Page 28 of Blame It On The Carols

“Hi, Kevin.” My voice was shaky but not as shaky as my fingers that trembled trying to hold the phone. “How did you get my phone number?”

Tony motioned for me to keep him talking while Patrick held his phone to his ear, pacing behind us.

“Don’t you know, I know everything about you, Makayla. Those sugar cookies you decorated were quite amazing, weren’t they?”

My eyes widened as I tried to fight back the tears. Aiden chose that moment to come home and walked in with a smile on his face that was immediately replaced with concern. He rushed over but stayed quiet after Tony pressed his finger to his lips. I pulled the phone away from my ear for a moment and put the call on speakerphone so they could hear it.

“Thank you. I didn’t know you had seen the sugar cookies that I decorated.”

I could feel the tension around me as Tony quickly swiped his fingers across his phone and then held it up to show us an image of the front page of the Sugarplum Gazette. Right there in the middle of the screen was a picture of the cookies I’d decorated with a caption that read:Local music superstar Makayla Rhodes wins sugar cookie decorating contest with gorgeous hand-painted snow-covered pine trees.

“I see everything. I’ll admit, I’m glad you got rid of those goons they originally sent you. They were so obvious.”

I shrugged my shoulders, unsure of how to answer that. He was clearly in town and watching me without any of us knowing where he was. Aiden went through the house quickly closing the blinds and checking to make sure the doors were locked.

“Yeah, they were the worst,” I said, just throwing words out there to keep him talking while Patrick continued his conversation.

“It’s so silly that they sent security for you anyway.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you don’t need it. You have me.”

I tried to breathe slowly to keep the nausea at bay as bile rose in my stomach.

“I would never hurt you, Makayla. You know that. I buy you stuff and send you letters so you know how much I love you. If anything,Ishould be protecting you fromthem.”

Tony and I exchanged a look but it was apparent he didn’t know what to say to that either. I looked at Aiden, but he was frowning. His arms were crossed so tightly over his chest that I worried the seams on his t-shirt would burst open.

“I’m so lucky to have so many people who love me,” I said softly, wanting him to trust me. “Thank you for the gifts, by the way. I haven’t had a chance to say that since things have been so busy.”

“You’re welcome. Did you find the new lingerie I put in your drawer before you left? I tried to make sure you had everything you needed, but it was more difficult to get into your house than before. If you want to give me the code or a key, that would make things so much easier.”

I turned my head and tried to keep control of myself.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I saw them. But I’ll definitely have something to look forward to when I return.” My jaw hurt from how tightly I was gritting my teeth, trying to force the words out. “I’m assuming you’ll be there when I get back?”

“Of course I will. You better go rehearse before the competition tomorrow. You wouldn’t want to be the reason the Sugarplum Sweethearts lose this year, would you?”

I opened my mouth but no words came out as the line went dead. Tears filled my eyes as I looked helplessly around the room.

“Who the fuck is this guy?” Aiden growled, looking from Tony to Patrick.

I covered my face in my hands, not wanting them to see me cry as the cushion beside me shifted with Aiden’s weight as he sat down and wrapped his arms around me.

“We were able to trace the call this time,” Patrick said.

“Where did it come from?” Tony asked.

“He’s here. In Sugarplum Falls. Exact location is the mall.”

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