Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109086 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 545(@200wpm)___ 436(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
I hadn’t planned ahead if Sawyer would be able to reach out to anyone. I should’ve.
I would’ve asked Ashton to get cameras and listening devices inside their house, but I just hadn’t. I’d been on the defensive this entire time except for this moment.
Right now was the shift.
When the aunts arrived, that’s when I got my opening into the brownstone.
The husband took a couple trips to bring all their luggage inside, and the door opened once more when the safari-aunt returned to the car for an item. It looked like a pink furry flamingo clutch. The thing was giant. It drew attention.
Everything about these aunts drew attention, but I slipped to the home when she went back inside.
They didn’t turn the security system back on. Not right away.
I was able to open a side door on the lower level.
Navigating through the house took time. It’d been easier than it should’ve been with five people and two dogs, one bigger and one smaller, and I hadn’t glimpsed the dogs. I only heard their barks. Everyone stayed on the main level.
They were drinking. Talking loud. Laughing. I heard crying.
The little dog growled, running after me when he caught my scent, but I stepped into a closet just as one of the guys grabbed their dog. “We’ve already been over this. You’re not getting whatever treats are in there. Come on. We need to make sure your auntie Sawyer is okay. Can you help me with that? Give her extra kisses and cuddles? Hmmm?” He whispered to the dog, “Let’s make sure everyone is of sound mind, too, while we’re at it. Can you help me with that?” He walked away, but that dog would be back, so I hurried out and slipped through the house until I was on the third level.
It was easy to figure out which room was Sawyer’s. Both of the aunts had tossed their visor and net-hat on the bed in the second-floor bedroom. Sawyer had left her purse on the dresser in the other room. Her phone was plugged in, charging next to it. The purse was half on top of it, as if she were hiding it.
Her door was open, but I closed it and grabbed her purse, setting it down in front of the door to try and cover some of my scent.
The dog ran up, sniffing outside.
I moved to her closet, and after a few minutes, after he was called back downstairs, he left.
I snuck out, returning her purse to the dresser. After using the attached bathroom, I opened her bedroom door an inch and moved to her closet, leaving that door open an inch as well. I was able to hear their voices, and heard the different trotting from the two dogs. One was slow, barely moving around. I was guessing that it was a bigger dog. Maybe an older dog, which was a slight blessing for me, but neither of these dogs were guard dogs. When the smaller dog didn’t return, I settled back and waited.
My phone buzzed silently against my hip. I pulled it out, reading the text.
Ashton: Info on Lane’s girl. You’re welcome. You owe me.
I rolled my eyes but clicked on the attached file.
An image of a young girl, early twenties, looked back at me. Brown skin. Dark almond eyes. Long black hair. Thin. Tall. It looked like a picture someone told her to stand by the wall for because they needed it for a file. She was holding on to a ragged backpack, the straps nearly torn off. The front pocket had long been pulled off. Some of the strings were still there.
She wasn’t smiling. Her eyes were dead. She looked a little malnourished, but she was stunning.
I could see why Lane was obsessed with her, but she was young. I didn’t like that part.
I kept scrolling, reading through the rest.
Her name was Blake Green.
She went into the foster system when she was six. She bounced around a bunch of houses until entering one when she was eight. She stayed until she was sixteen, then again bouncing until she aged out of the system.
There was no information where she crossed Lane’s path. The rest of the information gave the list of schools she attended. She kept her grades up, so she was smart.
No arrests.
No alcohol or drug history.
There were other pictures of her, but I skimmed over them to the end of the file.
Her latest location was listed in the city, this city. She was attending school at one of the city colleges. The file listed her dorm, and a job at—I cursed before texting Ashton.
Me: Are you kidding me with her employment? I just told you about this problem today.
He didn’t take long to reply. I could feel his mocking tone.
Ashton: It was a happy coincidence to find a neighbor of hers was already employed at my club.