Chapter 40
FORTY
“Did you see anyone suspicious while you were attending the Festival?”
The police officer sat on the opposite side of the kitchen table, studying me as he asked dozens of questions. But as much as I tried to pay attention, I could barely hear what he said. My mind was too chaotic, too busy trying to figure out when things had gone so wrong.
If you had asked me an hour ago if I would be sitting in the remnants of Adam’s ruined cabin answering questions from the police, I would have thought you had lost your mind.
Yet, here I was, still trying to reconcile the image in front of me with the events of the day. I could barely even look behind me, too traumatized by the sight of Adam’s bed covered in some harsh substance. Even with the windows and doors all open, the smell remained, making my stomach twist and turn. How had the place where I had experienced so much pleasure and joy been warped into a scene straight out of my nightmares?
“I already told you!” Adam’s voice rang out from the balcony. “I don’t fucking know! Do your damn job and figure it out!”
I flinched at his tone, hating the desperation covering every word. Even from two rooms away, I could feel his anger, feel how vulnerable and violated he felt. When I first arrived, I knew something was wrong, finding Adam almost despondent on the front porch with his cell phone still in hand. I tried to go inside and see for myself, but he held me back, not letting me take a step inside the cabin until the cops arrived.
But even after seeing him so distraught, nothing could have prepared me for the sight inside. The words carved into the wall cut a hole deep in my chest, making it hard even to breathe.
Even though the police were hesitant to say the word stalker, I knew Adam and I were thinking the same thing—it was the same person who had been tormenting him in the city. Our conversation about his stalker from weeks ago came rushing back to me, and I could remember the fear in his eyes. He’d fought like hell to get away from them, and was just starting to regain his confidence in the world. For so long, his stalker hadn’t made any moves against him, so we assumed they were gone for good. But now, it appeared they were just biding their time. The pictures proved they’d been following him, us , all this time, lying in wait for the moment to attack.
“Miss?” the officer asked from the seat across from me.
I shook my head to clear my mind. “Sorry, I’m having trouble focusing.”
“I understand,” he answered solemnly. “About the festival—was there anyone who stuck out to you? Who seemed out of place?”
“No,” I sighed. “We met a lot of people today. I didn’t get a weird feeling or anything from anyone, but I also wasn’t really looking that closely.”
The officer noted something in his notebook as the front door burst open, my brother appearing on the other side. He scanned the area, and his relief was evident when he met my eyes. Without a word, he crossed the room and pulled me into his arms. He leaned back, scanning my face. “Are you okay? What happened?”
I shook my head. “I’m fine, just a little rattled. Emilia?”
“She’s good,” he breathed. “Cam brought her and Hadley over to my house. When I left, she was sleeping soundly in the guest room.”
“Good,” I sighed, pressing my hand to my chest. It was a slight relief to know she was in good hands and away from all this chaos. As Cole watched me, I took a step back, wrapping my arms around my middle. “You should go check on Adam. He’s barely hanging on. I’m afraid he’s going to snap pretty soon.”
Cole nodded, watching his friend through the pane of glass. “Did you know this was happening?”
“I knew that something happened in the past, but he was hopeful it was over.” I smiled softly up at him. “Sorry, I can’t say anything more than that. It’s not my story to tell.”
Cole stared at me, worry and fear etching his brow. “Look, I know you two are together, but maybe you should think about getting out of town until all this clears up. I don’t want you or Emilia in any danger.”
“No,” I insisted, steeling my shoulders to face him. “I’m not leaving Adam, not when someone is threatening him because of me.”
“That’s precisely why you should go,” Cole insisted, rubbing his brow. “Clearly, this fucking psycho is pissed you’re dating Adam. This time, they came after him, but what are you going to do if they start to target you? What if something happens to Emilia?”
“I…I–” My voice stuttered, unsure how to even answer his questions. It felt like my heart was being torn in two. My primary duty was to my daughter, to make sure she was safe no matter what. And even though I knew leaving was the best option, my entire heart rebelled at the thought of leaving Adam. There was no way I could walk away, not when he needed me most. “Cole, I can’t–”
“He’s right.”
My head whipped to Adam, finding him now standing in the doorway. His eyes were rimmed red, and raw anger radiated off his body. I stepped closer to him, needing to soothe some of his pain, but he held his hand out, stopping me from coming any closer. “You need to go home, Tori. You shouldn’t be here.”
I swallowed, bowing my head. “That’s fine. I can head up to my apartment. Call me when you need to crash, and you can stay with me.”
As I turned, Adam’s voice called out, “No.” I turned, meeting his stern expression. He continued, “I meant you should take Emilia and go back to Texas.”
“What?” I snapped. “How can you even say that?”
Adam stared at me, his gaze set and determined, without saying a word. The rest of the room faded away as we faced off, our anxieties and fears blending into desperation. Before either of us could speak, one of the police officers came to Cole’s side. “Sir, are you the owner of this establishment?”
“Not now,” Cole snapped.
“We just have to ask a couple of questions about your security system.” The cop swallowed, his nerves evident by the wobble in his throat. “Could you please come with us? ”
“Fine,” my brother grunted out. He pointed at Adam. “Make sure she’s safe.”
