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Chapter Nine

L ina

A text came in from Emily: “The footage is deleted. I’ve got it safely stored. You can access it on your USB. “Embarrassment squirmed through me as I wondered whether Emily had watched it. I supposed she had to watch it to know she’d gotten the incriminating evidence I’d asked her to delete.

As soon as I’d gotten to my car after leaving Blackthorn, I’d texted Emily about how I needed her to delete all security footage from the elevator camera from the last hour.

I opened up my laptop, the cool light of the screen bathing my face as I sat on the edge of my bed in the luxurious guest suite at Blackthorn Villa.

After thoroughly inspecting the room for any suspicious surveillance devices the moment I moved in, I felt confident in being able to make calls to my friends without hesitation.

My heart still skipped with what had happened, and I desperately wanted something to ground me. If I’d been home, I’d have wrapped my arms around Betty’s soft little body, inhaling her earthy scent, and been instantly calmed.

So far, since arriving here, I’d only managed a handful of calls home. With it already being a couple of weeks since I’d left, I missed her terribly.

Feeling lonely, I video-called home.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Betty screeched, radiant with excitement.

I had the volume low, and I allowed myself to beam at her, my voice quiet compared to hers.

A smile blossomed across my lips, melting away the lingering tension I’d carried all day. I leaned forward, the warmth of her joy igniting a deep happiness within me.

“Hi, sweetheart! How’s my little ballerina?”

“Good! I’s practicing!” she moved back, twirling around. My heart swelled as she spun. “You’re doing so well. I miss you, baby.”

“Yes!” she giggled. “Look, look!” She exploded into a series of spins, wobbling a little as she laughed.

“My teacher says I’s the best!” she insisted, and I caught a glimpse of Matt on the sofa, his grin warm as he added. “Miss Hutton awarded you a prize, didn’t she?”

Betty nodded so vigorously that her black waves bounced. “I got a star.”

“Well done, sweetie,” I cooed.

“Mommy, you coming home?” Betty asked, her face suddenly earnest.

My stomach tightened. “As soon as I can, baby,” I promised, already wishing I could reach through the screen and scoop her into my arms.

“I got a secret show,” she said, clapping her hands delightedly, even as Matthew put a finger to his lips, trying to shush her.

“Remember, it’s a secret show, isn’t it, Betty?

” For the next five minutes, she delightedly showed me snippets of the top-secret dance routine she was working on for my homecoming.

Too soon Matthew left to take Betty up to bed. But with the way she was yawning, I could see she’d had another fulfilling and stimulating day, one I tried not to feel too guilty about missing. A wave of longing washed over me, and I turned my attention to Emily, who was framed on Matt’s laptop.

She was on the other end of the couch, typing away on her own laptop. “I’ve still not been able to work out which of the Blackthorn buildings this footage came from,” Emily said, her dark braid swinging as she typed.

I knew she was working, even as she spoke to me. Once Em put her mind to a task, she’d keep at it until she cracked it. Her persistence when it came to her work was both the best thing and the worst thing about Em.

I’d lost count of the number of times I’d found her passed out with keyboard prints imprinted onto her face.

Both Emily and Matthew had been my friends since my late teens.

Matthew had been on the same business course as me at Harvard; Emily was a friend of his from high school and had studied Computer Science at Boston University.

The three of us hung out often in Boston throughout our university years.

When my parents died, both my friends had already graduated and moved back to Philly for jobs.

I’d stayed with Matt those first confusing months of mourning my parents and piecing together my suspicions that Magnus was behind the attack, but Emily had been there for me just as much.

We had tried in those early months to access my family’s funds, but she hadn’t been skilled enough then to liberate them without the Blackthorn security team’s notice.

“I appreciate everything you’re doing, Em,” I said, not just meaning for what she was doing now, diligently working away day and night to find my mom, but for the past, too. But I made a mental note to check with Matt about when Em’s last bedtime had been, never mind Betty’s.

Em waved me off, never being great at accepting affection. But then she looked up—footsteps sounded, and I realized Matthew had come back.

Matthew took a seat on the couch beside Emily.

Em’s eyebrows drew together as her brown gaze found me. “We found signs earlier that Magnus has begun digging into your past.”

