“No, thanks. We’re—”
“Yes, actually,” I bite out, cutting David off. “Alargeglass of white wine would really be appreciated.”
“Of course, I’ll get that right away.”
“Hadley sent you here, didn’t she?” I question when the woman has gone to get my drink, finally giving David my attention.
“She did.”
“You work for her?”
“Hawk, actually.” I wince. Even hearing his name hurts my chest. Hadley quickly learned not to bring him or Wilder up in conversation, and on the odd occasion when I visited her, she always ensured they weren’t around. Or perhaps they have been avoiding me as much as I’ve been avoiding them. Either way, hearing Hawk’s name after so long is… jarring. It’s both unwanted and savored all at once. “But I’m here under Hadley’s orders.”
I nod, my thoughts churning as the flight attendant returns with my glass of wine. I wait until we’re alone again before taking a sip and voicing them aloud. “She told you about the stuff at college.”
“She was worried about you.”
Sighing, I return my attention to the blue sky and the blanket of white clouds outside my window. I should have known Hadley would overreact.
Except, given today… maybe it wasn’t an overreaction. Maybe she was right to be concerned. Maybe I wasunder-reacting—making light of a hazardous situation and waving it off as if it was nothing.
“Is your name even David?” I hiss, angry at all the secrets and deception.
He winces, an apology in his eyes, giving me an answer before he even so much as opens his mouth. “It’s Kai.”
I roam my eyes over his handsome, boy-next-door features. Kai. It suits him, much more than David. Not that there was anything wrong with David, he just never seemed like a David to me.
I shake my head, too tired to care that he lied about his name. “I thought, now that I’d graduated, it would stop,” I explain. The feeling of being watched. The flowers. The gifts.
“Has there been anything else since you finished college?”
“You mean other than a severed finger and my boyfriend's possible limb removal or death?” I sigh. “No.” I haven’t received anything since I moved into my new apartment. Not until today.
“Em, Richard’s dead. You may as well get that into your head now.”
I practically give myself whiplash with how quickly I turn on him, nearly spilling my drink in the process. “You don’t know that! How can you possibly know that?! He could be chained up in a basement somewhere! Or maybe they just took his finger, and he’s in the hospital right now, unconscious and unable to contact me.” Hysteria raises its ugly head as tears overflow and run down my cheeks. “We just left him there. I didn’t even try to help him.” I duck my head, wiping at the tears, annoyed that I’m completely falling apart in front of this hot stranger.
“Do you remember that guy you slept with freshman year?”
“Fucking hell, you just know everything about me, don’t you?” I gripe, buying time as I struggle to compose myself. I remember him, in any case. Ben. He was the first guy I slept with after Hawk and Wilder. One of thosejust rip-the-Band-Aid-offsituations. I figured if I just got the first one over with, it would get easier. Spoiler alert, it didn’t. I tried again with a couple of other guys before finally giving up… until Richard. “What about him?”
“Did you know he transferred schools?”
“So? What does that have to do with me?”
“He transferred because someone threatened to sabotage his scholarship.”
“What?” I ask, incredulous. “How do you even know that?”
“I asked him. And guess what?”
“What?” This time the question comes out with an edge of wariness.
“The other two guys you dated also transferred shortly after meeting you.”
“That doesn’t...” I trail off, shaking my head. “That’s not possible.” But even I can’t deny it doesn't look good. “And what does that have to do with Richard being d-dead?”
“The second guy you dated, his family was threatened and a fire was started in the family home. Thankfully, no one was inside at the time.” My brows furrow, but he continues. “The third guy was beaten with a baseball bat, bad enough to require hospital admission. There’s a clear pattern of escalation.”