike Dalton, he didn't cower or back down, but straightened and eyed him warily.

"I suppose she was bound to take after her mother in some way." he muttered.

Against my better judgement, I whispered, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You think men like this can protect you." Dylan answered with a gesture in Sebastian's direction. "Your mother thinks that athlete can too. They're all bark and no bite when it comes down to it."

Before I could warn Dylan against those words, if I even would have, Sebastian was pinning the fat man to the back of the truck, one of his hands locked around his neck, a vein in his neck bulging, and so much tension in his jaw a muscle was twitching.

"You know nothing about me. You have no idea what I will do to protect those I care about." Despite the current situation, Sebastian's voice was eerily calm. "I can assure you that I will break every bone in your body if you even think about acting on any of those sick, impulsive fantasies you are having about her."

Before Dylan could lose consciousness, Sebastian dropped him and retreated so he was at my side again. My eyes drifted from him to Dalton a few feet away to find he was already staring at me.

"Who are you?" I asked him. "Why are you so interested in me and my family? If you're looking for a story, you're in the wrong place."

Dalton shook his head quickly. "I don't want a story, Danni. I just. . . I needed to see you again."

Again?

"Again?" Sebastian spoke my thoughts aloud. "How do you know Danielle?"

Dalton met my eyes as he responded. "I think that's a question she should ask her mother."

Sebastain glanced my way but didn't say anything. After a moment of complete silence, Dalton turned to Sebastian on my left.

"I didn't mean to step on any toes. I just wanted to see her. I can promise you I mean her no harm." he started to move toward his door. "I'm glad that she has someone protecting her."

Without another word, the two men hopped back into the truck and Sebastain gently pressed his palm against my chest to force me away so they could leave. The minute they were out of sight, Sebastian looked to my car behind us over his shoulder.

"I think I should drive you home."

I almost denied the proposition, but he lifted my arm by my wrist and it was trembling so much that I had no doubt I wouldn't be able to grasp anything, let alone hold the steering wheel. Considering the alternatives of getting into an accident, I handed over my keys. If Sebastian had any intention of hurting me, he would of by now, and surely wouldn't have been trying to ensure my safety the last week.

The drive back to my house was quiet, but the tension that'd been heavy between the three men was still lingering, and I had no desire to try and verbalize my feelings. To my immediate relief-and horror-Dad was in the front yard with my brothers, Hanna perched on the bottom stair of our front porch.

The moment we stepped out of the car, my father's eyes darted from Jensen to me, then slowly to Sebastian over my shoulder. His face contorted in horror, but my sister's girlish squeal shook everyone out of their shocked trance, and she skipped down the yard and threw her arms around the beast of a man, appearing no bigger than our toddler brother in his embrace.

Confused, and a bit creeped out, I asked, "W. . what? H. . huh?"

Hanna leaned into my fender with her usual eye roll and made a gesture toward Sebastian. "Bas is Sadie's older brother."

My nerves and the complete and utter shock had a hysterical laugh escaping me, "No way."

There was no way in hell sweet little twelve-year-old Sadie was related to Sebastian.

"Tell her, Bas." Hanna smiled up at him. "Tell her you know me and Sadie's your sister."

The fact that my little sister was on a nickname basis with the man was a bit odd, but I decided to ignore it.

"Sadie is my little sister." Sebastian confirmed. "And yes, I know Hanna. I see her often when I pick up Sadie from soccer."

I didn't have enough time to try and absorb the new information, as Dad finally joined the conversation.

"Well, given that both of my girls are this comfortable around you, I guess I should just introduce myself." Dad extended an arm. "I'm James Pierce, Danni and Hanna's dad."

Sebastian shook Dad's hand. "Sebastian Reyes. I go to school with Danni and my little sister is close with Hanna."

Dad nodded. Uninterested, or possibly texting Sadie her brother was here, Hanna wandered back to the house and inside before Dad asked the million dollar question.

"Can I ask what you are doing here? Studying?"

The question had my entire body growing cold, and Sebastian tensed. Dad didn't miss either action and asked, "What happened? Is everything okay?"

"I noticed a. . ." I could see the gears shifting in Sebastian's head as he tried to translate the word into English, then consider if it was appropriate to use in front of my father. "I noticed a man watching Danni last Monday. I let it be, I didn't know him. But he came every day, early too. Waited for her and watched from afar. She finally saw him Monday and he approached. I stepped in."

Every muscle in my father's body had stiffened hearing the words.

"He acts like he knows her. Danielle. But she said she doesn't know him."

Both men's eyes moved to me and I shook my head. "I've never seen him, Dad. But he. . . he said that I should ask myself why I don't look like you. And he just. . . he acts different, Dad, then all the other reporters and stuff. Like he knows me. Mom. You."

I'd watched my father hold all of my siblings for the first time and the fear in his eyes every time. I'd watched him in a stadium full of people as he danced back and forth with anxiety over a superbowl. But never, ever had I seen my father's entire expression crumble and shift so drastically so fast.

"What'd he look like?" Dad breathed, but he wasn't speaking to me. His eyes were on Sebastian.

"Blond." Sebastian was starting to grow tense again himself. "Green eyes. Very. . . very dirty."

I know that wasn't the word he was looking for, but it fit, I suppose with how unkept Dalton's hair and beard had been.

"Name." Dad was hardly audible now. "Did he give you a name?"

Something told me, long before the name left my mouth, that Dad already had an idea of who the man was.

"Dalton Ambrose."