Page 52

Crew

I ’ve scoured every inch of Olivia’s apartment for clues. The same with Aspen House and Viserion. I’ve come up empty.

It’s been two days. Two days of waiting, and all the while, Liv and Aleks could be hurt. There’s no telling what happened in the struggle at the hospital, and the fact that I’m waiting for the footage from Taylor doesn’t help either.

The longer I stare at my computer, the more my vision blurs. It’s nearly midnight. I need to sleep, but even if I tried, it would be pointless. I dream of her now. And when I wake up and realize she’s gone, my chest aches. I startle when Chesna meows, crawling into my lap and staring up at me.

I almost forgot she was here.

My chest aches again. She’s done nothing but lay by the door. Waiting for it to open and Liv to step inside.

I reach down, scratching her ears as she purrs. Guilt gnaws at me. While Chesna’s been home alone, I’d like to tell myself that tirelessly looking into finding Chase has been worthwhile. But I’m chasing dead leads, and I know it.

His phone number is disconnected. The last time the phone tower pinged his location, he was at his listed home address. I found the house abandoned though. It looked like it had been for a while.

Chesna mewls, sprawling out on her back and exposing her scarred stomach. I gently scratch the scar that disappears around her ribs. She abruptly shoots up at a sound in the hall, and when she hears a neighbor’s door close, she darts towards the credence table, silently flicking her tail.

The pit in my stomach deepens when the footsteps disappear. I force myself to look away. My eyes find Liv’s purse on the coffee table, the contents spilled out. There are a few tubes of her favorite lipstick, tissues, a new planner, and her favorite pens and pencils.

Chesna must have knocked it over, and I shake my head when I spot white shreds of paper littering the floor. I reach down, finding the wad of notes the stalker left. Chesna must have gotten into it.

I kneel with a sigh. I inspect the note for any sign of further damage, but I pause when I find pencil shading over the top.

Liv , I think as I notice the traced stamp with an R in the middle. She was onto something. R. Rema .

It’s probably a family crest which only confirms what we already know. Harvey made a deal- and Rema wants his due.

But I know that symbol from somewhere else , I think before tugging my laptop toward me. I search a registry of local businesses. The more I stare at the shape, the more my mind starts wandering.

What if they took her somewhere close by?

I rack my brain, thinking through every place Taylor and I have been with Olivia the past few months. There’s been venues, hotels, restaurants, but there’s something deeper here… Something familiar.

R. On a whim, I type Rebren into the search bar. Pictures of the sprawling, gated estate fill my screen.

Maybe I’m restless, but the image is enough to have me grabbing my keys and holstering my pistol. I pack the notes and scratch Chesna’s ears in goodbye.

Locking up, I take the stairs to the back alley. I make it to the sprawling edge before I hear a voice behind me:

“Aye!” Ricky calls. He clambers out of his tent, still tugging on a ratty gray shirt as he approaches. “I’ve seen you come in and out of that apartment about twelve times now. Ain’t seen Ms. Livia in days n’ I heard the police were hanging out here yesterday morning.”

It isn’t quite an accusation, but from the way his eyes narrow, I can tell he’s ready to lay me out if he senses that I’m lying.

“You wanna tell me what’s goin’ on?”

It shouldn’t be difficult, but for some reason, admitting that she’s gone- admitting that I left her when I should’ve been protecting her- is hard.

“She…” I begin. “She was taken.” His eyes widen, and before he can start assaulting me with questions, Imove past him. “I don’t have time to explain this.”

“Oh, you’ll make time.”

He grips the back of my shirt, but I slip out of his grip, using the momentum to grab his arm and twist it behind his back. He’s locked in a choke-hold with no way out.

“Shit, man. Lemme go!” Reluctantly, I do, still breathing hard as he rubs his neck. “You got a mean grip.”

“Like I said… I don’t have time for this,” I warn, but before I can turn again, he says,

“When did they take her?”

It’s clear he won’t let me leave without answers, so I heave a sigh. “The hospital. Two days ago.”

“Who?”

“Not exactly sure yet,” I rub my temples, but the longer he stares, the more I think about what he just told me. He’s always been observant, and part of me wonders if I’ve overlooked it.

“Have you seen anyone around here recently?” I ask suddenly.

His eyes narrow. “If I did… I would’a said something,” he says simply, but it’s an admission that he knows things.

I’d bet money on the fact that he knows this city like the back of his hand. I stand down, taking a few steps back.

“People go missin’ all the time. But a pretty lady like Ms. Livia… People will talk.” He offers, carefully- a white flag. “Where ya headed?”

I debate whether or not to say anything, but I finally shrug. “You ever heard of the Rebren Hotel?”

“It’s only one of the nicest, schmoozy joints in Sutton,” he deadpans, and my mouth twitches in a smile. “I can ask around though.”

I shake my head before jutting my chin in the direction of the parking garage. “You got something black to wear?” I ask.

A huff comes out of him. “What do you think?”

I shake my head at the obvious answer. “Good thing I’ve got extra then.”

The place is crawling with security. There are at least two men posted at every ivy-covered entrance, and despite the onslaught of guests rotating in and out of the hotel lobby, they remain vigilant.

From the back seat of the SUV, Ricky huffs. “How the hell are we supposed to get in through all that?”

It’s a fair question. I hadn’t exactly thought through a plan before driving here.

“We aren’t,” I say back.

Ricky shrugs into the black jacket I loaned him, adjusting his view as a couple of cars pull through the gate. “What are we lookin’ for?”

I watch the valet grab keys from a guest before swinging their convertible around the back of the lot, disappearing behind the building.

“Vantage point,” I say.

In the rearview mirror, I see him watching the same thing I am: Another valet driver takes a car around the back. He suggests, “What about a back entrance?”

I kick the car into gear, reversing out of the parking spot and following the next valet driver around the back. The driver veers toward a gated parking lot, but I quickly back into a closer spot beside the building.

I kill the engine. We have a clear view of the balcony that spans the third level. Beneath it, cathedral doors serve as a private entrance.

“Goddamn, this place is nice,” Ricky mutters as the doors open, revealing a sliver of the crystal chandelier inside.

A black SUV pulls to the curb, and I watch as two men exit the hotel. One of them, I recognize. Chase Sutherland looks every bit like the arrogant prick he was the last time I saw him. The second man is vaguely familiar. Slicked back gray hair, silver sunshades.

Ricky braces himself against the front seat. “Who’s that?”

“Someone Harvey owes money to.”

“And the other guy?”

I watch the scene more closely. Sutherland is saying something. They go back and forth before Sutherland gets in the SUV, and it drives off. The silver haired man disappears inside.

“If I had to guess, Donatello Rema.”

“She’s gotta be in there somewhere,” Ricky says absently, and while I’d normally be the first to try and figure out how to get inside, we need a plan.

I start the car again. “You know the Benenatis?”

He looks at me like I’m insane for even asking the question. “What about ‘em?”

“Ever met ‘em?”

“No.”

“Well,” I say, kicking the car back into gear. “You’re about to. If you want out, say it now.”

Ricky considers the offer for a moment, eyes flitting back and forth until he finally shakes his head. “I’m not out until we find her.”

With that, despite the fact that it’s nearing three AM, I drive to Viserion and hope that Skar is still awake.