Page 22

Orion

It’s late when I finally head down the hallway to check on Briar. She’s been holed up in her bedroom for ages, and I’m convinced she’s asleep by now—especially since I spent the last hour making her favorite dinner, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, something I hoped would cheer her up. The comforting aroma still lingers on my clothes as I push open the door to her room.

“Briar?” I call softly, stepping inside. The bedside lamp is off, and moonlight filters through a crack in the curtains. I pause, letting my eyes adjust to the dimness. There’s a weird sense of unease nibbling at the back of my mind, but I brush it off and move closer to the bed.

It’s empty. The sheets are rumpled, but there’s no sign of her. My heart thumps with a sudden spike of adrenaline.

“She’s not here,” a voice says, startling me. In the far corner, Jeb sits perched in his cage, feathers ruffled.

I swallow hard, turning to face the bird. “What do you mean she’s not here? Where’d she go, Jeb?”

“Briar left,” Jeb repeats, bobbing his head. “Briar cries.”

A fissure of dread cracks open in my gut. “Cries? She was crying?” I cross the room in a few strides, stopping in front of the cage. “What do you mean, Jeb? What was she crying about?”

Jeb bobs again, shuffling on his perch. Then, as clear as day, he squawks, “I don’t have feelings for shit.”

His words send a cold jolt through my veins. Shit. That’s what I said on the phone with Dean, to cover my ass, to keep things professional. She must have overheard. I take a shaky breath, cursing myself for the lie. I never wanted Briar to hear that. I hadn’t meant it—not even close.

“Jeb, buddy, where did she go?” My hand’s already fishing my phone from my pocket. I punch in Dean’s number, my pulse hammering as each ring sounds through the speaker.

The call connects, and Dean’s casual “Hello?” grates on my nerves.

“Briar’s gone,” I bite out. “I need her location. Now.”

“Gone?” Dean echoes, but I hear the quick clack of a keyboard in the background. He’s doing exactly what I asked—tracking her phone. “Any idea where she might’ve gone?”

I pace the bedroom, my head spinning. “None. I just found out she left from—” I glance at Jeb, who’s still muttering under his breath, “—her damn bird. She must’ve overheard something she wasn’t supposed to.”

Dean exhales a near-laugh. “If this wasn’t so serious, I’d laugh.”

“If you laugh right now, I’m going to reach through this phone and strangle you,” I snap, my patience fraying with each second Briar is gone.

More keyboard clicks. Dean’s tone grows grave. “I’m getting nothing on her phone. It’s either off, or destroyed.”

My stomach twists. I do a quick sweep of the bedside table. Nothing. On her dresser, just a few stray papers and a brush. “It’s not here,” I mutter into the phone. “She must’ve taken it with her.”

“Then there’s no way to track her right now.”

I drag a hand through my hair, turning back to Jeb. He’s pacing inside the cage, mumbling about cries and feelings. “Okay, thanks, Dean. I’ll figure something out. Keep trying. Maybe she’ll power it on eventually.”

Dean gives a curt acknowledgment, then hangs up, leaving me in a tense silence, save for Jeb’s agitated squawks.

I tuck my phone away, returning my attention to the bird. “Jeb, talk to me. You said Briar left. Did she say anything else?” My voice shakes with urgency. Damn it, Briar, where’d you go?

Jeb tilts his head, repeating softly, “Briar cries… I don’t have feelings for—”

I grit my teeth against the wave of guilt that surges up. She heard me say it. I slam a fist against the bedpost, frustration roiling inside me. The last thing I wanted was to hurt her, but in trying to keep things strictly professional with Dean, I ended up lying in the worst way possible.

“Jeb,” I say again, forcing calm into my voice. “If you know anything else, any word she said, you gotta tell me. Please.”

But the bird just shakes out his feathers, turning away. I exhale, pressing the heel of my hand against my forehead. Briar could be anywhere, and if she thinks I don’t care about her… who knows what kind of danger she’s running straight into?

I do another quick sweep of her room, and notice a photo lying on the floor. I quickly snatch it up, and glance at a smiling Jason looking into the camera.

Asshole.

“Where is she?” I whisper to the photo.

“I’m safe,” Jeb squawks out. “Jeb safe. Briar’s not.”

I glance at the bird, and then study the photo once more, noticing the location. It’s the zoo, but that’s not odd. Jason dated a zoo worker, so she probably took this photo.

I wish I could reach into this photograph and strangle Jason’s neck right here and now. She has to be at the zoo. It’s the only thing I can think of.

I take one last look at the photo in my hand, my gaze snagging on something I almost missed. There, in the far corner, is a stray arm draped in… tweed? A strange, old-fashioned sort of jacket—definitely not Jason’s style. My brows knit together.

“Who wears tweed these days?” I murmur to no one in particular, squinting at the grainy image.

A sudden flutter of wings makes me glance over to where Jeb stands perched in his cage. The bird cocks his head and repeats, in Briar’s voice of all things, “ Here comes Heath, in all his shining tweed glory, swooping in and impressing Marcie with his fancy degree! ”

My heart stutters. Heath Hone—He’s the new trainer at the zoo.

“Say that again?” I demand, stepping closer to Jeb, my pulse kicking into overdrive.

Jeb tilts his head, repeating word for word: “ Here comes Heath, in all his shining tweed glory… ” I don’t wait for him to finish. I’m already bolting for the door, keys clenched in my fist, the photograph crumpled in my other hand.

I’m in my SUV and firing up the engine within seconds, my brain spinning. Heath Hone. The new bird trainer. A tweed jacket. Possibly connected to Jason. The pieces snap together, conjuring images of Jason at the zoo, Jason’s weird photo, and now this detail about Heath. It has to be more than coincidence.

Once I’m on the road, I punch in Dean’s number, bringing the call up through the bluetooth. My tires squeal as I swing onto the main street, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Dean picks up on the first ring. “Orion?”

“I’m guessing she went to the zoo.” My voice is tight, anxiety tugging at my chest. The last thing I want is for Briar to confront Jason—or his accomplice—alone.

“Are you heading there now?” Dean asks, the sound of rapid typing in the background.

“Yeah, can you scramble a team? I know the zoo’s running some kind of bird night show on Friday nights. I’ve got a hunch it’s Heath Hone—the new trainer. I think Jason and him know each other. I have no clue what they’re planning, but it’s definitely happening at the zoo.”

“Shit,” Dean mutters. There’s a flurry of keystrokes on his end. “How the hell did we miss that?”

I shake my head, teeth clenched, even though I know he can’t see me. “No idea. But if Briar’s gone, I’m guessing she’s heading there now. She probably figured out Heath was in on this. Or at least suspects him.”

Dean curses softly. “Right. I’m getting a team ready. We’ll meet you there. Orion… be careful.”

“Yeah,” I reply, voice strained. My heart thumps as I blow through a yellow light, pressing the accelerator. “I’m not letting anything happen to her.”

I hang up, gripping the steering wheel tighter. Hold on, Briar. I push the gas pedal harder, weaving through late-night traffic. The photograph rests on the console next to me, the torn edges a glaring reminder of how close I came to missing that crucial hint. If Briar’s at the zoo, facing down a man she suspects of being in league with Jason, she’s in more danger than ever. And I won’t let her face it alone.