Chapter 45
FORTY-FIVE
A chime came from my phone, forcing me to open my weary eyes. I had no idea what time it was, feeling exhausted even after resting. I was still on Alex’s couch, curled up against the backrest. My eyes fluttered closed again, begging for a little more sleep. But my phone jingled again, and I groaned, reaching out to grab it on the coffee table next to me. As I opened the screen, I looked around the room, finding Javi and Gray asleep on the armchairs across from me. Adam was nowhere to be found, a pillow underneath my head where his lap used to be.
At first, I assumed he’d gone back to work, but that hope died in my chest when I saw his name on my phone’s screen.
ADAM:
Hey Victoria, need you to meet me at Theo’s office. No time to explain, but we found something you’re going to want to see.
“Victoria?” I whispered as I reread it, alarm bells blaring in my mind. There was only one other instance I could think of when Adam called me by my full name, and that was because he was trying to respect my boundaries. Other than that, I was always Tori or trouble to him. I continued to stare at the text, searching for hidden clues until my eyes felt dry. Despite his plea, something stopped me from reaching back out to him. I tried to call his number, but there was no answer. The line rang a couple of times, and then it went to voicemail.
I clicked off the call and followed the sound of voices into the kitchen, where I could tell Cole was having a quiet but tense conversation with Alex. His arms were wrapped around his chest, and he glared at her, disappointment written all over his features. When I crossed the threshold, everyone’s eyes darted to me, all in various shades of guilt and shame.
“What happened?” I asked.
Cole glared at Alex until she sighed and shifted closer to me. “Adam went to check on Theo at his office. We were concerned because he hadn’t responded to any of Calla’s texts, and you know that’s not like him. He’s been gone almost thirty minutes, and now, neither of them are answering their phones.”
“I just heard from Adam,” I said, holding up my phone. “He texted and asked me to meet him at Theo’s office, but something doesn’t feel right.”
Cole shook his head as he placed his palms on the counter. “How so?”
“It’s more of a feeling than any hard facts,” I said, pulling the text chain to show them the message. “He called me Victoria, which Adam never does.”
“He always calls you Tori,” Cole finished my thought, staring daggers at the screen. “Feels too convenient, like it might be a trap.”
“I agree, but it doesn’t matter,” I said, tucking my phone in my back pocket. “If he’s there, then I’m going. Adam could be hurt, could be–” I couldn’t finish the thought, unwilling to even bring those words to life. Adam had to be okay; we had too much to look forward to, too much life left to spend together. I refused even to entertain any other option. “I have to go.”
Everyone tried to stop me, but no matter what they said, nothing mattered to me. At least, not until Calla stepped in my way. She placed her hands on my shoulders, “I get it, Tori. It’s taking everything in me not to go rushing over there when I know Theo might be hurt.” She lowered her gaze to meet my eyes. “But we have to be smart about this. Even if they are in danger, the last thing they’d ever want would be for us to take that risk.”
I placed my hands on top of hers, holding her tight. “I can’t just stay here and wait to see if he’s okay. I need him, Calla. I need to see him, to tell him–” My throat closed as my eyes filled with tears, unable to stop my body from trembling. She pulled me in for a hug, holding me close.
“I know,” she whispered. “It’s killing me too. But we have something, and we’re getting close. I can feel it.”
As I cried in her arms, someone cleared their throat behind us. “I might be able to help with that.”
We shifted to face Devyn, who was holding a laptop in her arms. “I heard back from Jack about his client. He couldn't give us any details, but he did send over some of the messages with the pertinent information blacked out.” She showed the screen, “And with that, I also found a restraining order filed in Chicago five years ago. They’re public record.”
“What are you saying?” Calla asked.
“I have a name.” Devyn smirked. “If it’s the same person, we can find them. Right now.”
“There’s no one named Jennifer Portland in any of these directories,” Alex sighed as she pulled up another website. “Are you sure the restraining order was filed in Chicago?”
“Yup,” Devyn said, her fingers moving furiously over the keys of her laptop. “Most of the information is redacted, but I can see her full name and address. I’m finding no trace of her anywhere the past five years.”
“So she must have changed her name,” I groaned, pressing my palms into my eyes. We all sat at the dining room table, studying different computers in hopes of finding more clues about this stalker. As we read the messages from Jack, it was easy to see how Theo made the connection between his former client’s experience and Adam’s. The words in the notes weren’t just similar; they were identical—the same threats and pleas. Everything had almost been copied and pasted. But now, Jack’s client was home safe, while Adam was out there in the world, still not answering his phone. I shook my head, trying to resume my focus. “What about social media? Does she have an online profile?”