Adam nodded, but his eyes never left mine. This was the first time I hated being able to read him so well. I could see it all: his fear, his nausea, how much he wanted to protect me. But none of it was enough to send me away, not when my heart broke staring at this defeated version of the man I loved.
Between the weight of Adam’s stare and the hundreds of images of us watching our every move, I couldn’t stay inside the cabin for a moment longer. I pushed past Adam, heading to the balcony. I gripped the railing in my hands as I slowly inhaled, staring out at the lake like I often did, begging it for one more moment of peaceful tranquility. But it didn’t come. Not when my world felt like it was spiraling out around me.
I could feel Adam join me before I even turned around. As I shifted to face him, all my words died on my tongue. The look on his face silenced me. His nose flared, and his lips were flat, as if his whole body was tense beyond measure. I’d never seen this side of him, and if it was anyone else, I would have been terrified. But I knew Adam, knew the depth of his heart. He wasn’t trying to scare me—he was afraid for me.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Adam said, his voice gruff and unnerved. “But you need to go home, Tori.”
“I’m not leaving you right now,” I insisted. “Not when all of this is happening.”
“It’s my fault,” Adam dryly chuckled. “It’s my fucking fault that this is happening, Tori. I should have known. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could get my life back, but I should have known that was too much to ask. My therapist tried to warn me, but I refused to listen. And now look what happened.” He threw his arm out toward his bedroom. “So you need to leave. Get as much space from me as humanly possible.”
“No,” I said, refusing to let him see me waver.
“Don’t you get it?” Adam snapped. “You should want to go. You should fucking hate me, Tori. I put you and Emilia at risk because I was too fucking reckless to walk away.”
“No,” I repeated, stepping into his space. He shuddered as I placed my hands on his chest, my thumbs running over the wrinkled fabric. “You did nothing wrong, Adam. The police are going to find this person and then–”
“No, they’re not.” His pain-filled eyes met mine. “I’ve been down this road before, Tori, with a much bigger police force with more tools at their disposal. If they couldn’t find the person responsible, how will this one?” I rolled my lips together, looking over the group gathered in his home. They did seem lost, unsure where to even start with a case of this magnitude. “This is never going to stop.”
“Yes, it will,” I insisted. “If the police can’t figure it out, we will. We’ll look through everything and find who’s watching you.”
“You’re not getting involved,” Adam said, but I continued.
“If they’ve been watching you, then there has to be some evidence. Maybe one of Cole’s cameras picked them up, coming in or leaving the property?—”
“Goddamnit, Tori, I said no .”
My lips quivered as I met Adam’s furious stare, not used to having him upset at me. And even though I knew he was angry at the situation, not me, my temper rose in response. “Then what do you want to do, Adam? Run away and bury your head in the sand? What good is that going to do? Clearly, this person is willing to follow you. You can’t let them steal your life away.”
“You don’t get it,” he said, shaking his head.
“Then explain it to me!” I exclaimed. “Because all I can see right now is a man who is giving up. And that’s not you, Adam. Remember? You fight for everything in your life? Then fight, dammit! Push through this fear and fight for us, for this life we’re creating together.”
“I can’t.”
“You won’t,” I bit back. We stared each other down, neither one of us giving an inch. As my anger started to recede, all that was left was my breaking heart crumbling to ash in front of him. My lip trembled as I stared up at him. “Why won’t you try?”
“Because I can’t risk something happening to you,” he quietly admitted. He reached out and brushed his thumb along my cheek. “Don’t you get it, trouble? I’d give up everything rather than risk your safety, for even a minute. If this was just about me, yeah, I’d fight like hell. But it’s your picture up there right next to mine. I put a target on your back, and for that, I’ll never forgive myself. So please, do this for me.”
“You stubborn idiot,” I hissed through my teeth. My hand reached up, gripping the back of his hair. “Do you think I feel any differently about you? Your safety matters to me, Adam Rice, and I’m not letting some lurker in the darkness take you from me. Not today, not ever. Do you understand?”
He shook his head. “You have Emilia, Cole, a whole family to worry about–”
“And you,” I insisted, bringing my forehead to his. “You are my family, Adam. I walked away from my family once, and it’s taken me almost a decade to get it back. I’m not risking that with you, Adam. I want a lifetime of loving you, and I’m not letting anyone steal a minute of our time together.”
His dark blue eyes studied me, looking for doubts, but he would never find one. I’d risk everything for him: my heart, my body, and so much more. Because there was no doubt in my mind that this man was my forever, and I’d never let him face his demons alone again.
Adam sighed as his hands found my waist, pulling me closer. “A lifetime, huh?”
“You said you wanted my future,” I said. “I’m more than happy to give it to you.” My fingers tightened in his shirt, holding him close. “Because I love you, Adam.”
“Yeah?” I could feel a tentative smile form on his face. “Even with all of this?”
“Yes,” I answered, peering up at him through my lashes. “No matter what comes next, I’m with you. Every step of the way.” I flicked his shoulder. “So stop trying to send me away when you need me the most.”
He exhaled, crushing me against his chest. I could feel the relief radiating off him, knowing I wasn’t about to abandon him during his darkest moment. “I love you too, Victoria Campbell, with every broken and frayed part of me. And no matter what happens next, I’m with you too.”
“Good,” I said, lifting my head to softly kiss him. “Then let’s figure out who is responsible for this mess and put an end to it, once and for all.”