Page 23 of Darkness of Mine

“Freya,” Oz starts.

“I’m fine,” I say, cutting him off. “What. Else?”

Oz glances at River who dips his chin. Oz sighs but hands me another file. “Harley Lockry was taken two days ago. She went missing in a shopping mall arcade in Virginia. She’s ten years old.”

I open the file, glancing over the information they’ve already gathered.

Harley looks a lot like Millie. A lot like me. The photo shows her dressed in her soccer kit, a ball tucked under her arm. She’s got fire in her eyes, and I try to find hope in that. She’s a fighter and if the guys are right, then she’s still alive.

We just need to find her before it’s too late.

“And we’re sure it’s Zach?” I ask.

“We’re sure,” River answers. “Aside from the obvious physical similarities, it appears Zach wants to be known. He left a calling card at each abduction site.”

“Son of a bitch gave himself a name, The Little Star Catcher. The press are lapping it up.” Eli’s face is grim as he settles down on the couch next to me and hands me a glass of water. I take a sip, the taste of vomit still thick and furry in my mouth.

“He also left you a note.” Jude picks up a plastic baggie from among the papers on the table and hands it to me. Inside is a piece of paper with just one sentence written in ink.

Come and find me, Little Star.

I drop the bag on the table and avert my eyes.

Three months ago the words Little Star meant nothing to me. But that was before the nightmares, before my half-brother came back into my life and brought forgotten memories back with him.

Little Star was his pet name for me. It’s what he called me when he did to me the same unspeakable things he did to Millie.

I thought hunting my father was hard. But this? This might just break me. Not that that will stop me. Nothing will. I’m too late to help Millie, but I’d come back from the dead to save Harley if that’s what it took. The question is whether I do it with or without the guys. Zach only agreed to leave the people I love alone if I stayed away from them. Which means this note is a trap. He wants to lure me back, so he doesn’t have to keep his promise.

I close the file I’m looking at and face them. “If I come back with you?—”

“When,” River cuts me off. Sharp. Lethal. His arm is slung casually over the arm of the couch but it’s a façade. Nothing about him is relaxed. “Whenyou come back with us you will do exactly as you’re told. You no longer get a choice in the matter.”

My shoulders stiffen and I hold his stare. The silver band around my wrist is just another reminder that any trust I’d gained with River is gone. I’m not dealing with the man who told me he loved me. I’m not even sure I’m dealing with the man I first met. This River is harsher, deadlier, and entirely too unpredictable. I’ve already got the bruises to prove it.

I tilt my chin up under his unblinking gaze, still not willing to back down. “The second Zach finds out I’m back our deal is dead. He’ll come for you.”

A dangerous smile inches across River’s face. “I’d like to see him try.”

“Yeah? Well, I wouldn’t,” I snap.

“Freya.” Eli’s hand settles on my thigh but I stand up, brushing him off.

“No,” I say, looking at each of them in turn. “I will not put you in danger.”

Jude refuses to meet my gaze, staying focused on the coffee table. His curls sway as he shakes his head. “This isn’t like with Layla, Freya. We’re trained federal agents. Youknowthat.”

My shoulders drop. This is what Alistair’s been trying to tell me, that I ran when I should have stayed and fought. I track my eyes over the soft brown curls blocking Jude’s face, wishing he’d look at me.

Eli reaches up and twists his fingers through mine, tugging my attention back to him. “Killers like Zach, they get off on messing with your head. If we’re going to catch him, we can’t play by his rules.”

I meet Eli’s gaze. There’s a softness there I haven’t seen since before he knew who I was, and the grief that always hides behind his eyes seems lighter now. I don’t know whether it’s this new side to Eli or whether I’m just done fighting, but the rest of my resistance falls away.

My throat hurts from being sick, my nerves are shot, and despite everything, the hollowness in my chest eased the very second the guys appeared. I’m scared and I’m not alright but what I told River is true. I want to go home.

“Okay,” I say. “We do it your way.”

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