Page 6 of Blackstone's Heart
"Eth...Ethan?" Krista said.
"Hello Krista." Ethan smiled softly.
Krista barely stopped the shudder that came over her at that husky baritone voice. Hearing her name on his lips had always sounded so erotic to her and now was no different. Maybe it was the look he had in his eyes when he said it. Or the deep, almost gravely timber of his voice. She would never know for sure, but even now it still made her heart skip and heat filled her body.
"You look good Ethan." She smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"You too Krista." Ethan nodded moving closer. "So, you're an author now? Can't say I'm surprised really."
Krista couldn't help but laugh. "Well between you and my brothers I got lots of practice. Oh, and you forgot something Ethan. I’m not JUST an author, I’m a BEST-SELLING author.” She teased with a wink, causing both men to laugh. “Well, let's go in. I just made some coffee."
Krista turned and went to gather up her things from the glider and the coffee table. The whole time she could fell Ethan's blue-grey eyes on her. Even after all this time she felt drawn to him. Had always felt drawn to him. Ethan had been her older brother's Jax and Hayden's best friend. Jax was a year and half older than Hayden and Ethan, but the three had been inseparable until Jax headed off to college. She was a year younger than Hayden and Ethan but had insisted on following the three boys everywhere.
It was comical as she recalled those years. Once they realized she wasn't going to go away, the boys had taken her under their wing. They had taught her to fish, shoot, ride dirt bikes and motorcycles as well as fight. It had been Ethan who taken an interest in showing her to fight with the best of them. Jax hadn't liked it, but decided it would be good if his baby sister could defend herself.
"What brings you two by?" Krista questioned, pushing back memories of the past as the two men sat at the table and she went about pulling down two more coffee mugs.
"I went to Ethan for help." Nicholas stated, jumping right in.
Sitting the mugs on the counter with a hard clank, she spun to face her father. "Wait. You went to Blackout Security? Dad, why on earth..."
"Krista, there's more." She frowned, and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched her father run his hands through his salt and pepper hair. He suddenly looked much older than his sixty-four years. She waited for Nick to continue. "Honey, I..."
"You what Dad? Just tell me." Krista pushed, feeling bad for her tone but needing to know why in the hell her own father had gone to Blackout Security.
"I've been receiving letters too. They're from the same man."
Krista felt her mouth gape open and eyes widen. Had she heard him right? "You’re...what?"
"Yes," Nicholas nodded, reaching into his briefcase. Krista moved and plopped into the chair next to him. "They started about a month ago. He said the F.B.I. would not find him and that I couldn't keep you from him. I went to the police at first, but the letters kept coming and said to stay away from the police. I had to do something Krista."
"Where are the letters Dad? I want to see them for myself." She demanded. “You went to Ethan after yesterday didn’t you?”
Nick simply nodded as he pushed the letters toward her. Krista took the letters and began reading them. She felt her temper increasing the more she read. After the last letter, she jumped to her feet, causing her chair to topple back and clatter to the floor. Krista felt both men’s eyes one her and she slammed the last letter onto the table, causing coffee cups to rattle.
"Son of a bitch. That son of a bitch." She growled as she began pacing. "Okay, he knows who I am and that you're my dad. Yet still he's contacting me as Kris James. Why?"
"Kris, I'm sorry I didn't tell you..." Nicholas began to apologize.
"Dad, I'm over that part. I know you were just trying to not stress me out more because of the book release and all. I get it." She smiled softly at him. "Now, I want to know why he keeps writing to Kris James despite knowing the truth. What is he trying to accomplish here?"
Her head turned when Ethan cleared his throat. "Nick said the Feds seem think it's to keep you and Nick guessing and I would agree. It also sounds like he's watching Nick at least, possibly even you. All your fan mail goes through your agent right?"
Krista nodded. "Yeah, Jerry, Jerry Summerland. Whenever a letter arrives he takes the original to the FBI for analysis and they make a copy for him to bring to me. He and I have been combing through every piece of mail I get, just in case the guy tries to contact me some other way or has a partner. So far nothing. Just the letters and the occasional gift. All the letters appear to be written by the same hand and they all have the same dark tone."
"That's smart Krista." Ethan smirked, clearly impressed by her thoroughness. "Do you still have the copies of the letters?"
"Not here, the copies are locked in Jerry's office. I can call them and tell them to share if you want." She replied. “If you want, I’ll even text Jerry and have him get the copies.”
"For the moment just reach out to Feds. At least we may be able to establish some kind of timeline. After I talk to them, I might change my mind about those copies, but for now just have your agent sit on them. How do you sort your fan mail when you get it?" Ethan instructed.
"Well, when the letters started becoming darker, we started sorting the fan mail by his letters. Any other fan mail that arrived with his letters were kept together and marked by the date. Any fan mail that arrived in-between his letters is put in another group, again based on the date Jerry received them." Krista explained.
Krista turned and grabbed her phone off the counter as Ethan and her dad talked quietly. As she texted the two agents about the letters, she tried to catch her breath.'Christ Ethan is still hot as hell. He's bigger than I remember. God I feel like I'm a kid again with a crush.'She thought. She snuck a quick peak at him while waiting for a reply.‘And the way he gave that order about the letters. Hot damn!’
"Krista,"
"Yeah Dad?" Krista asked looking up from her phone and blanking her face as her dad stood.
