Page 111 of The Silent Note

“Tell me why you can’t go home,” I offer kindly. Bracing myself, I crouch to his level and try not to breathe too hard.

“Someone’s following me.” He starts quivering like an orphan in the cold.

“Okay…” I say coaxingly.

“It started with this odd feeling I’d get. Someone behind me on the street. Someone outside my window. Then they started tapping on my window at night. Every night.”

“Did you check the security cameras?” I’m sure someone like Hall has security cameras around his mansion. “Maybe it was just the wind.”

He spaces out as if he hadn’t heard my question.

“Then I saw him,” Hall whispers.

“Saw who?”

“Him. This morning. He was in a ski mask and he was standing over my bed with a knife.”

My pulse jumps.

“He could have killed me,” Hall sobs.

Sloane blows out a breath.“I think you should leave this to the professionals, Grey.”

I lift a hand to Sloane, quieting her. “Theodore,” I speak as gently as I can, “why didn’t you tell your parents? Or call the police?”

“He said if I did, he would kill me.”

“Then why did you callme?”

He raises his head up, looking at me like I’m a dazzling sun. “Because you can stop them.”

“Them?”

“The Kings.”

I have a cold, sinking feeling… like swallowing an ice cube whole while it travels down the throat.

“You think The Kings are the ones stalking you?”

He nods.

“Why? It’s been ages since the dance.”

“The Kings have a long memory.”

“But…”

“It started three days after that night. You think that’s a coincidence?”

I struggle to come up with something to say.

“I can’t keep going like this, Miss Jamieson.”

“Why don’t you get some sleep first and we can talk about this when you’re calmer.”

“Sleep where?” He recoils. “I can’t sleep on the street.”

“I’m sure you have friends you can stay with.”

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