Disillusioned (Swept Away, #2)(49)

“I never thought of that.” I bit my lower lip and tried to remember the other clues and notes. “Get me a pen and paper, please. I want to try and write down all the clues I remember.”

“Okay.” He jumped up and ran into another room and then returned with a pen, notepad, and small box.

I frowned as I looked at the small box. “What’s that?”

“Remember I told you that you didn’t know everything?” He sat next to me. “I was getting notes as well.”

“What?” My eyes widened. “What?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He sighed. “I didn’t want to mention it before because I didn’t want to overwhelm you, and I wasn’t really sure if there was any connection before.”

“I see.” I looked away, feeling hurt, but not wanting to argue, not now. Not when we needed to put our minds together and try to work this all out. I grabbed the pen from his hand and scribbled down all the clues I could remember.

The first note I could remember was the one that had arrived before I’d been kidnapped and before the fake policeman had showed up at my apartment. Someone had sent a man to my house, disguised as a policeman, to warn me to be more careful. At the time I thought nothing of it, but I now believed the policeman was connected to Steve and Larry in some way and whoever was controlling them. I scribbled on the notepad before jotting down the message as I remembered it. Beauty and Charm. One survives. One is destroyed. What are your odds?

The second note I could remember had been on the beach next to us when we’d awakened, tied together. Without the truth, there is no answer. In pain, there is darkness. In light, there is nothing. Your bodies are now one, but not as united as they will be by the time I’m done. I was pretty sure I’d remembered that word for word. The notes were almost etched in my brain—I’d thought of nothing else for so many days.

“How’s it going?” Jakob gazed down at me and I just nodded. I was still hurt and didn’t want to look at him or say anything right now.

What were the next notes we’d received? It was when we were in the creepy hut. Mine read, Your life may be saved in death, and Jakob’s note said, Everyone has a price. Every action has a consequence. Then Steve had given me a note—at the time I’d thought he’d been trying to warn me away from Jakob, but was he up to something more sinister? That note had read, Be careful of who you trust and fall in love with. They are deceiving you. You should run away as soon as you can. I frowned as I scribbled that note down. It didn’t seem to fit with the other notes.

Along with the note in the hut I’d found a photo of my family. Scrawled on the back of the photo was What do you see when you look at me? A happy family for all to see. A man so consumed with greed and with spite that his children now suffer and live in fright. What do you see when you look at me? An ominous picture of your life to be. I bit my lower lip as I wrote that down. The words on the back seemed to confirm that my mother was a cheat. Or at least that’s the only way I could think to interpret it. Had my mother cheated on my father because he’d been a workaholic? I couldn’t remember what my father was like before my mother died. The only other note I had was the letter from my father, and I was scared to reread that and think about what his words might mean now I had more information.

“You okay, Bianca?” Jakob’s voice was gentle.

“I was just thinking about my mom and if she cheated on my dad.” I gave him a short smile. “I was just wondering what her motivations would have been? Why did she cheat?”

“Sometimes people don’t need a motivation.”

“There’s always a motivation.” I shook my head. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned in history, there is always a reason for an action. It might not be a good reason, but one always exists.”

“I suppose you’re right.” He nodded in agreement.

“Here, read this.” I handed him the notepad. “These are the clues I can remember. I only have to add my dad’s letter to that list.” I paused. “And any other notes you have.”

“Don’t be mad at me, Bianca.” He sighed as he held the notepad in his hand. “I didn’t know if I could trust you.”

“Yet you expected me to trust you from the beginning?” I knew I should just let go of it, but I couldn’t stop myself from moaning on.

“I don’t know what I expected.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Certainly not this, none of this.”

“I know.” I took a deep breath and squeezed his upper arm. “I’m sorry. I’m going to try and stop bringing up the past as it relates to us.”

“Thank you.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead.

“So what do you think?” I asked as he read my notes.

“I think you have a good memory.” He looked at me with a new light in his eyes. “And not just for obscure movie references.”

“Don’t hate me because I’m fabulous.” I grinned and he laughed.

“The day we met at the coffee shop? That wasn’t an accident.” He opened his box. “There was a letter sent to me that told me to go to the coffee shop every day until I saw the woman in the photo, and then I was to sit at the table with her.”

“And do what?” I frowned.