Chap 15: Who's that guy?

For the next few days, Evelyn received notes from Adam on a few occasions. There was no defined pattern for the frequency of the letters. Sometimes, there were letters every other day and sometimes nothing for a week. Additionally, the contents of all of them were almost identical, telling her how much he loved her and would always protect her.

Another thing that seems to have changed is the bullying. The bullies didn't bother Evelyn much these days. Whenever they saw Evelyn, they just turned around and left as if they had seen a ghost. As Evelyn observed their behavior, she wondered why they acted so strangely. Also, they were often seen with cuts and bruises on their faces.

Evelyn always shared everything with Ava, who had grown increasingly concerned for her after the kidnapping incident.

" Did you find anything about Adam?" Ava asked. " Do you know who he is?"

" Nothing yet," Evelyn replied.

" Do you still get the letters?"

" Yes."

" Anything new?"

" No, the same."

" What about the Cliff twins. How are you dealing with them?"

" I didn't see them around."

" What about his friends?"

" They don't trouble me anymore."

" What do you mean?" Ava said, surprised. " Didn't you say they are proud people who wouldn't give up so easily?"

" That's what I thought," Evelyn said. " But I hardly see them now. It almost looks like they are deliberately avoiding me."

" Do you reckon they are planning something?" Ava asked skeptically.

" Maybe or maybe not?" Evelyn said, looking at the letters she received from Adam.

Ava understood what Evelyn was thinking. " Is it Adam?"

" I really don't know, Ava, but his letters always say he will protect me."

" Adam must have threatened them."

" Quite possible."

" I don't know what to think about this Adam guy," Ava said worriedly. " Is he a savior or an enemy?"

" He says he loves me."

" Love, or is it obsession? He knows everything about you, follows you around, leaves you notes, and threatens people. Do you think this is normal behavior?"

" No, it isn't, but he never tried to harm me."

" Are you taking his side, Evelyn?" Ava asked, appalled. " D-Do you like him or something?"

" No, Ava, I am just stating the facts. How can I like him when I don't know anything about him. He's so secretive, and even his behavior is questionable."

" You have gotten involved with a bunch of messed-up people."

" And I don't know what to do about it."

" I feel you should go to the cops."

" And what do I tell them? That I am getting love letters?"

" I just want you to be safe," Ava said, holding Evelyn's hand.

" I am alert, Ava. I don't know how to explain this, but I don't get negative vibes from Adam. I feel safe around him as if I have known him for a long time."

" As much as I know, the only men you are close to are James, Josh, and Triston, and I don't think they would do any such thing," Ava remarked.

" You are right. They would never do something like this, and I trust them completely.

" I think it's someone from your college only. Most of your time, you are there, so it would be easier for him to keep an eye on you."

" Probably."

Meanwhile, the Cliff twins and their friends were meeting at their usual place at the club.

" When did you come back from the cruise?" Brad asked the Cliff twins.

" Today morning. What's wrong with your face?" Fred asked.

Brad looked at his other friends, who were trembling in fear.

" What did you want to talk about?" Jeff asked them, raising his eyebrow.

" Ummm...There's this guy..." Brad started.

" Why are you hesitating? Did this guy beat you up?"

After a few seconds of silence, Brad said, " Y-Yes."

" What? He hit all three of you?" Jeff asked, surprised and the other three nodded.

" Why?"

" Because we tried to bully that orphan girl."

" What do you mean? Be specific."

" When we tried to hurt her, a hooded guy appeared out of nowhere and beat us to a pulp," Jake said.

" Are you not ashamed of saying this? You were three, and you got beaten by a single guy?"

" That guy was unexpectedly strong, and his fighting skills were excellent," Brad said in awe. " We couldn't even land a punch."

"Didn't the goons say the same thing?" Fred asked Jeff. " The one's whom we hired to follow that girl."

" Yes," Jeff replied. " But who is this guy, and why is he hiding behind a hood?"

" He's scared," Fred said. " Scared of what we will do to him if we know his identity."

" I don't think he's scared. Rather we should be scared of him," Austin said worriedly.

" Don't behave like a p**sy," Jeff sneered. " You are getting worried for nothing."

" Have you noticed any new guy hanging around with that girl?" Fred asked.

" No, I only saw her with Triston," Brad replied.

" Then how do we get hold of this mysterious guy?" Fred commented.

" We have to change our tactics," Jeff suggested. "We know it is impossible to get both the orphan girl and this hooded guy by fighting. So we have to look for other methods. The kidnapping plan would have worked if that guy hadn't interfered."

" Let's stop this," Austin whispered. " We have done enough already."

" Seriously?" Fred spat. " I am sure you have a crush on that girl. Even after getting beat up, you say just to let it go?"

" I don't want to get into trouble. We are lucky enough Evelyn didn't go to the cops after the kidnapping."

" Oh, come on. Even if she had complained, she couldn't have done anything to us. My Dad knows the Officers very well," Jeff said proudly.

" But still..."

" You are a coward, but we are not," Fred groaned. " If we let them go, everyone will think we are losers."

" But how do we do it?" Brad asked.

" First, we need to know about this guy. Who can he be? Did you notice something unusual about him?"

" He was dressed in black jeans, a black hoodie, and a black mask. He is about as tall as you two," Brad said to the twins.

" Anything else? Did you recognize his voice?"

" No. We have never heard that voice before. His voice was too deep, almost s-sinister," Jake shuddered. " It was so scary and threatening I still get nightmares of it."

Jeff snorted. " You are talking as if he was a devil."

" It literally felt like that," Austin whispered.

" What crap!!" Jeff exclaimed. " We are five of us and can add even more if needed. We can't lose to two petty people. We just have to have a thorough plan to nab them."

" So, what do you suggest?" Brad asked.

" How many times did you try to confront the girl?" Fred asked.

" Twice," Brad replied.

" And both the times you were interrupted?"

" Yes."

" Even the goons tried twice. Once the kidnapping and then the next day when we hired other goons to follow her," Jeff stated.

" Maybe the guy loves Evelyn," Jake stated. " So he always comes to rescue her."

" Have you tried hitting Triston? Did the hooded guy interrupt you that time?"

" We never tried. We were focused on the girl."

" So we should try beating Triston up. If this guy stops us, we will know he thinks himself to be everybody's savior..." Jeff remarked. " ...And if he doesn't come to save Triston, we will know his weakness is that orphan girl."