Page 57
Chapter Twelve
Lincoln
Where the fuck is she?
I frantically flick through each video feed, searching for movement or a shock of red hair but I come up with nothing. Glancing up at the house, I sigh. I watched her walk in the front door ten minutes ago and after going through her mail and deleting more weird messages from the answering machine, she went into her mother’s room and disappeared. The only reasonable explanation is that she’s in the closet but I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why. When I first started following her, I went through each room in her house so I could see the layout in my mind and the closet in her mom’s room is so small, I don’t even know how she fits in there.
The phone rings and I go back to the bedroom camera, waiting with bated breath and sure enough, a few seconds later, she appears at the bottom of the screen and walks out of the bedroom.
What the fuck?
When she gets to the dining room, she sets a piece of paper down on the table and I squint at the screen, trying to read it but it’s impossible.
“Hey, Theo,” she answers, leaning back against the wall. “Yeah, I’m doing all right. How are you?”
Putting the phone on speakerphone, she sets it on the dining room table and walks to the fridge.
“I’m fine, T. Same as always. But I’m worried about you,” Theo says, his voice barely audible and I turn the volume up on the tablet. Tate laughs.
“Why are you worried about me?”
“I don’t know. I just have this feeling.”
Tate walks back into the dining room with a glass of sweet tea in her hand and sits down at the table.
“Are you sure you’re not confusing worry with indigestion?”
“Tatum,” he growls and she laughs again. “I’m serious.”
“So am I, Theo. Everything is good here.” Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, which I’ve learned recently is a sure sign that she’s lying. She picks up the paper and stares at it for a second, worry on her face. I’ve got to see that damn note.
“Well, you do sound better.”
Dropping the paper to the table, she smiles. “That’s because I am.”
“Any particular reason?”
Her smile grows and I’m glued to the screen, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Yeah, actually. You remember the guy I told you about?”
He laughs. “The one you tased?”
Fucking perfect.
How many other people did she tell?
“That’s the one. He showed up at the door the other day and we’re giving things a real shot.”
“Whoa, this is huge, T.”
“I know but it feels so right.”
Shaking my head, I turn down the volume. I’d love to sit and listen to her tell her brother about me but I can’t stand the guilt eating away at me. Not when she sounds so happy because that’s all I want for her and I can’t brush away the sinking feeling that I’m going to ruin her.
Focusing back on the paper, I try to read it again but it’s just too damn small. I toss the tablet down and grab my phone, dialing Streak’s number.
“Streak’s Technical Support. How can I help you today?” he answers with a bored tone and I bark out a laugh.
