Chapter 10
The door slammed shut with a click, the sound echoing through the stillness of the house like a gunshot.
Lena's heart pounded against the inside of her head as she gripped the creased, folded square of paper in her hand. Her fingers, slippery with sweat, were curled hard around it, the thin sheet of paper folding at the least pressure.
Motionless behind her stood Ethan, a looming presence like a shadow.
"Wrong address, huh?"
Lena forced herself to turn around, her face carefully serene. "Yeah," she murmured, stuffing the note into her sweater pocket. "He was confused."
Ethan didn't react. Didn't move.
But she felt that small tension in his jaw, the tightening of his fingers at his side.
Lena knew him too well. She knew he didn't believe her.
"You should've let me reply," Ethan finally said, voice smooth, trained. "Strangers on our porch this late at night. It's not safe."
The threat was there, woven into the worry.
Lena gulped. "I didn't think it mattered."
Ethan studied her for a long time before his mouth curled into a tiny, inscrutable smile. "Of course."
And then, like that, he turned and walked away, down the hallway.
Lena exhaled, the drawn breath she didn't even realize was escaping her in a jolting rush.
Her hand automatically went to her pocket, her fingers closing hard around the folded note.
She had to read it. She had to know, but not now. Not when she could still feel Ethan's gaze hovering like a specter.
It wasn't until much later, however, that she was alone at last.
Ethan had gone back to his office after supper, a whiskey glass held tight in his fingers, the door clicking shut on him.
Lena waited. She waited until she heard the receding footsteps.
She waited until she heard the muffled whisper of his phone, something about the job, investments, and numbers that meant nothing to her.
Then, and not before, did she slip into the bathroom and slide the bolt across.
Her fingers trembled as she pulled the note from her pocket and unfolded it.
Four plain little words that took her breath
"Be ready. He knows."
Lena's stomach dropped.
Her fingers tightened around the paper as sickness churned in her stomach.
Who?
Who had written these words?
Who had known to seek her out?
And most terrifying of all; what did Ethan know, then?
The walls closed in.
She had to know.
The morning was greeted with an unquiet quiet.
Lena woke to find Ethan already dressed, standing by the window with a cup of coffee in his hand. The light of morning played across his angled face, sending long shadows down.
"Morning," she grunted.
Ethan turned, his eyes roving over her with the same unreadable expression the night before.
"We have to talk."
Lena's throat closed up.
She produced a small smile, pushing hair back from her face. "About what?"
Ethan drank his coffee extremely slowly, looking at her over the rim of the cup.
"I had a private investigator hired."
Lena's heart leaped.
She blinked. "What?"
Ethan tilted his head to one side, watching her reaction. "For us. For you."
Her fists clenched on the bedsheet.
"What- what are you saying?" she asked warily.
Ethan set down his coffee. Then he sat beside her on the end of the bed.
"I know you've been struggling," she whispered, brushing a piece of hair from her face. "Since we moved, everything has felt. Off, I see it in the way you pause, the way you second-guess. You don't feel safe here, do you?"
Lena fought to breathe slowly.
This was a test.
A trap masquerading as concern.
Ethan reached out, grasping her hand in his. "I just want to help, sweetheart."
Lena's stomach twisted.
This was wrong. All wrong..
Ethan never acted without purpose.
A private investigator?
No.
No, this had nothing to do with her.
This had everything to do with control.
"Who is he?" Lena asked, hard-pressed to keep her voice level.
Ethan smiled. "His name is Malcolm Pierce. He's the best. He does security checks-making sure everything is in order. I just want to ensure there's nothing... disturbing."
The way he said the last word sent shivers down her spine.
She nodded tightly as if considering. "I see."
Ethan squeezed her hand gently. "You trust me, don't you?"
Lena swallowed the acid that was rising in her throat.
"Yes," she breathed.
His eyes flashed with something gratified.
"Good."
The day passed in a blur of tension.
Lena made it through the morning pretending everything was fine, coasting through the motions as her mind spun with possibilities.
She had to watch out.
She had to think.
By early afternoon, Ethan had left for a meeting, leaving her alone for the first time in days.
And she knew this was her chance.
Slipping into the study, she grabbed her phone, flipped it on, and quickly dialed the one number that mattered.
It rang twice before someone answered.
"Noah."
Lena exhaled a harsh breath, her hand tightening around the phone.
"I don't have much time," she whispered. "Ethan hired someone. A private investigator. I think he's on to me."
There was a silence.
Then a voice spoke:
"Where are you right now?"
Lena glanced around herheart racing. "Home. But he's not here."
"Good. Listen carefully, Lena-whoever sent you that note isn't me."
Her breath hitched.
"What?"
Noah sounded firm. "It wasn't me. Which means someone else is in the loop. And if Ethan's hired a private investigator, it means he's looking for proof."
Lena's head spun.
If Noah hadn't sent the note...
Then who had?
Lena jumped to conclusions.
And more significantly-
Were they warning her?
Or luring her in?
The tone of the tires on the ravel outside caused her to stiffen.
Lena's blood ran cold.
Noah must have heard it, too, because his tone snapped. "Is that him?"
Lena peered out the window-
A black car ppulledinto the driveway.
It wasn't Ethan, but someone else.
A dark-suited man stepped out, glancing around before approaching the front door.
Lena's stomach twisted.
The private investigator.
Her time was up.
"Lena."
Noah's voice was now one of desperation.
"Whatever you do... don't let him see what's on your phone."
Lena swallowed hard, her fingers hovering over the power button, then, the door bell rang.
She took a deep breath, shaking. She powered down her phone and went to the door.