Page 16 of The Secrets We Treasure

Chapter 5

Treasure stood frozen, staring at the screen as her heart slammed against her ribcage. Swallowing, she slid a trembling finger over the screen as she brought the phone to her ear. “Hello?” She winced at the quiver in her voice.

“Treasure.”

It was amazing how many emotions the melodic timbre of Greer’s voice evoked.

“H—hey.”

He jumped into the meat of the conversation. “Why didn’t you tell me that someone broke into your home?” His voice was as wounded as it was concerned.

“I didn’t wanna make a big deal about it.”

“Are you in any danger?”

She raked a hand through her hair. “I—I don’t think so.” An unbidden shiver snaked down her spine, filling her with a sense of foreboding that chilled her to the bone. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the stalker thing wasn’t over, but maybe that was her fear talking.

“You don’t sound convincing.”

A shaky laugh issued from her throat. “Honestly, I’m not sure what to think. I stipulated to Alyssa McKenzie’s people that the topic of the break-in was off-limits, but she brought it up anyway.” She ground her teeth before continuing, “Furthermore, I specified that I didn’t want Tray’s name mentioned in the interview. And yet here we are.”

He took in an audible breath. “Okay, let’s analyze the situation and break it apart point by point.”

Despite her frustration, she couldn’t help but smile. That was so Greer. She pictured how he must look at this moment, his intelligent brow creased in concentration as he worked through the problem at hand, a lock of his unruly chestnut brown hair flopping over one eye. Greer was a mechanical genius. After high school, he got a full scholarship to MIT and then went on to become an engineer for NASA. He might’ve stayed in that profession had Aimee not gotten killed in a hiking accident eight months after they were married.

Greer lost himself in grief for a time. To distract him from his sorrow, Treasure talked him into making YouTube videos. Greer had always loved inventing gadgets. He was handsome, charismatic, and good on camera with his keen wit and dry sense of humor. From the moment she brainstormed the idea of Greer doing videos, she’d intended to promote him on her networks. However, Ethan balked at the idea, fearing that it would hurt Treasure’s brand to promote something that wasn’t related to fashion. Fighting Ethan tooth and nail, Treasure promoted Greer’s videos anyway. It didn’t take long for them to go viral. Greer quit his job at NASA and started a YouTube channel known as The Greer Factor. From what Treasure could tell, Greer was making copious amounts of money, but Greer had come from money, so he didn’t seem all that concerned with the wealth. More than anything, he enjoyed doing what he loved.

“The man who was questioned—Leo Clark—do you know him?”

There was something comforting about discussing her problems with Greer. It reminded her of the time in her life when they were determined to face the world hand-in-hand. So many lost dreams. So much water under the bridge. Regardless of what had transpired between them, Treasure appreciated Greer taking the stance of helping her through the difficulty. She wondered when he would bring up the topic of her engagement. Maybe after he was satisfied that she was taking every precaution to stay safe. “No, I don’t know Leo. After the break-in, I learned that he’s a computer technician for a small mom-and-pop company here in Philly. Leo claims that he was out walking for exercise the night of the break-in.”

“Where does Leo live?”

“In a lower-middle-class neighborhood about twenty-five minutes from my house.”

Doubt rang in Greer’s voice. “Why did he choose to walk in your neighborhood?”

“He claimed that he enjoys walking the trails, and it’s safe.”

“I suppose that’s reasonable,” Greer conceded.

Treasure wondered if she should tell Greer the rest. While she didn’t want him to worry, some innate part of her yearned to confide in him. Greer had no idea how grateful she was to have him back in her life. “Several months before the break-in, I started receiving threatening texts and emails.”

Greer sucked in a startled breath. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You had so much on your plate, dealing with Aimee’s death. I didn’t want to pile on my problems. Also, it seemed like a moot point to bring it up. After the break-in, the emails and texts stopped. The police suspect that Leo Clark was stalking me, but then he got scared when he was questioned and backed off.”

“If the police suspect Leo, then why’s he not in jail?”

The frustration in Greer’s tone blanketed her in comforting warmth. She’d always loved how Greer was one hundred percent in her corner. It had been the same ever since they were kids. That’s why he’ll hate you when he learns what you did. You should’ve trusted him with the truth. Scores of invisible hot needles pricked her skin as she swallowed, forcing her mind back to the topic of discussion. She couldn’t let her fears run wild. What were they talking about? Her mind was a blank sheet of paper as she scrambled to remember.

“Treasure?” Greer prompted. “Did I lose you?”

“I’m still here,” she squeaked.

“Oh, good. I was afraid our call had gotten interrupted. So?” he prompted.

An embarrassed chuckle rose in her throat. “I’m sorry, my brain’s fuzzy today. What were we talking about?”

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