32. Tessa

32

TESSA

I slam the door behind me, my chest heaving as the tears fall uncontrollably. The weight of everything crashes down, suffocating, and I can't seem to catch my breath. The boys are on their feet in seconds, their concerned voices blending together, but I can't focus. All I can feel is the panic and dread clawing at my insides.

"What happened?" Alec steps closer, his voice softer than I've ever heard it.

I wipe my face, trying to pull myself together, but it's useless. "I got fired," I choke out. "Someone stole it. All my files…everything. It's gone. I'm in deep, deep trouble!"

Their expressions shift from confusion to alarm. Alec's brows furrow and Devin crosses his arms, clearly trying to make sense of what I'm saying.

"Wait, slow down," Devin says, cradling my face in his hands. "What do you mean you got fired? What files?"

I take a shaky breath, but it barely helps. "The investigation I did into Sigma Theta, all the classified information I had saved—everything about the scandal, all the information for the podcast I had stored away, it's been leaked."

Jace's eyes widen. "Holy shit. Leaked?"

I nod, the tears welling up again. "They exposed confidential sources. Some people came to me to tell me things about the situation in confidence and their names are out there now, they're in danger! I don't know what to do! The university's investigating, and I'm suspended from the paper until it's sorted out. But it's all my fault. If I hadn't kept those files on my laptop." I swallow, a fresh wave of tears rushing up. "I'm screwed, you guys. This could ruin everything."

The room falls into a heavy silence. I can feel the weight of my words settling in. My future at the university, the work I've poured everything into—it's all hanging by a thread, and the thread's about to snap.

"I might lose everything," I whisper, my voice breaking.

The silence that follows is thick and heavy. They're all staring at me, processing everything I've just said. Devin's hands clench into fists at his sides, his jaw tightening. Alec is pacing, running a hand through his hair, while Jace stands frozen, his expression dark with concern.

"We'll figure this out," Jace says firmly, stepping forward. "You are not in this alone."

Devin looks tense. "Yeah," he adds. "Whoever did this is going to have hell to pay. We'll find out who's behind it and make sure they regret messing with you."

Alec stops pacing, his eyes sharp and focused. "Do you have any idea who it could be? Anyone who had access to your laptop?"

I swallow hard, glancing down at my hands, trembling as I look up at them. "That's not…that's not everything."

They all stop and stare at me. My heart pounds in my chest as I force the words out, the truth finally spilling out.

"I think I'm being stalked."

The air shifts, a wave of tension rolling through the room. Alec's eyes narrow, and Jace takes another step closer to me, his voice low. "What do you mean?"

"Ever since last semester, I've felt like someone has been following me around everywhere I go. I've noticed things moved around in my dorm before, or some files deleted from the newspaper server," I explain, my voice shaking. "But it escalated. Someone broke into my dorm room and trashed it and now…I think the same person who's been stalking me is behind this incident too."

Alec exchanges a look with Jace, the seriousness of the situation sinking in. "If you're being stalked, we need to go to the police. Like, right now."

I shake my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "I already went once. They said it was probably just another drunk student. They're not going to do anything without proof."

"That's bullshit," Devin growls, his voice sounding low and dangerous. This is the angriest I've ever seen the usually happy-go-lucky guy and it frightens me a little.

Jace runs a hand through his hair, looking at me with a troubled expression. "So what now?"

"I don't know," I say, my voice barely a whisper. "But I'm scared."

Alec clears his throat, nudging me. "People are going to be coming back from the Delta Kappa party soon. We should go upstairs where we can talk in private. And I'm sure it will make Tessa feel safer," he adds, glancing at me. I nod and let the boys all but carry me up the stairs as we head for Alec's room.

Once inside, relief washes over me in waves. I feel much more secure with the boys around me, as though no one can touch me here.

"The first thing we need to do is figure out who might have a grudge against you and enough power and connections to target you like this," Jace declares, grabbing a notebook and a pen.

I take a deep breath, resting against Devin's chest as he cradles me. "That's a long list," I say slowly, turning over ideas in my mind.

"Let's start with anyone who definitely couldn't be stalking you then," Jace suggests. "Several of the people who have grudges against you will be in jail still."

Sparks of hope rise as I realize that cuts down the list significantly. "Well, that eliminates Max Byers," I tell them. "And about six or seven other guys."

"Who else might have an issue with you that maybe isn't involved in the scandal or the investigation?" Devin presses.

Before I can answer though, Alec chimes in. "That would be a weird angle for someone unconnected to take though, wouldn't it?" he points out.

I tilt my head, confusion in my features. "What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. Someone is stalking and harassing you for months, to the point where they finally steal important information from you. If they aren't someone connected to the scandal, what purpose would it serve for them to take that info?"

"To make her look bad?" Jace offers. "They steal classified info from her and put it out there so she looks incompetent at best and dangerous to talk to at worst."

A shudder escapes me as I consider the ramifications to my reputation that this will cause. "I can't have people thinking I'm going to get a target painted on their backs if they talk to me!" I cry out. "As a reporter, all I have is my integrity and my ethics."

Tears fall again but Devin holds me tightly, whispering little words of comfort in my ear. "We're going to figure this out," he says. "We're here for you. We're going to help you figure all this out."

Something occurs to me as he strokes my hair out of my face. "What if it's someone in Sigma Theta?" I ask. "Someone currently in the fraternity, I mean."

Alec shakes his head. "No, it isn't one of my guys. It can't be. I've worked hard to make sure that only people of decency, who would uphold the highest ethics were allowed back into the fraternity this year."

"We did several rounds of interviews, including psychological testing," Jace explains to me. "Alec wanted to make sure that no one in Sigma Theta could pose a danger to the fraternity's reputation as we worked to rebuild it."

"It makes sense though," I protest. "I haven't been targeted in a year, not since the men responsible were put in jail after the trial. No one came after me. But then this year, when you've reopened your doors and I start coming around to check in on you does the stalking start back up."

"I'm telling you, it's not a Sigma," Alec says, frustration lacing his voice. His brows draw together. "You honestly think that after everything we've been through we'd be trying to hurt you still?"

"I don't think it's one of you guys," I say, quick to reassure him. "But that doesn't mean it isn't someone else."

"We've worked hard to change our image," Devin says, a note of hurt in his voice. "If someone from Sigma was targeting you, it would put the entirety of the fraternity's future in jeopardy. They wouldn't do that. Not our brothers."

I feel irritation creep up and I push away from Devin, needing a little space. "I'm not trying to accuse you, but I do think we need to consider every angle in this situation."

"It sounds like you're ready to blame us, once again," Alec snaps. He pauses and sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. "I'm sorry," he says. "I'm just as upset about all this as you are. Maybe we should put this aside for the night and revisit it in the morning when we've all had a good night's sleep."

I stand up, resentment stewing inside me. "You guys aren't the ones facing the end of your entire future," I tell them. "I can't rest right now. Not until I've figured out who is targeting me, and why. If you need rest, go ahead but I'm going to go. I need to leave so I can clear my head."

Jace makes a half-hearted attempt to stop me but I ignore him and walk down the stairs, heading out into the cold.

It's not my fault the guys are too stubborn to admit that it might be someone in their ranks. I can't help them come to terms with the fact that there might still be a snake in their midst. A few tears slip out as I leave and I brush them away.

The air is cold enough to sting my cheeks as I walk toward my car, my breath visible in front of me. Just as I approach though, I notice something that has my veins turning to ice.

All four of my tires have been slashed.