40. Youve Seen A Ghost

40

You've Seen A Ghost

Violet

Two words: Miss me.

They ping-pong between my temples as I blink at my screen. There's no way this can be real. Liam is dead. I saw it myself. Felt his blood soak my fingers and watched his eyes fade out.

It's not possible that this text is from him.

But the last person I knew who had Liam's phone was Kole. And as cruel as he can be sometimes, I don't think he'd pretend to be my dead ex-boyfriend.

My phone buzzes again in my hand, and I'm scared to look down at the screen. To face whatever sick joke someone is playing on me.

Liam : What's wrong, Violet? Feel like you've seen a ghost?

Yes .

That's what Liam is—a ghost. My past is coming to haunt me. The one thing I've been running from even if I know there's no escape. A truth that was bound to roll over in the grave at some point.

Not that I anticipated this.

Liam is dead. I'm certain of it.

But if this isn't Liam, and it's not Kole, that means there's someone else trying to mess with me. And that thought alone feeds into all the fears that have been brewing under the surface since I found out what Liam wanted to do to me in the forest the night he was murdered.

Kole brushed me off when I tried to bring up my suspicion that someone else had to be in on Liam's plan. Either the person he was going to show the video to or the person who convinced Liam there was a traitor in Sigma House.

Liam might have acted alone that night, but it doesn't mean this was a solo effort.

Whoever was involved has chosen now to step out of the shadows and make themselves known.

I want to ask who I'm talking to, but I can't. Any question about whether this isn't Liam would be a red flag when it's still just a missing person's case. This person has been careful in how they worded their texts, and I need to do the same in case the police are watching. Until they find his body, I'm not allowed to know he's dead.

His body.

A shiver runs through me.

Violet : What do you want ?

Liam : To reveal the truth.

Violet : About?

Liam : You.

Me?

Of everyone involved in this situation, I'm the last one to focus on. Just because I'm hiding Kole's secrets doesn't mean I was in on it. I got caught in the middle of a Sigma House turf war, and I'm just as confused as everyone else as to what is going on.

Violet : You're wasting your time then.

Liam : Why do you think they're protecting you, Violet? Did you really think this was all a coincidence?

Violet : I don't understand.

Liam : You're as guilty as they are.

Violet : How?

Liam : You'll see. You trusted the wrong people. They can't save you from me. See you soon… kitten.

He uses my nickname. The one Kole uses, even as I know in my bones this isn't Kole.

Pulling up my contact list, I dial Kole's number and wait while it rings. When the voice message kicks in, I clench my phone tighter. The voicemail is a generic recording, and I don't bother leaving a message.

This can't wait. I need to see him.

I switch back to my texts and find Kole's name.

Violet : I need to see you.

"Everything okay?" Patience plants a hand on my shoulder, and I jump.

"Yes." I spin in my seat. " Sorry."

"What's going on?" Mila's eyes pinch, and all three of them look at me like they don't believe me.

"I need to get to Sigma House."

"Now?" Mila crosses her arms over her chest. "It's girls' night."

"I know, and I'll make it up to you. I promise." I glance down at my phone, but there's still nothing from Kole. "This can't wait."

"Good dick never can." Mila rolls her eyes, but she's grinning.

That's not why I'm going over there, but I don't contradict her. If she thinks that's the reason I'm disappearing, it'll be easier to explain.

"Are you okay to drive?" Patience asks, glancing down at my empty shot glass.

It isn't much, but I've never handled alcohol well, and the room is already spinning a little.

"Shit. I didn't think about that."

"It's fine." Teal hops up, tucking her phone into her hoodie pocket. "I only had a sip of mine. I'll drive you."

"Thanks."

Teal nods, stalking off to her room to get her purse.

I should change since I'm dressed for girls' night, not Sigma House. I'm in jeans and a T-shirt, with my hair up in a messy ponytail and not a drop of makeup on my face. But Kole's seen me look worse, covered in all sorts of things. So I don't bother.

Slipping on a zip-up sweater, I follow Teal out once she grabs her keys .

The drive is short, and luckily, Teal is as preoccupied with her thoughts as I am. I briefly ask her about how her art presentation went and quickly get the hint to drop it. From then on, we sit in silence.

I wait for Kole to call me back. For him to text me or message me through the Dark Desires app. But my phone is quiet—too quiet. It's unnerving.

Pulling up to the gates of Sigma House, I'm surprised to find them open when the driveway isn't filled with cars. Unless they're throwing a party, the gates are normally locked. And it's one more thing added to my list of reasons this night feels off.

