Page 85 of Set In Stone

“Monday?” I askedhim.

“Yes,” Hale confirmed. “That’s why I was really there that day, Miss Cole. I was meeting Justine. Running into you at the DA’s office was a strange coincidence. I didn’t track your phone. Samuel did tell me that you went to a doctor appointment, but he had nothing to do with me finding you there. And, if you recall, I also told you that day to trust me. I said I was handlingit.”

“Handling it? You should have told Alex about his mother years ago,” I said, my tone sounding more accusatory than I meant it tobe.

“I know I should have,” Hale admitted sadly. “My only defense is that I made a promise to Mr. and Mrs. Stonewall. They wanted their grandchildren to move on from the horrors of their past. They wanted them to be happy, living full and successful lives, just as Helena always dreamed they would have. They were heartbroken, but since they couldn’t have their daughter, they were willing to sacrifice everything to make her wishes come true. I’ve never seen such devotion. Because of that, I vowed to watch over Helena and keep their secret safe, even if it meant never telling the truth to herchildren.”

I shook my head, feeling like I was living a soap opera. It was all sosurreal.

“I don’t know what to think about any of this. I only know that I have to get to Alex to make sure he’s okay. He will be okay, right Hale? I mean, he’s not at fault foranything.”

“Alex will be fine,” Justine assured. “There are still some things to sort out. Thomas Green said that there isn’t a case against me or Alex. However, we know there will be a lot of follow up questions for Hale. We don’t know what will happen, but there will be an investigation. Hale understands his role in all of it and the possibleconsequences.”

I didn’t want to think about the amount of trouble Hale might be in. I didn’t like the fact that he kept Alexander’s mother hidden for all of these years, but I understood it. He was only trying to protect the ones he loved. I could only hope that the justice system would show someleniency.

“Hale, I’m assuming Alex left with the car. I need to get back to the penthouse. Can you driveme?”

“Of course, MissCole.”

“Justine, don’t disappear again. When I talk to Alex, I’ll try to explain everything the best that I can, but he’s bound to have questions that I didn’t think to ask. If he does, you better be around to answerthem.”

“I will. I promise. And Krystina, please be careful,” shewarned.

“What do youmean?”

“I don’t know what frame of mind Alex is in right now. I don’t want him to push you away, or worse. Be careful with him. You might be the only one who has a shot at helping him throughthis.”

31

krystina

When I got backto the penthouse, I found it empty. Alexander was nowhere to be found. I tried calling his cell, but it went straight to voicemail. The same thing happened when I dialed the direct line to his office at Stone Enterprise. I sent several text messages to him as well. All wentunanswered.

Time ticked by, the eerie silence in the penthouse almost scary. It gave me too much time to think. I tried turning on the stereo, but music only seems to make it worse. I shut it off after only having it on for tenminutes.

As the hours passed, I managed to completely psych myself out. I kept thinking of Justine’s warnings about Alexander’s temper. In my heart, I knew Alexander wouldn’t hurt me. I wasn’t afraid for myself, but afraid for him. Too much about his recent behavior wasunsettling.

There were times when he acted like his typical controlling and assuming self. There were also moments when he showed me love and tenderness. All of those things I had come to know and understand. I could even empathize with the pain he felt from his past. My concern was about how tightly wound he had been recently. I knew the emotional strain from his nightmares had already taken their toll on him, but it was more than that. It was his constant mention of who he really was inside, like he truly believed there was a cynical monster just waiting to comeout.

I didn’t like it when he said things like that. If he was in that frame of mind, I didn’t know what to expect when he returned. This latest development had to have made things worse. I was strong minded and determined, but seeing him broken shattered me. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to put the pieces of him back together on my own. I didn’t know if I was strongenough.

Until I could get a grasp on the situation and his mental state, I thought it best that someone be with me while I awaited hisreturn.

I picked up my cell and called Allyson. It rang five times before going tovoicemail.

“Hey, it’s me,” I said. “Just wondering if you wanted to pop by for a bit. I could use some company. Call me when you getthis.”

I ended the call and silence fell around me once more. Never before had I felt so alone, even though I wasn’t. Samuel was standing guard in the penthouse foyer. I wasn’t sure why he was there, as he always left once I was safely inside. I suspected that Hale told him to keep an eye on me. Whatever the reason was, I didn’t want him there. He was a stranger to me and I wanted the company of someonefamiliar.

By six o’clock that evening, I still hadn’t heard a word from Alexander. Pure panic began to set in, so I called Hale. As it turned out, he was just down one floor in his apartment. I asked him to comeup.

When he got there, he sent Samuel away and we sat down at the dining room table. He told me he had spent the afternoon trying to discover Alexander’swhereabouts.

“What did you find?” Iasked.

“Nothing. The GPS for his phone is off, so I can’t track him,” Hale said in a somber and regretfulvoice.

It was almost like Alexander didn’t want to be found. I drummed my fingers on the tabletop and stared at my cell phone that was set on the table in front ofme.

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