Page 58 of Deadly Secrets

“I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Professor Reed cleared his throat a couple of times, interrupting our hug in a not-very-subtle way. He was visibly uncomfortable.

“So shall I assume this means no more conflicts in my lab?”

I gave him a timid smile before I locked eyes with Ander.

“Yes, Professor. We talked over the break, and there won’t be any more issues in the lab from now on,” Ander said.

I was relieved to hear those words from him because they gave me hope—hope that we were on the path to healing our friendship.

“Thank you for your help. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t stumbled into you.”

* * *

Ander and I left Professor Reed’s office and headed toward the cafeteria, where Maggie should have been waiting for me. She probably wondered where the fuck I was.

She was checking her phone, completely oblivious to everything that had happened. Maggie lifted her head when she noticed someone approaching the table.

“Finally! It took you ages. I guess that’s why you were so late,” Maggie exclaimed, pointing her finger toward Ander. She frowned when she noticed that I was still shaking. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We just came from Reed’s office. The psycho showed up when I finished my call with Peter and almost killed me. They had a knife. I nearly escaped before running into Professor Reed, but the freak disappeared without a trace.”

Maggie seemed pretty shocked. “I never should’ve left you alone,” she admitted, extending her hand and grasping mine.

“There was a reason we agreed never to leave Sienna’s side. This was the fucking reason. She could have been killed,” he ranted. “Could you have lived with yourself if something had happened to her?”

Maggie’s lips quivered slightly, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she struggled to keep them at bay. “I’m sorry, Sienna. I don’t know what else to say.”

“It’s not your fault, Maggie. Who says they wouldn’t have tried attacking me with you there?” I turned to face Ander and placed my hand on his thigh. “Don’t be so hard on Maggie. She only left because I told her to. You know how much I hate this ‘bodyguard situation.’”

Ander gave my arm a reassuring squeeze, offering some comfort.

“I’m gonna go back to Ander’s apartment. Rain check?”

“Of course. I’ll call you later.”

As Ander and I walked back to his apartment, I couldn’t stop thinking about my stalker. I didn’t understand why someone would want to kill me simply for being friends with Noah, Zayn, and Ander. It didn’t seem like a valid reason to trigger such a violent response, but I guessed that if they were obsessed with me or them, in addition to being mentally unstable, anything I did to piss them off could be reason enough. I just hoped the police would hear me out this time. Maybe next time, I wouldn’t be so lucky.

Chapter 23. CONFESSION TIME

(Ander)

Sienna spent the rest of the afternoon locked in her bedroom. I gave her some space because she clearly needed it, but several hours had passed since we last spoke. I was desperate to talk to her, so I knocked on her door twice. After a few long seconds, she replied, “Come in.”

She was lying on the bed, rolled in a blanket like a human burrito. Her eyes were red, and her lips swollen from crying, which told me that she’d probably spent a large part of the past few hours crying on her own.

“Can I join you?” I asked.

She nodded.

I lay on my side, facing her, and remained silent for a while. I simply observed her. Her eyes were slightly greener, bringing back memories of our childhood when she used to cry at the slightest things, causing her eyes to shift from honey to a greener hue. It always fascinated me. Her perky nose was red on the tip, and her cheeks were covered in dried tears. I reached out and gently traced my thumb along her jawline. Her eyebrows shot up as if she hadn’t expected my gentle gesture.

“I hate seeing you like this. I hate seeing you upset,” I exclaimed.

“Not long ago, you were the one upsetting me. Why do you suddenly care? What has changed?” she asked.

I considered for a moment confessing my true feelings for her and admitting my foolishness in thinking she’d forgotten about our friendship, but something stopped me from doing it. I didn’t know whether it was because of Zayn and Noah or if my fear of her rejection held me back.

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