Page 58 of Upon Blooded Lips (Vengeance #1)

SPECIAL AGENT SUSANNAH GERHARDT

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“ H e isn’t here, is he?” I say, scooping up my hair into a ponytail. Damn, this heat is brutal. “I don’t understand how he’s always a step ahead of us. This isn’t normal.”

My assistant, Jessica, fans herself while scrolling through the video feed of David Harrison at the airport for the hundredth time.

“I don’t get it. He’s right there. He checks in, and the airline confirmed he was on the plane.

” She scrolls to the next video. “And here he is, leaving the RIOgale?o International Airport. He walks around the corner and just disappears. I can’t find any hotel bookings or anything under any of his known aliases.

And there’s no record of him leaving the country again. ”

I flop down on my hotel bed with a sigh. “I think we have to go home. The director’s going to be pissed we’ve wasted so many resources on this.”

Jessica murmurs an affirmative, then glances up at me with wide eyes. “Look at this.”

I take the tablet from her and scroll through Willowmen’s news website, my breath catching in my throat at the story titles. Local Businessman Takes Life. Presley Harrison—Responsible for Daughter’s Disappearance? Former Society Queen Presley Harrison Admitted to Psychiatric Hospital.

The puzzle pieces click into place. Goddammit. We’ve been played.

Chicago, Illinois

In this job, there are times you have to wrestle with your conscience over your training.

I close my eyes and let out a breath. Is she killing or setting up her abusers?

I believe so. Do they deserve it? Absolutely.

Is it my job to turn her in? Yes. Am I going to? Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?

It’s possible that the police—or someone on my team—may very well come to the same conclusions.

I’ve kept my mouth shut, not even saying anything to Jessica.

Deniability and all that. But I know I’m right.

Can I prove it? No. Legally, I should contact Willowmen PD with my suspicions, let them handle it, and wash my hands of the whole thing.

But that little voice inside me tells me that to do so would make me no better than the other monsters that poor kid had to deal with.

After seeing the evidence of what David and her parents did to her, I can’t be complicit in locking her up like an animal.

But I also can’t risk my job. Not yet. There’s still something I need to do.

I place a hand on the window and glance down at the tree-lined Roosevelt Road, running over the possibilities. Peace and a sense of finality settle over me as I make my decision. All I can do is hope she sees it.