“Maybe that’s part of the reason he and David fell out. Maybe he strayed from the plan because he likes you.”
“I doubt it very much.” I made a face, but my stomach jumped in joy at the possibility. “I like him and I wish it was true and I can’t stop thinking about him, but that’s part of why I’m so paranoid about him.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. It’s only natural to be confused. I’d be confused as well. When I went out with Astrid, I had no idea if I was coming or going.”
“Astrid?” I smiled widely.
“Yes, Astrid.”
“Unique name.”
“Enough about me and Astrid, let’s focus on you and your daytime-TV love triangle.” He shook his head. “But first, let’s go and get a locksmith for your door. And do me a favor—don’t give anyone a copy.”
“I’ll give one to Rosie. We share keys in case we get locked out.”
“For now, don’t do that.” He looked serious. “Rosie is a suspect.”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “No way. Rosie is not a suspect.”
“You can give her a key when we rule her out for sure.”
“Blake, Rosie is not a suspect!”
“Everyone is a suspect right now, Bianca.”
“You’re not.”
“Well, that’s because you know you can trust me.” He grinned and I smiled back at him weakly. How many people were going to tell me that I could trust them? Those words meant absolutely nothing to me.
“Yeah.”
“Also, I have an idea.”
“An idea?” I leaned forward. “What’s that?”
“I’m going to see what I can find out about this elusive Steve.”
“Oh?”
“He’s the biggest clue we have right now.” Blake nodded to himself. “I think if we figure out who this Steve is and what his motivations were, we can start to crack this code.”
“Don’t you think we should be focusing on the Bradleys? I feel like David and Jakob will have the biggest clues.”
“I don’t think so.” He shook his head. “The most obvious suspects are usually the least likely culprits.”
“Or the most likely.”
“They are definitely involved, but I don’t see either of them as being the kingpin or the don, so to speak.”
“The don?” I sipped my coffee again. “Interesting you use that term. I met a guy recently who mentioned the Mafia to me.”
“You think the Mafia is involved?” Blake’s eyes lit up.
“No.” I shook my head. “I sincerely doubt it.”
“Yeah, me too. Kidnapping you and taking you to an exotic island is not their style. More like kidnapping and locking you in a black cellar with rats scuttling around your feet as the stench of rotting bodies nauseates you, while they whip you for information.”
“Really, Blake?”
“Sorry.” He made a face. “Hey, that’s a good thing though, right?”
“What? That I’m not in a damp cellar with rats nibbling on my toes?”
“No, that we have another fact.” He scribbled on his notepad. “Not kidnapped by the Mafia.”
“Yeah, that’s really helpful.” I shook my head.
“I told you.” He grabbed his pad and jumped up. “Let’s go and take care of your lock, then I’m going to head to the library to do some research.”
“Library?” I dropped a $5 note on the table.
“Yeah, I don’t want anyone tracking my IP address. Who knows what sites I’m going to have to hack into to get information on Steve?”
“Blake, I don’t want you to get into any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble.” He looked around him. “This will be fun.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I made a face at him as we walked to the subway station.
“Hey.” He grabbed my shoulders and stopped walking. “I don’t think this is fun fun. It’s scary as shit, but I don’t want you to focus on that. Focusing on all the psychos in the world isn’t going to help us solve this.”
“I know.” I reached over and hugged him. “I’m glad you called me. I don’t think I could have asked for anyone better to help me.”
“You’re not going to start ignoring my calls again, are you?”
“I wasn’t ignoring your calls,” I lied.
He rubbed the top of my head. “It’s okay, Bianca.” He whispered in my ear, “I’m the last person you need to be worried about right now.”
“Go to the library now.” I smiled at him widely, feeling positive and strong. “I’ll be okay. I can deal with the lock. You go now and start researching.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, I’m positive.” I nodded. “I got this.”
The letter was waiting on my doormat when I arrived home. It looked like the first letters I’d received. My heart didn’t even skip a beat as I opened the envelope. I read the letter quickly, trying not to read too much into the words.
It’s time for you to know the truth. It’s time for me to lay all my cards on the table. It’s time for me to make you mine once and for all.