Page 149 of Wicked Little Secret
“You have no idea how hard I’ve worked,” she says, resting her chin on her fist, her arm propped up on her crossed leg. She peers at me through the glass cage like I’m some repulsive creature at the zoo. “It’s taken a lot keeping track of you two. I’ve had to figure out ways to pull you apart. It hasn’t been easy.”
The shock that washes over me does so like a wave breaking at a shoreline. I half rise off the bed before the chain reels me back down. But it doesn’t even matter, because I’m gaping at Veronica Fairchild as thoughshe’sthe repulsive creature.
And she is.
“It was you,” I say slowly. “You broke into my apartment. You smashed my sculpture. You knocked over my potted plant. You sent me the anonymous text and tipped off the cops that night.”
She wiggles her brows, smirking proudly. “I’ve done a lot more than that.”
“You’ve been watching me. Following me. Sometimes I’ve sensed it. I’ve assumed it was Theron. Even Samson. But it wasyou.”
“I had to sabotage you whenever possible,” she quips. “I also tipped Heather Driscoll off to the two of you in the library. I sent Theodora photographs of you and Theron together. I even sent some to Samson Wicker knowing he would head to your apartment and Theron would confront him, and guess what? I was right.”
“And now what? What’s the big plan from here? Theron still doesn’t want you.”
“Oh, but he will. Once you’re gone.” She rises from the chair and withdraws what looks like a Bowie knife from the pocket of her peacoat. “You see, you’ll be dead and gone. I’ll be there to comfort him as he grieves. It’ll be poetic in a way. History repeating itself...”
Cold sweat rushes me as I shake my head and realize how screwed I am. I’m tethered to the bed while Veronica has a knife and free movement.
How can I even begin to defend myself when she can simply start stabbing away?
“Don’t do this. You don’t want to ruin your life over this.”
She smirks as she approaches the corner of the glass wall where the latch is. “How much clearer can I get, Nyssa? Nothing and no one’s going to take Theron from me. Most of all you. If I have to eliminate you myself, then so be it.”
31
THERON
ALWAYS BEEN YOU - CHRIS GREY
For the sakeof my sanity, I have to remove myself from the room. I need a moment to cool down and regain composure. Because I’m not confident Nyssa won’t try to escape, I have to restrain her to the bed. It’ll only be for a short period.
A few hours at most.
I’m in the middle of locking my office door when Dean Rothenberg appears, dripping every bit of his usual arrogance. “Theron, I was just talking about you with Veronica. She was on campus to discuss her father’s latest donations.”
“Why would I care?” I shove my ring of keys into my pants pocket and start down the opposite way of the corridor.
Unfortunately, Rothenberg follows like an attention-starved little puppy I can’t shake.
“Well, you know,” he says. “Your history, of course. Shame you two couldn’t work it out.”
“Yeah, real shame.”
“Theron, listen, between the two of us, there have beensome rumors circulating.” The dean lowers his voice with a glance to our left and right as we walk the corridor.
The halls have begun thinning out so late in the afternoon. The last batch of classes are in the process of wrapping up and most students are eager to escape campus and begin their weekends. I pretend I’m more preoccupied with starting mine in the same vein while the dean blathers on.
“Are you going to tell me what sort of rumors, or do you expect me to guess?”
“I’m sure you can imagine. Castlebury’s no stranger to scandal. This whole Valentine Killer ordeal has everyone extra sensitive to anything amiss. I’ve heard some rumblings about you.”
“If this is about the questioning with the police?—”
“The police are investigating Samson Wicker’s disappearance,” he interjects, holding up both hands. “I understand that. They’ve interviewed me and several other professors. Students as well.”
That’s not the only reason they were interviewing me, but go on…