Page 4 of Blackstone's Heart
"Before she graduated college in 2009, she had published her first novel. In the last seven years she's published nearly a dozen more. Her genres are either romantic suspense or military romance. The last five have made to both the US and New York Times best seller lists."
Ethan should have been shocked, but he wasn't. In school she had always been good at essays and reports. She was the only reason he and her brothers made it through high school, because she usually wrote their damned papers for them.
"I'm following you so far, but how is Krista being an author put her in danger?" He asked Nick.
"Well, about a year ago, she gained a fan. It started innocently enough. Telling her how great her novels were, how captivated he was by her words. Then the letters became more frequent. She receives a letter a week now. Three months after they began, the gifts started. Stuffed animals, flowers a few times, even jewelry. She uses a pseudonym, Kris James.
"All her fan mail goes through her agent Jerry Summerland. He was her best friend in college and they even shared an apartment for two years in New York after graduation. Six months ago, the tone of the letters changed. Darker. Possessive. Telling her she and he belonged together. When that happened, Krista went to the F.B.I. There's an open investigation, but so far no leads." Nick paused and reached into his briefcase pulling out a stack of letters. "A month ago, I started receiving these."
Ethan pulled the letters to him. He just knew that whatever was in them he wasn't going to like it. Carefully he picked up the first letter. The postmark was from Houston and there was no return address. That immediately sent up a red flag. The address was for Nick's office downtown. He pulled out the first letter.
Your daughter is mine. The sooner she accepts that, that you accept that, the happier she will be. You need to convince her to write me back.
Ethan saw red now. Letter after letter, all saying variations of the same thing. Krista was his, that they would be together, nothing would keep them apart. Yet it was the final letter, dated only two days ago that nearly sent Ethan over the edge.
YOU BASTARD. THE F.B.I CAN'T PROTECT HER AND THEY WON'T FIND ME. YOU WILL PAY. KRIS WILL PAY. NOTHING WILL KEEP US APART.SHE AND I WILL BE TOGETHER. KEEP GOING TO THE POLICE, THE F.B.I, AND I WILL KILL YOU RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER. IF I CAN'T HAVE HER NO ONE WILL.
Ethan could hear his blood roaring in his ears, rage coiling in the pit of his stomach. Yet he couldn't understand why. After all he hadn't seen Krista since that first Christmas after he joined the Marines, yet there it was.
"Has Krista seen these?" Ethan asked, surprised at just how calm his voice sounded.
"No." Nick answered.
"Nick, I need to bring my team in on this." Ethan stated, noting the sharpness his voice had taken on.
"So you will help me?" Nick inquired, his voice hopeful.
"Yes Nick. We,Iwill help you." Ethan nodded, his voice cold and hard as steel. He clenched his fists at his sides. Unclenched them. Clenched them again. He finally unclenched them and moved to the phone on the conference table, picked up the receiver and called Gage. “Gage, get the rest of Alpha team and come to the conference room. Now!”
“Yes sir.”Gage responded, sounding surprised at the authoritve tone in Ethan’s voice.
***
Half an hour later Ethan studied his men and Nick as silence now filled the room. He had finally calmed down somewhat after the situation had been explained to his team. His eyes moved to each of his men. Gage, Lance "Hawkeye" Archer, Tony Pace, and Grant Whitney. They had been on the same MARSOC Raider team as him, he had been their Staff Sergeant and he trusted them with his life.
Tony let out a low whistle after reading the latest letter. He looked over at Nick. "Damn, this guy is nuts. Sir, how much does your daughter know?"
"I haven't told her about the letters I've been receiving since she's still receiving letters from him as well. She is however in the loop with the Feds. She told them that she would not be shut out of the investigation and if they tried, she would stop cooperating and that they could go straight to hell." Nick laughed.
Ethan and his guys laughed as well. "Oh, I like her already." Tony grinned.
It was Gage who spoke next. "This subject has found out that Kris James and Krista Jameson are one in the same. Do you or your daughter have any ideas how he managed that?"
Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "None. When she does public appearances and photo shoots, she does so in disguise. A wig, contacts and such. The letters to her are still being addressed as Kris James, yet the letters to me clearly show this man knows she's my daughter."
"Why the disguise to begin with?" Hawkeye inquired, a lifted brow the only show of expression on the man’s face.
"Because of my position as D.A. I've put a lot of people behind bars during my career. Krista wasn't going to make herself a bigger target for someone looking for revenge or looking for a ransom from the wealthy District Attorney." Nick explained.
Ethan slowly paced the room. Though he saw logic in Krista's thinking and Nick's reasoning for not telling her, he knew she would have to be told. Especially if they wanted her cooperation on this thing. He slid a hand over his buzz cut in frustration at the whole situation. His shoulders felt tense. His gut a boiling cesspool of rage. He looked up when Grant spoke again.
"Mr. Jameson, why haven't you told your daughter about these letters? It sounds like you and she keep very little from each other."
Nick's shoulders sank. It broke Ethan's heart seeing this usually strong and fierce man look so dejected. Nick lifted his head. "I didn't want to add to her stress. She has a new book due for release in just a few weeks. On top of these letters, she's still prepping for the release."
"Where is Krista now?" Ethan questioned, trying to keep his voice professional and level.
"She moved back home to Austin just last year. She bought a house two streets from her mother and I. Her agent Jerry came with her to man the Austin branch office of the publishing house which is based in New York." Nick answered, his eyes boring into Ethan's. "Please Ethan, please help me protect my daughter."
