Page 106 of Ruin My Life

Damon leans in, his voice low and steady. “Anything with his face in it, Lee?”

Lee doesn’t answer. He just clicks faster, tension gathering in the room like a coming storm.

And then—

There.

The hood of the car drops.

And his face rises with it.

I stumble back from Lee’s chair, my hand shooting out to brace against the edge of the desk.

There he is.

The monster in flesh.

His skin is a little darker now—bronzed from time spent in the sun. His hair, once buzzed short, has grown into messy blond curls that skim the tops of his ears. His jawline is sharper. His frame slightly bulkier. Broader. Stronger.

The description I gave the police six months ago wouldn’t match what I’m looking at now.

But no amount of muscle or sun can change the truth.

That same songbird tattoo still fans across his chest like a brand he’s proud to wear.

And those eyes—ice blue and merciless—are ones I’d recognize anywhere. They’ve haunted every nightmare that I’ve drowned in since the night they took Amie.

Even if I wanted to forget him, I could never.

“It’s him...”

The words slip out in a whisper, meant only for me. But they hang in the air like smoke—thick, choking, undeniable.

No one moves.

No sharp gasps. No reactions.

Just the hum of the monitors. And the roar of my pulse in my ears.

I lift my gaze to Damon. His jaw is clenched so tight I can see the twitch of muscle beneath the skin. He’s locked on Lee’s screen, burning holes through the pixels. But beneath the surface, I see something flicker.

Recognition.

My stomach twists,hard.

“Do you know who he is?” I ask, my voice low and tight.

Damon drags a hand slowly across his jaw, eyes flicking between the screen and mine.

He hesitates a beat too long.

“No,” he says finally. “But we’ll figure it out. He’s our best lead to finding out who hired Lola—clearly someone who considers him an enemy.”

Enemy.

The word sounds wrong. Too soft. Too human for the likes of him.

I turn to Lee, my voice snapping back into control. “Send me the photo. I’ll use R.O.S.E. to run it through every traceable database. If we act fast, we can be face-to-face with him before sunrise—”