The voice sounds like something straight out of every horror movie I’ve ever watched and my hand trembles as I press my fingers to my lips, trying not to cry. My gaze flicks to every window in the living room and the sensation that I’m being watched intensifies.
“Who is this?” I ask, my voice shakier than I would like.
“Walls have ears,” the voice coos and my chest aches as my heart races in my ears. “Doors have eyes… Trees have voices.”
“Who the fuck is this?” I cry, standing up and scanning each window again.
“Beasts tell lies. Beware the rain. Beware the snow. Beware the man you think you know.”
“Who is this?” I roar, anger replacing some of my immediate fear but the only response is the hollow, high-pitched laughter that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Chapter Fourteen
Tatum
Sighing, I drop my keys onto the entry table and lock the front door behind me, the sensation of being watched still following me around from last night. I wasn’t able to shake it all morning at work and it’s even worse now that I’m back here. I do a quick scan of the room and once I’m sure that everything is exactly how I left it, I’m able to breathe a little easier. As I walk into the kitchen, the phone rings and I jump, my hands shaking as I grip the handle on the fridge and wait for the answering machine to pick up. I let out a breath when it does and Theo’s voice fills the line.
“Hey, T. I was just calling to check in. Call me back later, okay?”
He hangs up and I open the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water before I retreat to Mom’s room and slip into the closet. Once I enter the code and the hidden door swings open, I rush inside and shut it behind me as relief crashes over me. I glance over at the pillow and blanket on the couch where I slept last night and sigh before going over to the desk and wiggling the mouse to wake up the computer.
I feel like the last twelve hours have taken years off my life and I’m eager to do a little research on the quote my mystery caller said to me last night. I type it into the search engine and wait as results pop up on the screen. After a few clicks, I find a book called Incarceron by Catherine Fisher that the quote is from. From what I can tell, the book itself doesn’t have any relevance to me or the caller. The more I read, the more I think that it just had to do with that specific quote which opens up a whole other lists of questions.
Beware the man you think you know.
How many men in my life does this apply to? Right now, the possibilities are endless or maybe this is all just a sick game. Maybe the quote was meant to throw me off my game and it means nothing at all. Blowing out a breath, I scrub my hand over my face and lean back in the office chair. I’m not ruling out anyone at this point. My mind drifts back to my shift this morning and the chill that rushed over me when Reed walked in with a few friends and sat down. Thankfully, he wasn’t in my section but I could feel his eyes on me the whole time. This seems too sophisticated for him, though. Then again, what do I know? Maybe under all that shit personality, he’s actually smart. It’s also entirely possible I don’t even know this person at all. With all the secrets that have been revealed since Mom’s death, I don’t have the slightest clue which direction to look in.
My phone buzzes on the desk and I sigh as I pick it up. Lincoln’s picture pops up on the screen and I smile.
“Hey you,” I answer.
“Hey, Sweetheart,” he replies and just the sound of his voice is enough to take away some of my stress. “You busy today?”
“Nope. I just got off work. Why?”
“I’m cashing in my rain check. How soon can you be ready?”
I glance at the clock on the computer. “Two-ish. I need to take a shower since I literally just walked in the door.”
“Okay, you go get ready and I’ll be there in an hour.”
Once we hang up, I push out of the chair and leave the safe room, instantly feeling vulnerable again before I remind myself that I’m okay. The call last night really scared me but that doesn’t change who I am. If anyone decides to come after me, I am perfectly capable of defending myself. Not to mention the numerous guns hidden all over this house.
I’ve got this.
Feeling stronger, I jog upstairs and strip out of my uniform before slipping under the hot spray of the shower and closing my eyes. An image of Lincoln pops into my mind and I smile as I wonder what he’s got planned for us today. I was so upset when he didn’t come over last night but in hindsight, I’m glad he didn’t. If he’d heard that call, he would worry and I was certainly in no state to calm him down either. The more I think about it, the more I think that has to be another prank – like the heavy breathing. The horror movie voice, the weird poem, and the evil laugh – all of it is part of an elaborate mind game and I refuse to play anymore.
With renewed resolve, I rush through the rest of my shower and get dressed before scribbling a note to remember to change the house number. I smirk. He can’t call if he doesn’t know the damn number.
“Shit,” I mutter, glancing up at the clock. I only have twenty minutes until Lincoln gets here and I need to dry my hair and put on makeup. Turning on the radio, Your Song by Rita Ora spills out of the speaker and I dance back into the bathroom and grab my hair dryer, losing myself in the music and the task at hand.
When I’m ready, I take one last look in the mirror before grabbing the remote, switching the music off and heading downstairs. As soon as my foot hits the bottom step, someone knocks on the door and I glance up, grinning when I see Lincoln on the other side.
“Perfect timing,” I say as I swing the door open and his gaze travels down my body before meeting my eyes.
“You look fucking gorgeous, babe.”
I glance down at the ripped black jeans and white t-shirt I put on, feeling every bit as gorgeous as he says I am. “You are very easy to please, sir.”
“Naw, I’m not,” he murmurs, holding his hand out to me and I take it, letting out a squeak of surprise when he pulls me into his arms and presses his lips to mine. His kiss is liquid fire and I moan, reaching up on my tippy toes to wrap my arms around his neck as his arms lock around my waist. My fingers rake through his hair and he groans against my lips as I rock my hips into his. We stumble back into the house and my back meets the cool wall as his tongue teases the seam of my lips.
“Open up for me, Darlin’,” he whispers, his minty fresh breath caressing my skin and I comply immediately. Our tongues tangle together and it takes the kiss to another level as I whine. I can’t get close enough to him to satisfy this need rocking through my body and I’m about to chuck my rule about not sleeping with him out of the window when he pulls back and clears his throat.
He meets my eyes, his bright and filled with fire as his chest rises and falls rapidly. My core clenches and I press my hand against the wall for support when his tongue pokes out and slowly runs along the length of his bottom lip, licking up every last taste of me.
“We should go,” he whispers and I nod because I’m afraid if I open my mouth, I’ll tell him we should stay. I have my rules for a reason and it won’t be long before I give in to this incredible force between us but not today.