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Brody stares at his phone, his nostrils flaring. His jaw clenches tight, and he looks at me. I see the storm swirling in his eyes.
“What does this mean?” I ask, stressed and worried.
Brody is lost in thought. “I have to find more information about Micah. I’ve been digging deeper after what you told me. There’s something here … I just haven’t quite figured it out yet. The fact that he took Mia—what the fuck?!”
He’s livid in a way I’ve never seen before. Unease floods along my spine as he grabs his laptop. Brody opens information that contains names, dates, and cryptic messages, sending a wave of dread through me.
My gaze catches on a name in an email—Blaire Bowers.
A memory jolts through me, sharp and vivid. I straighten abruptly, a chill slithering down my back. “Blaire Bowers—Brody, I know that name.”
He immediately turns, his expression sharp with urgency. “From where?”
“She sent him a text message the morning we had brunch in Newport.” My voice trembles slightly, my pulse quickening as memories flood back, disjointed and frantic. “Micah was on a call with someone in Newport. After he ended it, she texted him, and I saw it. I don’t know what the message said, but it was her name.”
Brody’s jaw tightens visibly, fury flashing through his eyes. “He had contact with her.”
“Yes.” I swallow hard, anxiety knotting in my stomach. “At the time, I thought he was cheating.”
Brody clicks rapidly, pulling up another tab, revealing a photograph of a smiling young woman with long, dark hair and blue eyes. Underneath, bold letters declare she has been missing from Newport for two weeks.
“That’s her?” I whisper, horror gripping my throat as I realize our similarities. “Oh God, she’s missing?”
He nods grimly, fingers tightening into fists. “She’s not the only one. There’s a list of women. Most of them had some kind of connection to him—personal or business. There have been whispers online for a while now, but everyone is afraid to name.”
The realization hits me with brutal force, a sickening twist of guilt and dread churning inside me. “How did I not see this?”
Brody reaches out, gripping my hand, grounding me. “He’s a master manipulator.”
I shake my head slightly, breath shallow as another memory resurfaces. “He always took these strange, secretive calls. He’d step outside, away from me. He’d be furious afterward, snapping at anyone around him. Once, he said something about ‘keeping the situation contained,’ and I thought it was some work scandal, not …”
“Not kidnapping or possibly worse,” Brody finishes, his voice rough with fury. “He’s more dangerous than any of us realized. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
His eyes hold mine. “I will uncover the truth. These women deserve justice.”
I squeeze his hand, drawing strength from him. “I can’t lose you.”
“Never.” Brody’s promise burns brightly in his dark blue eyes. “Everyone is working to take him down.”
I feel both comforted by Brody’s presence and haunted by the shadows Micah has cast over our lives. This revelation is darker than I ever imagined it could be.
“This ends soon,” Brody says with determination in his voice. “We have to find Mia.”
“This is my fault,” I whisper.
“No,” he says, wrapping his arm around me and kissing my forehead. It’s the only thing that brings light to this darkness surrounding me.
A chill runs down my spine as I realize that could’ve been me.
Micah has to be stopped before he hurts someone else.
24
BRODY
Normally, easy mornings would bring me a sense of calm, but right now, a tight knot twists in my gut. Harper carefully folds her clothes, placing them in the weekend bag Billie brought for her when she visited. She moves slowly, like she’s trying to delay the inevitable—we’re leaving. Being in the city with more protection is the safest option, and I will always choose Harper’s safety first.
I watch her from the doorway and focus on the way the sunlight catches in her hair and splashes across her cheeks.