Page 78 of (Un)Spoken

“Please,” I said, not caring that I was getting dangerously close to begging territory. I had too much to live for, too many people waiting for me to come home. As I closed my eyes, I pictured Victoria’s face, imagining her soft smile one more time. This was not how our story ended. With one desperate tug, the rope around my wrists slackened, and I was able to pull one of my hands out of it. But I kept themlocked together, taking a page from Eloise’s book, and waited for the ideal moment.

“Baby, we don’t have to die to make that dream come true.” I put on my most charming smile. “I screwed up before. I should have recognized you, known how much you meant to me. But I see you now, Eloise. How many mornings did we spend together in my cabin, talking about our lives? You were there for me through all of it.”

“I was?” Her eyes sparkled as they met mine, hope filling their formerly dead expression. “How come you never said anything?”

“I was struggling,” I admitted, “and didn’t think you’d be interested in me while I was trying to get my life back on track. Why do you think I was trying to take on new roles?” I said, injecting as much innocence as possible into my words. “It was to be a better man for you.”

“Aww, Adam,” she cried as she wrapped her arms around me. As her more petite frame crushed mine, I lifted my head, rearing it back as far as I could in this position. But it was enough that when I brought my forehead down on her nose, a loud crack echoed through the air, and blood gushed into my face and lips.

Eloise screamed as she recoiled from me, anger and hatred blaring deep in her eyes. But she stumbled, and it was just enough for me to finish undoing the rope around my wrist. As she scrambled to find her gun, I shoved off the wall and tried to grab it before she could aim. But I wasn’t quick enough; my fingers were only centimeters away when Eloise snatched it, and the last of my remaining hope died away.

She tutted her tongue. “Adam, you really shouldn’t have done that.” She leveled her gun at my chest. “You know, I was really trying to be nice. I was willing to let your littlebitch live. I do hate to think of her daughter growing up without her mother. But now you’ve gone and messed everything up.” She pulled up my phone, showing my text chain with Tori. “So maybe I’ll just have to bring her here and show you what happens when you upset me.”

FORTY-FIVE

A chime came from my phone, forcing me to open my weary eyes. I had no idea what time it was, feeling exhausted even after resting. I was still on Alex’s couch, curled up against the backrest. My eyes fluttered closed again, begging for a little more sleep. But my phone jingled again, and I groaned, reaching out to grab it on the coffee table next to me. As I opened the screen, I looked around the room, finding Javi and Gray asleep on the armchairs across from me. Adam was nowhere to be found, a pillow underneath my head where his lap used to be.

At first, I assumed he’d gone back to work, but that hope died in my chest when I saw his name on my phone’s screen.

ADAM:

Hey Victoria, need you to meet me at Theo’s office. No time to explain, but we found something you’re going to want to see.

“Victoria?” I whispered as I reread it, alarm bells blaring in my mind. There was only one other instance I could think of when Adam called me by my full name, and that was because he was trying to respect my boundaries. Other than that, I wasalwaysTori or trouble to him. I continued to stare at the text, searching for hidden clues until my eyes felt dry. Despite his plea, something stopped me from reaching back out to him. I tried to call his number, but there was no answer. The line rang a couple of times, and then it went to voicemail.

I clicked off the call and followed the sound of voices into the kitchen, where I could tell Cole was having a quiet but tense conversation with Alex. His arms were wrapped around his chest, and he glared at her, disappointment written all over his features. When I crossed the threshold, everyone’s eyes darted to me, all in various shades of guilt and shame.

“What happened?” I asked.

Cole glared at Alex until she sighed and shifted closer to me. “Adam went to check on Theo at his office. We were concerned because he hadn’t responded to any of Calla’s texts, and you know that’s not like him. He’s been gone almost thirty minutes, and now, neither of them are answering their phones.”

“I just heard from Adam,” I said, holding up my phone. “He texted and asked me to meet him at Theo’s office, but something doesn’t feel right.”

Cole shook his head as he placed his palms on the counter. “How so?”

“It’s more of a feeling than any hard facts,” I said, pulling the text chain to show them the message. “He called me Victoria, which Adam never does.”

“He always calls you Tori,” Cole finished mythought, staring daggers at the screen. “Feels too convenient, like it might be a trap.”

“I agree, but it doesn’t matter,” I said, tucking my phone in my back pocket. “If he’s there, then I’m going. Adam could be hurt, could be–” I couldn’t finish the thought, unwilling to even bring those words to life. Adam had to be okay; we had too much to look forward to, too much life left to spend together. I refused even to entertain any other option. “I have to go.”

Everyone tried to stop me, but no matter what they said, nothing mattered to me. At least, not until Calla stepped in my way. She placed her hands on my shoulders, “I get it, Tori. It’s taking everything in me not to go rushing over there when I know Theo might be hurt.” She lowered her gaze to meet my eyes. “But we have to be smart about this. Even if they are in danger, the last thing they’d ever want would be for us to take that risk.”

I placed my hands on top of hers, holding her tight. “I can’t just stay here and wait to see if he’s okay. I need him, Calla. I need to see him, to tell him–” My throat closed as my eyes filled with tears, unable to stop my body from trembling. She pulled me in for a hug, holding me close.

“I know,” she whispered. “It’s killing me too. But we have something, and we’re getting close. I can feel it.”

As I cried in her arms, someone cleared their throat behind us. “I might be able to help with that.”

We shifted to face Devyn, who was holding a laptop in her arms. “I heard back from Jack about his client. He couldn't give us any details, but he did send over some of the messages with the pertinent information blacked out.” She showed the screen, “And with that, I also found a restraining order filed in Chicago five years ago. They’re public record.”

“What areyou saying?” Calla asked.

“I have a name.” Devyn smirked. “If it’s the same person, we can find them. Right now.”

“There’sno one named Jennifer Portland in any of these directories,” Alex sighed as she pulled up another website. “Are you sure the restraining order was filed in Chicago?”

“Yup,” Devyn said, her fingers moving furiously over the keys of her laptop. “Most of the information is redacted, but I can see her full name and address. I’m finding no trace of her anywhere the past five years.”

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