“Nothing,” Calla said, her voice tense with worry. Her head dropped to the table. “We’re never going to find her. This woman is a ghost.”
Alex reached out, placing her hand on top of Calla’s. “Keep going, Cal. Did you see anything in the footage I sent over?”
She shook her head. “I can see someone skulking outside Adam’s cabin, but it’s completely obscured. It looks like they came prepared, wearing all black, and their face is hidden the whole time.”
I glanced over to the living room, watching Cole pace as he tried to work out a plan with Gray. We were all hopeful the name would lead us to more clues about who we were dealing with, but if it didn’t, I refused to waste another moment. Cole was furious I was putting a clock on our search, but time was of the essence.
“God, that gives me high school flashbacks,” Alex teased, trying to lighten the heavy mood. “I had a disastrous experience with trying to dye my hair neon blue and wore a hoodie over my head for almost a month until it washed out.”
“Wait,” Devyn said, her head popping up. She pulled over Alex’s laptop, searching through the messages. “In this one, she says she first met Jack’s client in high school.” She started furiously typing, her smile growing with each click of the mouse.
“Something you want to share with the rest of us?” Alex called out.
“A lot of high schools are digitizing their old records and yearbooks to make them more accessible to alumni. Between that and Facebook pages for high school reunions, all I need is to know where they went to school. And considering this town is a smaller suburb of Chicago, with an eagle as a mascot, we shouldn’t have to search far to find any records… Got it. And if we look through the pages and tagged alumni…” She grinned. “I’ve got her. Jennifer Portland, class of 2014. And if I click here, I should find…Oh, fuck .”
“What?” I snapped as I ripped the laptop out of her hands. When the image came into view, my stomach bottomed out, and I had to hold my hand over my mouth to keep the limited contents inside of me.
“Oh my God,” Calla whispered, “Is that…”
“That’s Eloise,” Alex answered for her. “Different hair, maybe a tweak to her nose, but that’s definitely her.”
“I’m going to be sick,” Calla said as she burst out of the room, slamming the bathroom door behind her. I wasn’t faring any better, all my fears and anxieties crashing over me like a riptide. Adam called her a godsend, singing her praises when we met the other day. Even Emilia had met her—Eloise hugged her after she gave my daughter a couple of pieces of candy. She’d integrated herself into all our lives while all along, she was plotting to hurt the man I loved.
Devyn leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “She’s been around forever. I met her when Calla was still living in the city.”
“I thought she had a boyfriend,” Alex said, staring off into space. “She said she followed him to New York, but…” Her voice trailed off as she lifted her gaze to meet Cole’s. “Then she said he wanted to leave the city. That’s why she was willing to follow Theo up here.” She held her hand to her face. “Do you think she was talking about Adam?”
“Right now,” Cole said, “none of that matters. We’ve got to assume she subdued Adam and Theo somehow, and now, she’s using them to draw Tori out of hiding.”
“Then that’s what we do,” I said, standing up from the table. “We know who we’re facing, so we already have the element of surprise on our side.”
“Absolutely not,” Cole insisted. “We need to call the cops and let them handle it.”
“If we do that, both of them are probably dead.” Everyone turned to face Calla, who returned from the bathroom with renewed anger on her expression. “This bitch has been in my home. I hired her, let her into our lives. I refuse to let her take Theo and Adam from us. I’ll kill her first.”
“This is what we can’t do,” Cole said, running his hand over his face. “Look, I still think we should call the cops. But if no one else agrees, then we need a solid plan. Neither of you are running in there and risking yourselves. Theo and Adam would never forgive us.” He looked at Calla with a resigned expression. “You need to stay here.”
“Not a fucking chance,” she spat.
“Please,” Cole insisted. “There’s more to think about than just you and Theo. You need to stay safe, or Theo will skin me alive when he gets back.” He stepped closer to her, taking her hand in his. “I promise we’ll bring him back to you.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her chin quivering as she looked into his eyes. “Fine,” she eventually sighed. “I’m holding you to that, Cole.”
“I’d expect nothing less,” he said. “You helped Theo design the office, right?” She nodded. “Then we’re going to know everything. Leave no details out.”