Page 96 of The Devils Melody

I whip my head towards him, eyes flaring with barely restrained fury. “And you think finding that damn bear is gonna fix it?”

“It’s not about fixing it,” he snaps, throwing me a sharp glare. “It’s about giving her something safe. Something that's hers. After everything she’s been through, she deserves one goddamn thing that gives her a sense of peace.”

I hate to admit it, but he’s right, and if finding that damn bear is going to give her peace, then I’m going to give it to her.

“Alright, let’s go find this damn bear.” I huff, as Nox and I step out of the SUV and walk toward the building.

Opening the back door to the restaurant, I can see that Jimmy’s crew was hard at work. The space looks nothing like that night Nox and I came in here to get Wren. All the broken glass has been cleaned up, the blood spatter wiped from the walls. Walking in here, you wouldn’t even be able to tell that there was a struggle.

I take the stairs two at a time, Nox hot on my heels, wanting to get the bear and get out before anyone notices us here. Pushing open the door to Wren’s room, I scan the space, taking it all in. I didn’t get to look around last time, being too focused on Wren to care.

In the far corner is a tiny bookshelf, but it’s completely overflowing with books. Some are stacked on the floor, while others sit in piles on the desk beside it. Her bed sitson the opposite wall, all the blankets have been stripped from the mattress. Must have not been able to salvage them after the break in.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I check all the crevices a stuffed bear could possibly be, but come up empty. There’s a good chance that Jimmy’s crew trashed it, not knowing the importance.

Pulling out my phone, I dial Jimmy.

“What do you want, Kage?”

“Jimbo Baggins, how goes it?”

“You have five seconds before I hang up,” he scoffs. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the sack this morning.

“I need to inquire about a bear.”

“A…bear?” he questions, as if he may have heard me wrong.

“Yes, of Teddy origin.”

“So, you’re looking for a teddy bear?”

“Yeah, Jimmy. Stay with me, pal, I thought you were smarter than this.”

“Kage I swear to?—”

“Yeah so, your guys came through Wren’s place and it looks like they threw out her bedding. Any chance they found a teddy bear in here?”

“That’s not something they would have kept, but I’ll check in with the guys now. Is a bear really important enough that I have to stop my guys from working on another job to look for a stuffed animal?”

“It matters to Wren, so it matters to me. Which means it matters to you by association. Got it?”

“Sure, understood. I’ll find the bear.” Jimmy clears his throat and pauses for a beat before beginning again. “Anyway, I found something. There’s a building across the street from Sun Hong Kong with cameras. Took me some time to hack into their feed, but I’ve got access now.”

My pulse spikes. “Tell me you got footage from the night her apartment got trashed.”

“I did, sending it now,” Jimmy says, the sound of rapid fingers flying across keys comes through the phone. “Check your phone.”

“I will, and hey. Do some digging on a man named Edward Daniels for us.”

“Daniels, as in?—”

“Wren’s father. He should be in prison. Dig up anything you can find, but most importantly, find where he’s being held.”

“You got it, Kagey Wagey.”

“...Jimmy. Was that supposed to be a joke?”

The line is silent for a beat until he finally clears his throat. “Well, I just figured?—”