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I hurried down the hall and opened the door just as Kennedy raised her fist to knock again. She jolted in surprise, then hauled me into a bone-crushing hug.
“I saw what’s happened,” she said. “I checked out your new book. Something went wrong, didn’t it?”
“Yeah.” I spoke into her hair. “Looks like a glitch in the distributor’s system. They published an old version of the file.”
She squeezed me even tighter, then let me go. “I thought you might like company. I brought cookies.” She backtracked onto the doorstep and picked up a paper bag and an envelope from on top of the railing. “That reminds me—you have mail. I grabbed it on the way in.”
“Thanks.” I took the letter and stepped aside to let her in.
She dug into the paper bag and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. “Have this. You probably need it.”
I accepted the cookie gratefully and led her to the office. “I’m sure Alice would appreciate one too, if you have enough.”
“Of course.” She darted into the dining area and returned with a chair. “You guys do whatever you need. I’ll make sure you have coffee and sugar.”
“You’re the best.”
When Kennedy had turned up on my doorstep last year, I never expected we’d end up so close. She’d burned a lot of bridges when she left over a decade ago, but she’d managed to mend a lot of that damage when she won back her first love, Liam.
I finished the cookie and wiped my fingers on my jeans, then dropped into my office chair. I tore open the letter Kennedy had given me and pulled out a single piece of paper from inside. The page was all white with one sentence printed on it in stark black letters.
Your life is mine.
I gripped the paper so tightly, it crumpled between my fingers. A wave of dizziness swept over me, and I was relieved I was sitting because I might have fallen.
Kennedy noticed my reaction first. “What is it?” she asked.
I held the paper out so she could see. “Don’t touch it,” I warned. “There might be prints.”
I didn’t know a lot about police procedures, but I knew that this letter would be considered evidence of stalking or harassment, so I should limit how many people got their hands on it.
My stomach rolled. What did the note mean?
Your life is mine.
Did the person think I owed them, for some reason? Were they delusional and claiming me as their soulmate? Or was it something more sinister.
I shivered. Perhaps they meant they intended to take my life. My free hand flew to my lips, and I stifled a sob. The envelope fluttered to the floor at the movement, and Alice bent to pick it up.
“No!” Kennedy exclaimed.
Alice stopped, startled.
“Don’t,” Kennedy said. “We need to not touch anything and call the police.”
I carefully showed Alice the note, then put it on the desk. She stared at me, wide-eyed and pale.
“This is bad,” Alice said, echoing what we were all thinking.
“Yeah.” I buried my face in my hands and yanked at my hair. What were the chances that I’d gotten this note on the same day my book release had gone wrong? Was the universe messing with me? I straightened and composed myself. “I’m going to call Nate. Alice, keep working on the problems with the book. Kennedy, will you stay for a while?”
“Of course.” Kennedy reached over and squeezed my hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”
33
NATE
As soon asI answered the call from Grace and heard the slight hitch in her breathing as she said my name, I knew she was in trouble. I forced myself to wait until she gave me enough details to make an informed decision before rushing over there, and when she’d finished, I pocketed the phone and turned to gaze across the open-plan room my officers and I used as our base of operations.
