Page 70 of (Un)Spoken

“No,” I said, refusing to let him see me waver.

“Don’t you get it?” Adam snapped. “You should want to go. You should fucking hate me, Tori. I put you and Emilia at risk because I was too fucking reckless to walk away.”

“No,” I repeated, stepping into his space. He shuddered as I placed my hands on his chest, my thumbs running over the wrinkled fabric. “You did nothing wrong, Adam. The police are going to find this person and then–”

“No, they’re not.” His pain-filled eyes met mine. “I’ve been down this road before, Tori, with a much bigger police force with more tools at their disposal. Iftheycouldn’t find the person responsible, how will this one?” I rolled my lips together, looking over the group gathered in his home. They did seem lost, unsure where to even start with a case of this magnitude. “This is never going to stop.”

“Yes, it will,” I insisted. “If the police can’t figure it out, we will. We’ll look through everything and find who’s watching you.”

“You’re not getting involved,” Adam said, but I continued.

“If they’ve been watching you, then there has to be some evidence. Maybe one of Cole’s cameras picked them up, coming in or leaving the property?—”

“Goddamnit, Tori, I saidno.”

My lips quivered as I met Adam’s furious stare, not used to having him upset at me. And even though I knew he was angry at the situation, not me, my temper rose in response. “Then what do you want to do, Adam? Run away and bury your head in the sand? What good is that going to do?Clearly, this person is willing to follow you. You can’t let them steal your life away.”

“You don’t get it,” he said, shaking his head.

“Then explain it to me!” I exclaimed. “Because all I can see right now is a man who is giving up. And that’s not you, Adam. Remember? You fight for everything in your life? Then fight, dammit! Push through this fear and fight for us, for this life we’re creating together.”

“I can’t.”

“You won’t,” I bit back. We stared each other down, neither one of us giving an inch. As my anger started to recede, all that was left was my breaking heart crumbling to ash in front of him. My lip trembled as I stared up at him. “Why won’t you try?”

“Because I can’t risk something happening to you,” he quietly admitted. He reached out and brushed his thumb along my cheek. “Don’t you get it, trouble? I’d give up everything rather than risk your safety, for even a minute. If this was just about me, yeah, I’d fight like hell. But it’s your picture up there right next to mine. I put a target on your back, and for that, I’ll never forgive myself. So please, do this for me.”

“You stubborn idiot,” I hissed through my teeth. My hand reached up, gripping the back of his hair. “Do you think I feel any differently about you? Your safety matters to me, Adam Rice, and I’m not letting some lurker in the darkness take you from me. Not today, not ever. Do you understand?”

He shook his head. “You have Emilia, Cole, a whole family to worry about–”

“And you,” I insisted, bringing my forehead to his. “You are my family, Adam. I walked away from my family once, and it’s taken me almost a decade to get it back. I’m notrisking that with you, Adam. I want a lifetime of loving you, and I’m not letting anyone steal a minute of our time together.”

His dark blue eyes studied me, looking for doubts, but he would never find one. I’d risk everything for him: my heart, my body, and so much more. Because there was no doubt in my mind that this man was my forever, and I’d never let him face his demons alone again.

Adam sighed as his hands found my waist, pulling me closer. “A lifetime, huh?”

“You said you wanted my future,” I said. “I’m more than happy to give it to you.” My fingers tightened in his shirt, holding him close. “Because I love you, Adam.”

“Yeah?” I could feel a tentative smile form on his face. “Even with all of this?”

“Yes,” I answered, peering up at him through my lashes. “No matter what comes next, I’m with you. Every step of the way.” I flicked his shoulder. “So stop trying to send me away when you need me the most.”

He exhaled, crushing me against his chest. I could feel the relief radiating off him, knowing I wasn’t about to abandon him during his darkest moment. “I love you too, Victoria Campbell, with every broken and frayed part of me. And no matter what happens next, I’m with you too.”

“Good,” I said, lifting my head to softly kiss him. “Then let’s figure out who is responsible for this mess and put an end to it, once and for all.”

FORTY-ONE

“Holy shit,” Theo hissed from behind his computer screen as he flipped through hundreds of my emails from my stalker. “This is…extreme, to say the least.”

An hour after the police declared my cabin an active crime scene, my entire group of friends gathered in Alex and Cole’s living room, ready to discuss what had happened. I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to talk openly about what had gone down, but after a long phone call with Dr. Kedir, it was clear it was time. I’d grabbed the envelope filled with emails and letters before leaving my cabin, at least the ones I had kept just in case. There were still a few more sitting in an evidence box in the police precinct in the city, but after months with no word, I was sure they wouldn’t give us any more insight.

Victoria stood at my shoulder the entire time I spoke, her hand never straying too far from my back. If I hadn't already known I was in love with this girl, tonight would have cemented that fact. I was prepared for her to run away, closing off my heart so she couldn’t destroy it as she left. The last thing I expected was for her to demand to stay atmy side and help me track down the person responsible for so much pain.

Maybe it was selfish of me to hold on so tight, but in truth, I couldn’t get through this without her. She was my port in the middle of the storm, my light guiding me to safe passage. Without her, I would have let the darkness absorb me, falling back into the crater I created months ago.

When I finished, Cole sat back on the couch, running his hand over his face. I knew he wasn’t happy she was still here, petrified his sister would get in my stalker’s crosshairs. But once she insisted it was her choice, there was nothing he could say to change her mind.

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