“Nothing identifying,” I say.
“That isn’t Callum,” Niko declares.
All of us turn to look at him.
“These notes are clearly from him, to you,” I tell him. “Half of them mention your name, and some even saymiss having you around the house. It has to be him.”
“The notes are from him. But this man isn’t Callum. He’s 6’5. You saw him earlier. Does this guy look that tall to you?”
“This guy’s head is only a couple of inches above the outside lantern,” Hunter says. “He’s absolutely not 6’5.”
“Fuck,” Niko whispers. “Callum has other people doing this for him?”
The Daggers guy pulls a little device out of his pocket. “Brought up a spare webcam for you to put here in your room, Sevan. And I just ordered four more advanced cameras to put on every entrance. I doubt you’ll get targeted again tonight, but it’s worth a shot.”
“I hate this. I’m so sorry,” Niko says.
“It’s not your fault. Fuck this guy,” Weston assures him. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Sevan glares at Wes. “Is that right? Sheriff Weston Knox? Why should we trust you to make sure Niko is okay?”
“Shut the fuck up, Sev,” Weston says. “I didn’t meanme. I meant all of us, especially Roman and my brother. Hunter helped us from the attacks earlier this semester. This is his bread and butter.”
Hunter nods. “Callum’s an amateur compared to the family that was after us. I’m on top of it, Niko.”
I hope he’s right.
The family that was after us before was more organized. Callum is scattered, amateurish, and less predictable.
Niko doesn’t seem to know how to respond.
Usually he’d be able to hide that vulnerable expression on his face, but the remaining ecstasy in his system hasobviously been making it harder for him to hide anything, tonight.
I watch him nod, looking around at all the guys in here, and something clicks in my mind.
He’s never had this, has he?
I realize it quickly, like a punch to the gut.
I never had friends in high school, but Niko was surrounded by them. I always thought of him as a social king, but…
He’s not used to people actually helping him out like this.
His friends were partiers. Active addicts, always in search of another high. People who admired Niko for the value of his good looks and follower count, but probably never knew him on any deep level.
For a lifetime, Niko’s beenused.
Now he’s actually being offered help.
For the next few minutes, he turns his attention to his cousin instead, asking him about a dozen times if he feels safe before going downstairs to the kitchen to grab two knives and bring them up.
“In case you need them,” Niko says, placing the knives on his desk.
Sevan gives him a bleak smile. “Am I going to cut him with a steak knife?”
“Maybe. If it’s necessary.”
“I’ll befine. Go get some sleep, okay? It’s three in the morning.”