Page 64

“Family Pleads for Return of Beloved Daughter.”

My grip on the phone tightens. I scroll further to see just how far they’re willing to spin it.

There’s a polished photo with every article. One of Ani on her father’s arm, wearing a soft pink dress and a hollow smile.Another from some charity event, her eyes wide and empty. She looks like a doll, dressed up and pointed at the cameras.

The articles are short, but the language is loaded. They describe her as troubled. Sensitive. Prone to emotional outbursts. Her father’s quotes are full of concern and implying instability. There’s no reference to her engagement being arranged. No hint that she ran for her life.

It’s not news. It’s a message.

They’re telling the world she’s broken so no one will question what happens next.

I turn the phone toward Boone and slide it across the table.

He reads the headline, his expression unchanging.

“They’re setting her up,” I say.

“I know.”

“This is the shit people will believe.”

Boone picks up the phone and scrolls through the article. When he reaches the last paragraph, he sets it down and finally takes a sip of coffee.

“Any sign they know where she is?” he asks.

“Not yet.”

He exhales slowly. “They’re not just covering their asses. They’re laying the foundation.”

I nod. “They’re controlling the narrative.”

He taps the edge of the phone once, then looks up at me. “How’s she doing?”

“Finn says she’s holding it together.”

Boone leans back in his chair and folds his arms. “We can’t let them take her.”

“Then we’d better be ready to keep her.”

He tightens his jaw, but doesn’t argue.

I take another sip of coffee. It tastes bitter and burned, but it keeps my hands busy.

Boone stares back out the window.

“I keep thinking about the night she showed up,” he says.

I wait for him to continue.

He doesn’t, so I fill the space. “She jumped at every little thing. But, she warmed up to us. She’s a different person now.”

“Because you fucked her.”

I don’t flinch. He wants it to land like a punch, but it doesn’t.

“No,” I say, voice steady. “Because we made her feel safe.”

Boone shakes his head but doesn’t argue. He stares past me, the muscle in his jaw twitching.