I blinked, my heart thumping. “But how?” I exclaimed. “We’ve been so careful. Has he linked me to Betty White?”

Em shook her head. “No, he’s not onto Luna Remedies in any way.”

I hadn’t opened my company of Luna Remedies under my own name but with an alias—Betty White, my daughter’s name paired with Emily’s surname.

It had been my new identity these last five years.

After the attack in New York, Lina Silvermoon had to disappear.

So, the idea that Magnus had found anything on me was perplexing.

Em continued, “When his men investigated the power plant and the other buildings you mentioned, Magnus began digging around.

Matthew said, “The solicitors have had various requests for the deeds to those buildings. Magnus’s team is trying to track down ownership. He’s also run credit checks on your name. He’s trying to connect you to our shadow company.”

I fought back a shudder. I’d sensed he’d been regarding me with a sharper focus in the handful of meetings over the last week. But I’d been telling myself that I was overthinking things.

But the last thing I needed was for him to find evidence that I was the owner of the shadow company that was the saboteur to much of his business—leaking information and swooping in ahead of him to make deals with clients that Blackthorn was interested in.

“I promise, I’ll be careful,” I reassured them, grateful for the skilled team I had watching my back.

Emily said, “What happened in the elevator didn’t look careful, Lina.

” My heart ricocheted in my chest, and I hoped that in the low light of the bedroom, it wasn’t too obvious how flushed my cheeks were growing.

But I knew how little Em liked to talk about this touchy-feely shit and was moved that she cared enough to push through her discomfort.

“It was a mistake. It won’t happen again,” I reassured her.

Matt’s expression became serious, though. “Emily told me about the footage, Lina.” He frowned. “I know it must be tricky to be around Stephen, but you need to be careful. If Magnus found out about you two, this whole rescue mission would be over.”

From the look of concern on his face, he didn’t need to say that my life would be at risk and that Betty would be without a mother. I let out a sigh. It had been a stupid moment of weakness.

I finally said what I’d called to say to them. “I miss you guys. I wish I could be home with you and Betty instead of here.”

Matthew’s kind eyes softened. “We miss you, too, Lina. And although Betty’s been great, I know she misses you so much.”

“Thanks, Matt,” I gushed. “She looked so happy. I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You know we love spending time with her. It’s no trouble.”

Matt’s easy friendship was something I was so grateful for.

The fact that he and Emily had always been such a big part of Betty’s life made me so thankful.

When I’d had her, both Matt and Em had been even more supportive.

They’d basically lived at my apartment in the first two years of Betty’s life.

When Luna Remedies had taken off a couple of years later, we’d decided to relocate to the villa, renovate it, and make it our main office as well as mine and Betty’s home.

Emily went back to typing. “Keep your head in the game, and you’ll be back before you know it.” My lips twitched. Always the tough love approach with Em.

“Em’s right, the better you play your role, the sooner you’ll be home with us,” Matt agreed.

“Hang on, what was that?” Em stopped typing. “Did he just say I’m right? Fuck, I wish I’d gotten that on tape.”

Matt’s mouth quirked for a moment, and I wondered if this time away from my favorite duo might at least help Matt make his move. Emily didn’t do the touchy-feely shit, but they’d been into each other for so many years. Maybe some time alone together was exactly what they needed.

“Besides,” Matt said. “Betty’s still not nearly rehearsed enough for your homecoming show. And you can’t rush good art.”

Finally, I wished them both goodnight and told them I’d check in with them whenever I could.

As the quiet of the room pressed in on me, my thoughts strayed to the elevator surveillance footage. I settled into my pillows with the laptop on my stomach and slid a USB drive into the port.

The seconds dragged by with anticipation as I clicked open the file, the whisper of anticipation thrumming through me like an echo of what I’d felt in that dark space with Stephen.

I was barely breathing as I watched Stephen and me enter the elevator.

The lurch and the darkness made our silhouettes hard to see, but they were still visible on the CCTV, far more than they had been to us in the dark.

The footage played out, and I heard my panicked gasps filling the elevator in a way I’d been too out of it to notice. Stephen’s reassuring voice came through my speakers, “You’re okay, Lina. Just breathe.” My fear reverberated in my short, shallow breaths, and the memory made my heart race.