Guilt crashed over me. He was right. I had shut him out. Because after Sarah died, I couldn't bear to see anyone who reminded me of before. Anyone who knew me when I was whole.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "Kai, I'm so sorry."
"Don't apologize." He moved closer, and suddenly we were inches apart. "Just promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't do anything stupid or brave or reckless without telling me first."
"I can't promise that."
"Emma"
"But I promise I won't shut you out again."
Something shifted in his expression. Hope, relief, and something else. Something that made my breath catch.
"I've missed you so much," he said softly. "Every single day for three years, I've missed you."
"Kai…"
"I know this isn't the time. I know you're dealing with too much right now. But Emma, I need you to know I never stopped…" He swallowed hard. "I never stopped loving you."
The confession hung between us, raw and vulnerable.
"You love me?" My voice was barely a whisper.
"I've loved you since we were fourteen years old. Maybe longer." His hand came up to cup my face. "I've loved you through three years of silence. Through watching you suffer and not being able to help. Through everything. And I will love you for the rest of my life, whether you feel the same way or not."
Tears spilled down my cheeks. "Kai, I…"
I didn't know what I felt. I'd spent three years trying not to feel anything. And now he was here, confessing his love, and Adrian Blake was warning me about his family, and someone was counting down the hours until what? My death?
"You don't have to say anything," Kai said quickly. "I just needed you to know. So that whatever happens next, you know where I stand."
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. Another message: "Touching scene. But he's lying to you. Ask him why he really came to Riverside. Ask him about the deal he made. Clock is ticking, Emma. 46 hours left."
I pulled back from Kai, showing him the message. His face went white.
"What deal?" I asked. "What are they talking about?"
"Emma, I don't know what"
"Don't lie to me, Kai. Please." My voice shook. "What deal?"
He stood, running his hands through his hair, and for the first time since he'd appeared on campus, he looked guilty.
"When I first came to Riverside," he said slowly, "I didn't have the money for tuition. The photography scholarship covered some of it, but not all. And my dad certainly couldn't help. So I…" He took a breath. "I made a deal with someone. They'd pay for my tuition if I kept an eye on certain people. Reported back about their activities."
My stomach dropped. "Who? Who did you make a deal with?"
"I don't know their real name. We only communicated online. But they wanted information about Adrian Blake. His schedule, his friends, his activities." He looked at me, desperate. "Emma, I swear I didn't know you'd be here. I didn't know Sarah had attended Riverside. I thought I was just spying on some rich kid to pay for school. But when I got here and started researching Sarah's death, I realized whoever hired me must be involved somehow."
"And you're still reporting to them?" I asked, my voice cold.
"No! I stopped months ago when I figured out something was wrong. But Emma, they might think I'm still" He stopped. "Oh God. What if they think I told you about them? What if the countdown is because of me?"
My phone buzzed again: "Smart boy. He's starting to figure it out. But it's too late. The pieces are in motion. Tell Kai Sullivan his father says hello. And goodbye."
"My father?" Kai grabbed my phone. "What does that mean? My father's in rehab in Chicago, he's not"
His phone rang. He answered it, and I watched the color drain from his face.
"Dad? Dad, what's wrong?" A pause. "What do you mean someone's there? Dad, call the police! Dad" The line went dead. Kai stared at his phone in horror. "I have to go. Someone's at his apartment. He sounded terrified."
"Kai, wait"
But he was already out the door, running.
I stood alone in my room, heart pounding, staring at my phone.
"Now you're alone. Perfect. Look out your window, Emma. Third floor, facing the quad. Look carefully."
My hands shook as I moved to the window. The quad was mostly empty now, just a few students walking to and from dorms. But then I saw him.
A man in a dark jacket, standing under a streetlamp, looking up at my window. Even from three floors up, I could see he was smiling.
He raised his hand and waved.
Then he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows.
My phone rang. Unknown number. I answered.
"Hello, Emma," the smooth voice said. "Did you like my little demonstration? I can get to anyone. Kai's father. Your mother. Your friends. Anyone."
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"Someone who knew your sister very well. Someone who tried to warn her, just like I'm warning you. But she didn't listen. And look what happened to her."
"You killed her."
"No," he said. "But I watched them kill her. And I'm watching you now. You have a choice, Emma. You can leave Riverside, forget about your sister, forget about the Blakes, and live. Or you can keep digging, and join Sarah in the grave. You have 46 hours to decide."
"And if I leave? You'll just let me go?"
"If you leave and never come back, never speak of this, never investigate your sister's death again? Yes. I'll let you go. The Blakes don't care about you specifically, Emma. They care about what you know. What you might discover. Leave now, and you're not a threat."
"But my sister"
"Your sister made her choice. She chose truth over life. Are you going to make the same mistake?"
The line went dead.