The Promise (Wolfe Creek Duet #2)

19

THEA

Last night was a train wreck. My head feels like someone’s taking a railroad spike to it. I’m still wearing my costume and makeup. My mouth is dry. I smell like cigarettes. And no one’s fucked me.

I remember everything from the haunted house. Things start to get a little hazy at the club after I started drinking. I think I was dancing on a table and then I remember Adrian attacking a guy. Now, I’m lying awake in Sutton’s bed while he’s passed out. He drank even more than I did.

Nudging him, he grunts and rolls over.

Propping myself up, I squint against the sliver of light coming through the curtains. I should get up, instead I lay back down. I glance over at the nightstand, looking for my phone. I don’t find it, but there’s two empty bottles of whiskey and a gun.

My stomach twists. I’ve known Sutton for a long time. He’s not a drinker—not like that. His family issues are hitting him harder than I’ve realized. I stare at the back of his head as he sleeps peacefully. My sweet Sutton, I don’t know how to help him.

I do the only thing I can think of—I cuddle up behind him, wrapping him in my arms and nuzzling my face against his neck.

I really should go work out, I haven’t missed a day in a while. This is more important, though. Missing one day won’t make much of a difference, although I’m going to have to amp up my workouts if I want to stand a chance against Cole.

He said he’d be back on his birthday. That’s three days from now. I’m not exactly sure what he has in store for me, but it won’t be good. Slowly, over the last few days, I’ve pieced together a plan. I’m not sure how or if it’ll work, however, I don’t have many options at this point.

The detective is going to come back around as long as Gavin’s missing. And Cole’s set on tormenting me for as long as possible. So, I’ve found a happy medium. I’ll make Cole’s life a living hell, just like he made mine for all those months. I’ll turn his life upside down and then I’ll get rid of him. If I go down for Gavin’s disappearance, at least I’ll go down knowing that Cole’s out of the picture.

It’s probably a stupid plan and it may not work. But satisfaction rises inside me at the thought of dismantling his life. That’s what’s fueling me at this point. Even if I fail, at least I know I fought back… at least I can say I’m not weak.

I’ll need to start by tracking him. I need to find out where he lives and his routine. That’s what he did to me, after all. He watched me long before we started dating. Of course, I won’t be as obvious as him. I won’t leave him notes or taunt him like he did when he’d break into the studio. I’ll be smarter about it, so that he never sees it coming.

It’s not going to be easy. I have three boyfriends who are keeping an eye on me. There are security cameras all around the house and at the studio. I’m sure Damian is tracking my every movement. He slipped up when he was telling me how he was able to find me at the cabin, admitting that he put the tracker in my old satchel when he thought Gavin was becoming a problem.

I didn’t say anything at the time. There was so much more to deal with than his control issues and some twisted part of me was thankful that he’d done it. When I bought my new satchel, not wanting a reminder of the gift Cole gave me, I began checking it weekly. And sure enough, I found a new tracker in that one not long after I got it.

But Damian doesn’t do anything half-assed, especially since he nearly lost me once. I fully assume that he has a tracker in my truck as well. I haven’t looked for it, but I don’t really need to. Once I figured out that my phone’s location was being shared with him, I knew my truck wasn’t safe either.

I’m going to have to walk a line of half truths and I don’t know if I can pull it off. I’ll have to feed them small bits of information to make them think I’m not hiding anything. I thought I’d be able to keep Detective Williams a secret, but with the way he’s popping up, I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes knocking on the front door sometime soon.

That’ll make the guys scrutinize me more. So, I’m going to have to come clean about that. But I’ll downplay it to keep their worries at bay.

One thing I’ve learned from all of this is that the pact to share everything isn’t all it seems to be. They don’t share everything. We all have secrets—some more personal and harmless, while others, although dangerous, are to protect each other. What I’ve realized is that the pact means sacrificing yourself for the ones you care about. The pact is all about loving your family more than yourself. It’s something I’ve always longed for and it resonates deeply within me. So when I told Damian that I’d stay, I truly meant it. I’d stay, I’d fight, I’d protect, and I’d kill—for them.

What I’ve also realized is that I can’t keep doing things by myself. I’ve tried that and it landed me in a world of trouble—I’m lucky I made it out of that cabin. If I would have just told someone what I found on Cole’s computer that morning, I might’ve avoided almost dying. If I would have told Cassie, she would have seen what I was refusing to.

That’s why I’m going to tell her everything. I’m going to tell her about the letters, Cole’s visits, the detective, and my plan. I don’t know how she’ll react. Maybe she’ll talk some sense into me.

That’s probably what I need.

Cassie and I finished signing the closing papers on the property an hour ago—Olive Way is officially ours.

We stand looking out over the grounds. There’s a lot of work to do, but it’ll be worth it. Even more so because Cass is getting married here in a couple of weeks. Despite all the shitty things going on in my life, this is a bright light in the darkness.

