Page 54 of Unbroken Promises

“Here! Look at this!” He shoves the paper in my face, and I grab it with a scowl, moving it down slightly, so that I can see more than just a blur of letters as I quietly read the words out loud. . .

“I see the way you watch her from the shadows. Did you think I wouldn’t know? Do you think that I’m stupid? That I wouldn’t find out about your voyeuristic tendencies? I’m . . .”

I pause, jaw dropping in shock, and glance up quickly at Theo as he finishes reading the words on the page.

“I’m the true ghost here, not you.”

“That note was left for me a few months ago. I didn’t make the connection at first, when you called me your ghost. I knew it sounded familiar butcouldn’t remember why. But this! This right here! I know Finn suspected your stalker and my blackmailer were the same, but this confirms it. Not only that, we might be able to use this to figure out who the bastard is!”

His excitement is infectious, it’s hard not to feel it when it seems we have some sort of tangible connection between the two.

“But wait, you said you started receiving letters back starting the summer we were dating?”

“Well, technically, I received my first one at the end of hockey season. Found the first note in my locker when I was cleaning it out, and then came out to find an envelope waiting for me in my car. Why?”

Looking down at the papers strewn across his desk, I finger the torn edge of the one closest to me. “I didn’t receive my first note until October, almost six months later. At the time, I had chalked it up to an overenthusiastic fan. The notes and gifts were all rather innocuous, at first.”

I frown, lost in thought as I try to muddle through the confusing pieces in my head. “So, what changed? Why start sending me letters six months after you had been receiving yours? And why the different tone, if they were coming from the same person? Mine didn’t become overtly threatening until earlier this year, so what changed?”

“It’s definitely something we need to find out. But first, we need to narrow down who knows that you call me your ‘ghost’.”

Theo pulls out his phone, typing away as he speaks. “I’m updating Jayce and Darrion; letting Finn know as well. I’ll bet he is going to have a field day with this new information.”

ChapterFifty-Four

Danica

Ashort time later, I find five sets of eyes peering at me intently as we all gather around Theo’s dining room table.

“Alright KC, I need you to think back, who have you spoken with about Theo since moving to Seattle? Anyone at all, could be the most innocent of conversations, anything could be helpful.”

Finn glances back down to his laptop as he types away, making note of anything that I say that could possibly be useful.

I pause, taking time to consider his words. “I don’t talk about Theo much; haven’t really, to anyone outside of our group.”

Theo’s grimace as he mutters under his breath, “Ouch,” is almost enough to make me laugh, but I continue, trying to act as if I didn’t notice.

“Obviously, he has been a point of discussion in the past with both you and Jonathan. Aside from you guys, however,” I gesture broadly in the direction of where Finn and Roberts are sitting, referring to Finn’s team in general, “the only other people I can think of, would be Sierra and Quincy, Bash, and Caleb. And Elena.”

At the mention of his mother’s name, Theo throws me an inquisitive look, but I ignore him. “There isn’t anyone else I would really talk about him with. And honestly, up until recently, I hadn’t spoken of him much at all, not since everything first happened after moving to Seattle, when I found out he was . . .” I search for the right words, “. . . keeping an eye on me in hisfree time.”

Finn just nods, not pausing as he continues his notations. “And T- I know you have received a lot of notes over the years, but can you recall when you received that one, specifically?” He gestures vaguely in the direction of the threatening note lying in the middle of the table that refers to him as my ghost.

“Oh yeah! That was just a few weeks ago, back when we-” Darrion interrupts excitedly, but hesitates, shooting me a weary look. “Uh, when we met up with Jerry.”

I don’t miss the daggers that Theo is sending Muscle’s way (or rather, Darrion), and the man just smiles sheepishly in response, as he shrugs. “Sorry, boss.”

Weird.

“Alrighty, then. Anyway, as myfriendhere was saying,” Theo continues on Darrion’s behalf, “that note came just a couple of weeks ago. We investigated it, but came up empty-handed at the time.”

“Right. So, the note led you to Jerry but you weren’t able to get any information out of the dude. Got it.” Never one to beat around the bush, Finn gets right to the point. Ah. Okay, got it.

Theo glances over at Finn exasperatedly. “Come on, man!”

Pausing now, Finn looks up at Theo, whose eyes are widened in an exaggerated manner, and I can’t help it. This time, I do laugh.

“Theo, I got it. I told you; I already know. I think everyone in the room here knows, so if we can all stop walking on eggshells around me and acting as if I don’t know what the rest of you know, I am sure this whole conversation would go a lot more smoothly. I’m fine.”

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