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“Grayson?”
Feeling a little hysterical, I laughed. “No. Not Grayson.”
“The hacker? You can’t be serious.”
I showed her the message. “What should I do?”
“God, I don’t know!”
“You’re a lawyer! You must know something!” That made zero sense, of course.
“I’m an environmental lawyer! I’ve never experienced anything like this!” Jesus, she sounded as panicked as I felt. “Okay, okay. I’m going to make some more tea and we’ll figure this out.”
I sat down on the couch, my legs feeling like jelly. Scarlett came back a few minutes later with our tea. She sat next to me and took a deep breath.
“Show me again.” She held out her hand.
I handed her my phone, feeling a sense of dread wash over me.
“He says he knows what you’re up to. What does he mean by that? What could he think you’re up to?”
I shook my head. “No idea. I’m not up to anything. I’m hiding from a shadow, for fuck’s sake. Like, I don’t even feel like I can visit my brother. Grayson’s best people can’t find this guy. The authorities can’t trace him. Can’t even get so much as a first name. He’s literally a ghost.”
Scarlett waved my phone in the air. “Last I heard, ghosts don’t send text messages.”
I stared at her for a long moment, then snatched my phone from her hand. “Holy fuck! You’re right. I have to text back. See if I can get him talking. What should I say?”
“Are you sure about this?”
“No. Yes. Um, I don’t know.”
“Let’s think it through a bit, then. What’s the worst that can happen?”
I chewed my lip. “Okay, if things really go south, I’ve got back up.” I held up the burner phone Grayson had given me. “There are two bodyguards parked out front. I can be whisked out of here in five seconds flat.”
“Good. That’s good insurance. On the other side of the coin, the best that can happen is that you draw him out enough to get some identifying information on him.”
“Exactly. Okay then. I’m doing it. What should I say?”
“Ummm, just lead him on a bit. See what he has to say for himself.”
“I could say, ‘Chat about what?’ Or should I pretend I don’t know who he is?”
“Nah, skip all that. Let’s get straight down to business.”
“Okay, here goes nothing.”
Me:Chat about what?
I hit send and waited, my stomach tightening with anxiety. Scarlett looked worried, which did nothing for my nerves. “Fuck. What if he knows where I am?”
“He definitely knows where you are.” Scarlett’s tone was grim. “That’s why he sent the message.”
“Well, that’s reassuring.” My mind was a mess. This guy had accessed my school records, my hospital records, every fucking thing. Of course, he knew where I was.
“You’re safe here, at least.”
My phone pinged again, and I jumped, nearly spilling my tea.