Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 87

“Your big friend can’t be around all the time, can he?” Paul’s voice on the phone had said. “He’s only there to keep you safe, but what about your friends, Vivi?”

The threat was real, of that she was certain. His threats were always real.

Vivian’s stomach knotted as she listened to him speak, only sometimes speaking a soft yes or no when prompted. By the time the call disconnected she had to turn around and vomit in the toilet. It was luck no one else had entered the ladies’ room during the call and Vivian didn’t want to push it. Locking herself back in the stall, she stood with hands on knees, hovering over the toilet bowl as she fought the panic that gripped her entire being.

She’d let her guard down for the first time in eight years, thinking things were different only to finally understand there was no escape from the past. Seeing Paul at the police station should have been enough to remind Vivian to never let anyone get close; not for her sake, but for their own.

Anyone close to her could be used as leverage, as ransom. If anything happened to Miriam or Theo because she’d let them become her friends… Vivian wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.

Having made up her mind, Vivian closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As much as it would hurt she needed to distance herself from them. Tyrell couldn’t keep all three of them safe, and she couldn’t ask Samuel to hire extra men to keep her friends safe without explaining why. If he knew… Not even he could take on the police and come out ahead. It was better if she kept her family out of it.

Samuel was doing his best to keep her safe, and in return she vowed to do the same. So long as he didn’t get involved in her problems he’d be safe. Paul was the type to play dirty and she wouldn’t put it past him to make false charges and ruin her father’s life.

Pushing her runaway thoughts aside, Vivian forced herself to calm down. If she stepped outside looking freaked out it would only draw attention and concern. Neither Theo nor Tyrell could know about what just happened. Her friend would try to help while the bodyguard would report back to Samuel. Then there was Miriam; she was the one with the most to lose. Her academic scholarship could be easily revoked, especially if a detective came by and alleged she was being investigated for a crime, or cheated to get the scholarship.

No. Vivian couldn’t chance it.

Why did he have to come back now? Why did he have to be so determined to ruin her life? Why? What had she ever done?

Vivian grimaced as she pushed herself up and rubbed her hands over her face. No tears had been shed. Good. It was difficult to hide when someone had been crying. One less thing to worry about.

Flushing the toilet, she stepped out of the stall a second time. Washing her hands, Vivian ignored the few people who’d come in since she’d sequestered herself. No contact means no harm comes to them.

The excuse she gave for ending the day early had been a bad one, but it was the only thing she could come up with on the spot to explain wanting to go home.

Theo had looked hurt by it but didn’t ask any real questions, choosing to accept her at her word.

That hurt even more. Did he trust her so much to blindly believe what she said? Not that it was a lie; Vivian was currently extremely overwhelmed and burning out fast, but not for the reason she’d alluded to.

She couldn’t look either of them in the eye, choosing instead to lead the way back to the main entrance. She didn’t want to do any of this but what other choice was there.

Her fingers gripped the burner phone that lady had played off having just found laying around. Vivian didn’t have to wonder if it’d all been planned; there was no way it’d been coincidental.

Getting others to do the work for him… It wasn’t a surprise. Paul didn’t like getting his hands dirty unless necessary or to really drive a point home; manipulating others into doing the work for him was more his thing. Vivian had no way of knowing if someone was there because of him or not; there was no safe place for her to hide away from him anymore.

The amusement park had been a last minute plan and he’d somehow managed to get someone to pass her the phone. How had he done it?

…was Theo part of it?

The knot in her stomach tightened at the thought. It would be the ultimate betrayal, for someone she’d allowed to get close enough to consider a friend after so many years alone only to find out he’d been sent to do just that.

*No*, she told herself, firm in her conviction. *There’s no way Theo would be that kind of person. Everyone at school knows him, have known him for years. There’s just no way he could be working with Paul. Even if he’d tried to dig up dirt on Theo, there couldn’t be anything so bad that he’d willingly be my friend like that. There’d have been signs he was acting.*

Even when doubts began to creep into her memories, highlighting certain words or actions in ways that made them seem sinister instead of innocent, Vivian refused to believe Theo was that sort of person.

When her phone dinged with a new message during the drive home, Vivian’s heart had nearly stopped. What if it was from Paul? What if he’d texted the burner phone? She couldn’t just pull it out and check with other people around to see.

She’d been so lost in her own world Vivian had failed to realize both her and Theo’s phone had gone off. It was only with a sense of hope that she pulled out her personal phone to check — she had to check *something* or Theo would wonder why she was ignoring her messages — that she saw it’d been Miriam texting. Relief flooded through her as she put the phone back in her pocket. It was something she could deal with later, after getting home.

In no time at all they arrived at Theo’s home, where he’d hesitated before getting out of the car. “Here. You keep him.”

Vivian watched as he placed the pink elephant on the seat next to her and frowned. “You don’t have to—“

“I want to,” he said, voice a bit forceful before clearing his throat and continuing. “Consider it a thank you for letting me drag you to the park.”

He was thanking her? If only he knew that this was kind of like a good bye for her; once he left Vivian intended to begin pushing both he and Miriam from her life. But… it would be nice to have something besides the silly keychain to remember the day. “Okay. Thank you.”

Whatever else he said Vivian didn’t pay attention. She was busy stroking one of the plush’s ears, wondering how badly he was going to hate her when all was said and done.

I was always meant to be alone, anyway…