"Thanks." I climb out, forcing a smile at Teal.

"Be safe."

Safe .

I'm not sure anything is safe right now.

Shutting the car door behind me, I make my way up to the front door. Teal peels down the driveway, and I really wish I hadn't had that second drink because with her gone, I'm stuck here even if Kole's not around. But I didn't want to tell Teal to wait since I need the girls to think what Mila assumed was true.

Stopping at the final step, I ring the doorbell.

Unlike at the Christiansen-Evans estate, I don't hear the bells through the door. Nothing that enters those walls escapes. Not even sound.

When it's quiet for a moment, I pull out my phone again and try to dial Kole, but a message flashes on the screen saying I don't have service .

Of course not. Why would anything go in my favor right now?

"Hey." A hand lands on my shoulder, and I scream, spinning around.

Declan doesn't bother taking a step back as he smirks down at me, crowding me against the door.

"Well, there goes my hearing." He reaches around me with an amused grin on his face.

I pull to the side, thinking he's aiming for me until he sticks his key in the door, unlocking it.

Declan pushes the door open then steps back and motions for me to go first. "After you."

"Thanks." I step inside, and Sigma House is eerily silent.

There's only one light on in the large foyer, and it's dim. The moon offers more light through the tall windows. The space is spotless, and the opposite of how it looked every other time I've been here. Empty and filled with nothing but echoes.

Without a party filling the space, the house seems larger. Nearly endless as it splits off into hallways and rooms at every turn.

"You here to see Kole?" Declan asks, walking past me as he tucks his keys in his pocket.

He strips off his jacket, and I don't miss the claw marks trailing down one of his arms. When he catches me staring at them, he grins, and I don't dare ask how they got there.

"Yeah. Is he in his room?"

Declan shrugs. "Don't know, I was out. Does he know you're coming? "

I nod, even if his steely gaze tells me he doesn't believe me. It doesn't matter as long as I can get to Kole.

"All right, well you're welcome to check." Declan tips his chin up to the empty staircase. "You remember where you're going?"

"Yeah." I think.

Swallowing hard, I turn toward the staircase.

"Hey, Vi?"

I pause, glancing over my shoulder at Declan.

"You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

My blood chills, and I swear I hear haunted whispers tickle my ears in the silence of the foyer. Those are the same words the person texting me used. My face drains, and every muscle in my body is rigid.

I stare at Declan, waiting for him to say something else, but he doesn't move as he looks at me. If it really was Declan sending me texts from Liam's phone, would he have made it that obvious?

Maybe I'm imagining things.

He smirks at me, his gaze dropping to my hands, which are balled into fists at my sides. Ticking his head, his eyebrows pinch.

"I'm fine." It squeaks out. "I'm just going to go find Kole."

Declan shakes his head, raking his fingers through his hair. "Whatever you say."

I turn and hurry to the staircase before he can stop me. I don't know if Kole is up here, but I'm not sure where else to look. And knowing the door to his room is wired to notify him if someone opens it brings me the slightest hint of comfort. As long as I can get inside, his phone should alert him of my presence.

Although, if that were the issue, my calls and texts should also have done the trick.

Picking up my pace, I try not to focus on that. Once I'm in his room, I'll be safe. I can wait until he's back, and we can figure out who is taunting me.

Rounding the corner, I hear footsteps behind me, but no one is there when I look over my shoulder.

The long hallway has a tall window at the end, and the shadow of a tree blowing in the wind dances in the moonlight.

Is Declan following me, or am I imagining things?

My mind is playing tricks on me. The house creaks and a branch taps the windowpane. But still, no one is there.

I carry on, hurrying ahead and make a quick turn down Kole's hallway, breathing a sigh of relief that it's empty. The only time I've been up here was with him, so I have to think twice about which door is the right one.

Third on the left?

Fourth?

I close my eyes and try to replay it.

It was definitely the fourth.

Reaching for the handle, my phone pings, and hope inflates in my chest.

It's him. It has to be. Everything is going to be okay.

But as I turn the handle, heat surrounds me. A hand wraps around my body, and someone presses a white cloth over my nose and mouth. A faceless man pins me to the door, sandwiching me between him and the hard surface. The Sigma House insignia stares me in the face as my vision blurs.

Blinking, I see the door. The sky. The forest.

I see Kole and Saint as I'm slipping away.

I scratch and claw. My phone rings—or maybe that's my ears.

I struggle and I fight until I'm drawing blood. But it's no use.

The drugs hit me, and it all fades.