Classified ☑

[ chapter 28 ]

My observations of him from the first time I saw him fit him a lot better now. He'd taken on a different persona around me, acting like he really cared for me.

But all this time, he'd been playing me.

The way he kissed me out of the blue when I was trying to talk to him about why he needed to stay away from me made a lot more sense now. At the time I'd thought it was weird, how quickly he'd just kissed me on the spot, but I brushed it off not thinking anything of it.

Our kiss was all for show. He wanted in the house and knew I wasn't going to let him stay, so he kissed me as a distraction and weaseled his way in.

Then Joseph had shown up, thanks to the alarm system that alerted Thomas. Who knew what would've happened if Joseph hadn't shown. I could've been dead or kidnapped a long time ago.

Cole was there when we found the letter from my dad in the mess we were cleaning up. He was also there when we found the note in the washing machine with Lucille's number on it. That could be the very reason why they thought I knew too much.

As far as I knew, I didn't know anything, but Cole must've said something to them for them to think that. He's the very reason why all of this was happening.

My mind replayed the events of that night. How Cole kissed me, offered to stay and help clean the house, the way he looked through Thomas' mail, all of it made sense once I took my feeling out the equation and really saw what happened that night. He wasn't there to help, he was looking for something that night.

What the TIA was looking for, I'm still wasn't sure.

Lucky for me, only two other people knew the truth about what Thomas and I had really found thanks to my dad's letter. Thomas himself and Joseph.

The chain logo and set of numbers. I still had no clue what they went to, but if I could figure those clues out, maybe I'd figure out what was happening and why they really wanted me dead.

"Why?" I whispered, starting straight at Cole.

His brows narrowed in on me. "It's nothing personal, just family business." His voice was monotoned, no emotion to be found. The guy I had once liked didn't seem to be in him at all. The guy standing in front of me was a total stranger.

A humorless laugh left my lips. "And to think I thought you were a good guy. What about Shelly and Mark? Were you just acting around them too?"

The first day I'd met Cole he'd told me to give Shelly a chance. He also talked to her when she didn't have any friends. Mark even told me Cole was there for him when his dad died in middle school. He couldn't have been acting when it came to those two, he had to have really cared for them.

I struck a nerve bringing the two of them up, that much was obvious because Cole stiffened at the sound of their names. His jaw was set in a hard line as he watched me through narrowed eyes.

His dad on the other hand seemed to be relishing in what played out before him, like he was watching a movie and the drama was just getting started. He was evil and thrived off of cruelty. It's no wonder my dad had left TIA when he did, the real question was why he left Joseph behind.

"Why don't you tell her Cole?" Cole's dad prompted, a devilish smile lifting his lips.

I looked between the two of them as Cole looked even more uncomfortable than before. Something had happened to Shelly and Mark that I had no idea about and it didn't seem good.

Cole shook his head, his voice staying level. "I'll show her."

His dad nodded his head. "I think that's a good idea. We can always talk to her later about what she knows, plus showing her will give her more motivation to tell the truth." He walked off and up the stairs, leaving Cole and me alone.