Page 142 of The Silent Note

I freeze.

Zane frowns from behind his brother’s shoulder.

Sol looks up from where he’s brazenly chomping on a muffin while the dawn splays orange and pink light from the conference room’s giant windows. It’s a truly magnificent sunrise, especially from this high up.

Too bad my heart is stuck in my throat and I can’t appreciate the view.

Finn taps more keys.

The error message beeps again and again.

“Something wrong?” Sol asks. Every muscle in his long, lean body is coiled as if he’s ready to spring up and go after Hall.

Finn doesn’t respond. He hunches over his laptop, typing furiously.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“The flash drive is damaged,” Finn answers.

“Damaged? What do you mean damaged?”

“Maybe Hall gave us a dud?” Dutch looks up at Sol.

“He wouldn’t. He knows better than that,” Sol says darkly.

“No, the flash drive is legit,” Finn clarifies.

“How do you know that?” I ask, wringing my hands.

“Look.” Finn opens a file. “This folder works.”

I want to bounce Cadence out of the way so I can look closer. Thankfully, she steps aside for me and I’m able to bend over Finn’s shoulder to peer at the laptop screen. He scrolls across the page and I see bank transactions.

“These are Slavno’s bank records,” Finn says.

“But he told us he was paid in cash,” I argue. “Unless he lied to us.”

“No, I don’t think this is the evidence on your friend’s case. It’s just proof that Hall delivered the right flash drive.” Dark eyebrows bunching over his almond-shaped eyes, Finn adds, “If the evidence is here, I’ll get it.”

“How long do you think it will take?” I ask, my nerves jumping.

Finn stretches his hands and gets to work. “Let me see what I can do.”

Three hours.

That’s how long I pace in front of Finn until he finally picks up his laptop and stomps back to his hotel room, claiming I’m ‘distracting’ him.

Zane drags me back to our suite where he insists I get more rest.

“But I’m not tired,” I argue. In fact, I could run a mile.

“The drool on my shoulder says otherwise,” Zane murmurs, pointing to the sleeve of his T-shirt where there’s a dark spot.

I cringe in embarrassment. I made the choice to sit next to him earlier, even though we’re still, technically, in a fight about Hall. It was instinctual to be near him. He was a siren song in the midst of a storm and I clung to that, even if it meant I’d crash against the rocks.

Now that I have to wait for news again, it’s killing me. I’m not the girl who sits around and twiddles her thumbs while the big, strong men handle business. I’ve been running point on this investigation for years. I like being in control and right now, my world feels very out of control.

“If you can’t sleep, you might as well get dressed so I can drive you to school. It’s Friday. I’ll take you out on a date after your last class.”