The barn will need the most work. We walk through it, noting all the things that need fixing. Some of it can wait until after her wedding, but other things need immediate attention, like the roof.

“I just don’t know if we have enough time to do all of these renovations and manage our clients at the studio and plan a wedding,” Cassie plops down on a bale of hay, dropping her head into her hands. “How are we going to pull this off?”

This is a rare moment of her being overwhelmed. She usually has a pretty solid grip on things and figures it out. Still, this is a lot. That’s what I’m here for, though. “Hey.” I sit down next to her, placing my hand on her back. She looks at me, her brown eyes filled with worry. “Everything will be fine. Damian’s going to take care of the renovations. If I need a hundred guys here to get it all done in a day, then that’s what I’ll tell him. And he’ll do it.” I may be a little overconfident in my bargaining skills, but I’ll make it happen for her. “Let’s focus on the wedding. That’s more important right now. I know you don’t want to do it, but maybe pause on taking clients for the next few weeks.”

She gives me a look like I’m out of my mind.

“Take the clients you already have booked, but don’t pack your schedule.” I can tell she doesn’t like that, although I don’t think she has any other options.

“You’re right,” she finally concedes. “This will all work out.”

“It will!” I reassure.

We sit in silence for a few moments as I work up the nerve to tell her everything. I’m scared that she’ll be mad that I’m hiding things again. But I’m terrified that she’ll try to stop me and I can’t have her doing that.

“Is there something on your mind?” she asks. I look over to find her staring at me, brows creased.

It’s a risk I’m going to have to take. I can’t do this alone. At the very least, I need her to cover for me or if things go south, she can let the guys know what’s going on. “There’s something… some things I need to tell you. Please don’t be mad at me.”

Cass turns to face me.

“Cole’s been visiting me. He’s not dead.” I study her face, waiting for anger, shock, or something in between. Nothing. Her face smooths, if anything. She’s expressionless. “Did you hear me?” Maybe this is her version of shock.

She nods slowly. “I’ve been waiting for you to tell me about the letters.” Cassie throws her arms around my neck and pulls me in.

“Wait, what?” I ask. “How do you know about the letters? Why didn’t you say anything?”

My mind reels. I don’t understand.

She takes a deep breath. “Anthony was working in the bathroom last week and noticed that some of the ceiling tiles could use replacing. That’s when he found the box with the letters. I didn’t mean to snoop, but I’m glad I did. I was giving you time to come forward… to tell me. And I’m happy you did.”

I’m relieved that this isn’t news to her, although I’m surprised she didn’t confront me sooner, especially considering the circumstances. “Why didn’t you go to Damian?”

Cassie sighs. “Honestly, I considered it. I was upset that you were putting yourself in danger again. Cole’s a maniac. I’m not even sure how he’s managed to get close to you with all the cameras at your house and the studio. It was Anthony that convinced me to give you some time.”

“Anthony?” I don’t understand. Why?

“Yeah, I mean, he didn’t push for me to just wait around indefinitely. That wouldn’t be smart. But judging by the letters, it seemed like this had been going on for a few weeks. It didn’t seem like Cole was eager to do anything aggressive. Actually, he said it kind of seemed like he still wanted you. So he told me to give it a week, maybe ten days, to see if you’d come forward.” I process her words, yet I’m still bewildered. “Plus, he said he was going to work on tracking Cole down and take care of him himself.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “What? Take care of him?”

Cassie tilts her head and eyes me. I know what she means. I’m not obtuse, however, it doesn’t make sense. Why would Anthony do that? How could he do that?

I want to ask. Instead, she pulls me in for a hug. “Thank you for trusting me, Thea.” I’m too stunned to do anything. I hug her back, trying to find any words at all. Cass pulls away and looks me hard in the eyes. “How are we going to take him down?”

“Wait… what?” My brain can’t wrap itself around anything she’s said, least of all her asking how we’re going to take Cole down. “Cass, you don’t have to do that. I mean, I came to you in case I needed someone to cover for me or if things went badly, you’d know what was going on, but you don’t have to take him down. I mean, the things he’s capable of…”

She knows exactly what he’s capable of. I told her all the details after the kidnapping. So I’m not sure why the look in her eyes is pure determination rather than fear or nervousness.

“Thea, I’m here to help you. If that means getting rid of the man that’s stalked and hurt you, then that’s what we’re going to do.”

I lower my voice. “When we’re talking about getting rid of Cole—”

“Killing him,” she answers before I can go on.

This isn’t my best friend. Not the one I’ve known for a decade. “Cass…”

“Thea,” she starts, then pauses for a moment. Her eyes shift away before finding mine again. “You don’t know everything about me. I have a past. Anthony and I have a past. We’ve had to do things we never thought we would. I can’t go into details, but trust me when I tell you that I’m not offering to do anything I haven’t done before.”

Her words don’t make sense. I’ve known them as a couple for the last four years. What did I miss?

“So, how are we going to take him down?”