Page 109 of The Silent Note

“It was raining so I went through the garage, butsomeoneleft the door open.” He gives me a pointed look and I swallow sheepishly because I always forget to lock that door. “I went upstairs first, but I heard your voice. Something told me to checkwhat was going on. I changed directions and saw you staring at someone outside.”

“You saw me staring and just… knew the guy was a creep?”

“Where’s your wife?” His pointed look tells me he’s intentionally changing the topic and pissing me off in one fell swoop.

“I’m going upstairs,” I grumble. Marching past Finn, I take the first step and glance back.

Finn’s staring at the front door, his lips in a thin line and his nostrils flaring.

He definitely knows something.

But there’s nothing I can do for now except be patient. I know my brother too well.

Finn will protect us all with his life…

… And he won’t talk until he’s ready.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

GREY

I insist on meeting Hall in the park near the busy city center. I haven’t forgotten what he tried to do to me on the back steps of Redwood Prep. The creepy way he’d watched me, the taunting, the jeering… the fear that consumed me as he grabbed my hand and tried to drag me to his car…

It was real.

My brain hasn’t rewritten the memory of it or made it something better than it was.

Hall might be young, but his ill-intent was crystal clear. If Zane hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t have been able to fight him off.

Considering our tainted history, I’m not dumb enough to meet him in a private place nor am I interested in a repeat of that traumatic incident.

The park is brimming with activity which makes me feel a lot more secure. Nearby street lamps throw soft silver glows on the children squealing on the playground. Joggers dressed in baggy shirts and running shorts do their laps with sweaty faces and headphone-plugged ears.

I look past the ice cream stand, checking my phone. A few seconds ago, I let Theodore know I’d arrived, but he hasn’t responded yet.

Should I leave?

He sounded desperate on the phone.

I decide to look around first before leaving. I’m still not sure where I’m going to spend the night and I’d like to push off that decision for as long as possible.

Uncertainly, I walk across the park to some benches under a cluster of trees. It’s on the opposite side of the playground, much darker and quieter. However, I’m still in plain sight of the families at play and a security booth is close by.

I spot a figure hunching behind a tree. My steps slow as I squint into the fading sunset and watch his strange movements.

“Hall?” I whisper.

His eyes dart back and forth like a prisoner on the run. He flops around so he’s standing with his back flat against the trunk. T-shirt covered chest heaving, he squeezes his eyes shut.

“Theodore?” I abandon my earlier reservations and walk at a fast clip.

The junior’s eyes burst open and land on me. They widen on impact and he immediately glances behind me as if looking for someone.

Sloane gasps.“Whoa. He looked right at me. Think he can see me?”

“Did you come alone?” he croaks.

“Uh…”