Page 72 of (Un)Spoken

“Thank me after we catch this asshole,” he grumbled, returning to his computer screen.

I peered over his side. “What are you looking at?”

“These emails from last year. I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something familiar about the language your stalker uses. I think an old client of mine might have had a run-in with someone similar.”

“Can you talk to them?” I asked. “Find out what happened?”

“I can try,” Theo groaned. “The problem is, I don’t represent them anymore. They stuck with Jack and the agency when he took over my old office.”

We both sighed, guessing this would probably be a dead end. Jack was Theo’s former co-worker, one he once considered a close friend. But when Theo needed him the most, Jack betrayed him and forced Theo out of the office he helped build. There was still a lot of bad blood between the two, so it was unlikely he’d be willing to help us out.

“Actually, there might be one way to get that information out of him.” Theo smirked as he leaned over, calling out into the other room, “Devyn, can you come here for a moment?”

She strolled into the kitchen, her usual frown firmly in place. I didn’t know Devyn as well as her sister,but everyone could tell they were polar opposites in most ways. Calla was always smiling, a human version of eternal sunshine, while you could never quite know what Devyn was thinking. She watched everyone like a snake poised to attack, and it made it hard to relax around her.

But I’d also seen the lengths she’d go for her sister and anyone else she cared for. Hell, she even rushed over here in the middle of the night, having no qualms about losing sleep over two people she barely knew.

“Need something?” Devyn asked as she leaned across the counter from us.

“You’re in contact with Jack, right?”

Her resulting smirk was utterly devious. “Yes, everything is in place. I’m just waiting for you to give the word.”

“It’s going to have to hold off a little longer,” Theo sighed. “We might need his help.”

“Who’s help?” Calla asked as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.

Theo’s gaze flickered to Devyn’s, and a rare moment of uncertainty crossed both of their features. It was Devyn who relented first. “We might need to call Jack.”

“What?” Calla gasped. “Why on Earth would you need to talk to that cretin? Do you think he’s involved?”

“No, I don’t think he’d dirty his hands with something like this, but he might have crossed paths with Adam’s stalker through one of his clients,” Theo answered. “I hate involving him as much as you do, but it’s worth the risk. He might give us something to go on. Because otherwise, we could be running in circles for a while.”

Calla hummed in understanding before turning to her sister. “And why are you the one contacting him? Didn’t you block him months ago after everything came to light?”

“I unblocked him.” She shrugged. “I needed him for a…specialproject, so I reached out and convinced him he might have another chance with me.”

“But he doesn’t, right?” Calla’s whole face paled. “I swear, if you get back together with that asshole…”

“Relax. He doesn’t have a chance in the world.” She waved off Calla’s concern. “I’m just letting him think he has one.”

“And what is he really doing?”

Devyn’s smile turned from devious to downright lethal. “Digging his own grave.”

FORTY-TWO

As the morning light started to climb over the hills, I reluctantly went to bed. Everyone else was still in the living room, mostly passed out in the chair or couch, where they’d been scouring through the evidence Adam had collected over the past year.

With each note I read, my heart broke a little more for him, hating that he’d gone through so much alone. But one thing was evident from the people camping out downstairs—that wouldn’t happen this time.

As I pushed open the guest room door, I smiled at Adam’s sleeping form. We’d forced him to call it a night first, knowing how much this had been weighing on him. Even in sleep, it looked like he’d gotten no relief, his brow furrowed and his body twisted, like he’d been fighting his demons in his dreams.

I laid down at his side, brushing back some of the dark blond tresses that stuck to his sweat-soaked skin. When I pressed a kiss to his brow, his eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to recognize me. But when he did, his bright smile made my heart melt, knowing this man was my person andthat we would see this through. There was no other option, not in my mind. I wouldn’t let him continue to live on edge, wondering when someone would strike out and take away his happiness.

Not after he’d done everything to bring mine back to me.

“Hey, trouble,” he said as he pulled me to his side. “What time is it?”

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