Chapter 4 4

Delilah's POV

The knock at her door was firm, deliberate. Delilah had been waiting for it, pacing the length of her dorm, phone clutched tightly in her hand. Theo hadn't wasted any time. She yanked the door open to find him standing there, still in his hockey gear, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The sharp look in his eyes told her everything she needed to know-he was already on edge.

"Let me in," he said.

Delilah stepped aside without question. The second the door closed behind him, he turned to face her.

"Show me the messages."

She handed him her phone, watching as his expression darkened with each word on the screen. His jaw clenched, his grip tightening around the device.

"This isn't just a warning," he muttered. "It's a threat."

Delilah already knew that. What she didn't know was what to do next.

"I don't recognize the number," she admitted. "I don't even know how they got it."

Theo handed the phone back, his mind clearly working through every possibility. "Could be a burner. Could be someone we know."

That last part sent a fresh wave of unease through her... Someone they knew... It wasn't impossible.

Mason Holt wasn't the only one at that party.

"What if it's him?" she asked. "What if he-"

"It's not." Theo cut her off with certainty.

She frowned. "You don't know that."

"I do." He ran a hand through his damp hair, the tension in his shoulders visible. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to pull something like this after last night. Someone else is involved."

The worst part? He was probably right.

Delilah sat down on the edge of her bed, pressing her palms against her knees. "So, what do we do?"

Theo didn't answer right away. He grabbed the chair from her desk, turning it around before sitting down. His elbows rested on his knees, his gaze locked on hers.

"We don't do anything reckless," he said, voice firm. "That's the first rule."

She scoffed. "You're saying that to me?"

His lips quirked, the ghost of a smirk. "Yeah. Because I know you."

He wasn't wrong.

But Delilah wasn't the only one with reckless tendencies.

"What about you?" she challenged. "What's your rule?"

His smirk faded. "I don't let people I care about get hurt."

Something in her chest tightened... That wasn't what she expected him to say.

Theo had always been the guy who acted first, thought later. The one who threw himself into fights, who took risks without hesitation.

Hearing him say that-admitting he cared-felt different.

Felt real.

Delilah cleared her throat. "So, what now?"

Theo leaned back in the chair, arms crossed. "Now? We find out who's behind this."

Theo's POV

The name Mason Holt had meant nothing to him before last night. Now, it was the only thing tying him to the mess Delilah had been dragged into.

Theo sat in his car, fingers drumming against the steering wheel, watching the entrance of a house he didn't want to be near.

The party was still going. Mason's friends weren't the kind of people he normally associated with, but he knew enough about them. Knew the kind of guys they were-the ones who thought power came from numbers, from intimidation.

That didn't work on him. Theo stepped out of the car, adjusting the sleeves of his hoodie before making his way up the driveway. The bass from inside vibrated through the pavement, the stench of alcohol hitting him before he even reached the door.

No hesitation. He walked in like he belonged there, eyes scanning the crowd. Most people didn't even notice him. The ones who did took a step back.

They knew his reputation. He spotted Mason near the kitchen, a fresh bruise forming along his jaw. Good. That meant he still remembered what happened.

Theo didn't waste time. He pushed through the group, stopping just short of Mason, who tensed immediately.

"You and I need to talk," Theo said.

Mason's friends flanked him, eyes narrowing. "You've got some nerve showing up here."

Theo didn't flinch. "Yeah? And you've got some nerve thinking this is over."

Mason's face twisted, his confidence faltering. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure, you do." Theo tilted his head. "Someone sent Delilah a message. Told her to stay quiet. That sound like something you'd do?"

Mason's Adam's apple bobbed. "I haven't-"

"Think carefully," Theo warned. "Because if I find out you had anything to do with this, you're going to wish last night was the worst thing that happened to you."

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Then, Mason shook his head. "It wasn't me."

Theo didn't believe him, but he saw something else in Mason's expression- fear. Not of him.

Of someone else.

Theo leaned in. "Who, then?"

Mason swallowed hard, looking over his shoulder like he expected someone to be watching. "I don't know," he muttered. "But if she got that message... she should listen."

Theo's blood ran cold.

"Why?"

Mason hesitated. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, "Because whoever sent it isn't just trying to scare her. They mean it."

Delilah's POV

The sound of the shower running filled the dorm room, steam curling out from the cracked bathroom door. Delilah sat cross-legged on her bed, Theo's jacket draped over her shoulders.

She hadn't asked for it. He'd just given it to her before leaving, like it was some kind of silent reassurance.

She should have felt safe... She didn't.

Her phone lay beside her, screen dark, the weight of the message still pressing against her skull. Someone meant it... The thought wouldn't go away.

A knock at the door made her jump. Heart pounding, she moved toward it, hesitating just long enough to reach for the closest thing she could use as a weapon-her roommate's heavy metal water bottle.

Another knock.

"Delilah?"

The familiar voice sent a rush of relief through her.

She unlocked the door, pulling it open. Theo stood there, damp hair falling over his forehead, the cold night air still clinging to him. His eyes met hers, something unreadable lurking behind them.

"What happened?" she asked, stepping aside so he could enter.

He didn't speak right away. Instead, he reached for her phone, checked the messages again. His jaw tightened.

Then, finally-

"Mason didn't send them."

A chill ran down her spine. "Then who did?"

Theo exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't know."

That was what scared her the most. If Mason wasn't behind it, then someone else was. Someone watching... Someone waiting.

Theo set her phone down on the desk, his expression turning serious.

"Until we figure this out," he said, "you're not going anywhere alone."

Delilah crossed her arms. "You think I need a bodyguard?"

"I think you need someone watching your back."

There was no arguing with that. She met his gaze, searching for any sign that he was just saying this to make her feel better.She didn't find one.

This wasn't just a bad night at a party... This was the start of something else... And she had no idea how it was going to end