CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Amelia woke up with a grand idea that Camden wasn’t going to like.
She rolled onto her side and rested her cheek on his bare chest. The sun had risen, but their little safe house in the woods was surrounded by trees and kept their bedroom quiet and shaded.
“Are you awake?”
“Sort of.” Camden folded his arm over his face.
“What’s up?”
“I came up with a plan.”
He sleepily grumbled, “For breakfast?”
“To get the book.”
Camden raised his arm off his face.
His eyebrows arched over wide-awake eyes.
“What kind of plan?”
“A KISS plan.” Maybe she should have started the coffee before throwing her idea out there.
“Ya know: Keep it simple, stupid.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose in a valiant effort to rid himself of any brain fog, which she appreciated.
“Simple sounds good. Does your simple plan have specifics?”
“We just knock on the door and ask to retrieve the book.” Amelia smiled her best, most confident, reassuring grin and could tell it had little effect on Camden.
“Before you say no—”
“I didn’t.”
“We both know you weren’t about to say yes. So listen, because I’ve spent all morning thinking about this.”
“How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to know my plan will work.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face.
“We need coffee.”
She had known better.
Coffee should’ve been her first move.
Fifteen minutes later, they had hot mugs of heavenly scented caffeine and were seated at the small kitchen table.
“Hailey and Jonathan had keys to the Callaghans’ house. They were on friendly terms.”
“The house you snuck into,” Camden pointed out.
“Where law enforcement descended when they were out of town.”
“Well, yes. But it shows they had a good relationship, and while I was inside, I got a sense of who they were. Family focused. Neighborly. That kind of vibe. I think they might let me get the book.”
He took a quick sip.
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“I don’t know. What was your plan? Break in? We can just do that later.”
His lips tugged.
“You crack me up.”
“I’m serious. That’s what you would do, right?”
“Let me get this straight. You just want to get dressed and head over.”
“Now?” She thought about it.
Why not? “Yeah. Now.”
“Amelia—”
“Come on, Camden. What more could go wrong?”
He snorted.
“This is the least dangerous thing we have done in weeks,” she pressed.
“And I’m going to, whether you like it or not. So you might as well come with me.”
He could’ve pointed out she was carless, clothes-less, and likely the subject of a federal manhunt.
But Camden sighed and stood.
“Did you see any to-go mugs?”
She jumped to her feet and scurried back to the bedroom to search for clothes that might fit her.
By the time she found suitable clothing, Camden had found to-go cups for their coffees.
Amelia took the coffee and paced.
“Cold feet?” he asked.
A little bit. But more than that, adrenaline flowed in her veins.
She would have answers soon.
“Eager.”
The drive to Hailey’s neighborhood took almost an hour.
Not until they turned onto the familiar street did the circumstances come to mind again.
It wasn’t a game. It wasn’t an adventure.
They were visiting the neighbor of her dead sister and brother-in-law.
Raw memories cut through the adrenaline.
“You doing okay, babe?”
She bit her lip.
“Yeah.” But she couldn’t hide the lack of pep that had been in her voice all morning.
“We don’t have to do this right now.” He paused at a four-way stop and checked the mirrors.
No other cars were around.
Camden waited for her answer.
She had to do it. Finding the book was the final step to ending the whole headache.
It was what Jonathan and Hailey had tasked her with protecting, even if she’d blanked on it until recently.
“Let’s go. I want to do this.”
They parked in front of the Callaghans’.
Her stomach dropped.
“They’re not going to let me look for a book I left, are they?”
“If they don’t, we go to plan B.”
“Break in?”
He shrugged.
“I’ll pick their locks. You grab the book. No one would know the difference.”
That would be easier.
But she felt sneaking into their home would be another violation.
“I’ll come up with something to say.” She rested her hand on the door.
“Come with me?”
He chuckled.
“Yeah, of course. There wasn’t a chance I was letting you do this alone.”
She’d known that already, but it still made her feel safe and protected.
They made their way to the front door.
Adrenaline punched in her blood.
When Amelia rang the doorbell, an older woman answered.
“Can I help you?”
What had I planned to say?
Something had been there.
But it was all gone.
The woman looked at Camden.
“Is everything okay?”
“I—” Amelia swallowed hard and stared at the staircase behind the woman.
She glanced into the living room that she’d run through in the dark.
A purr caught her attention.
Their cat slinked through Mrs. Callaghan’s legs and looked up at Amelia as if it recalled their fateful night together.
Abrupt tears rimmed her eyes.
Her breath caught. “Your cat saved my life.” A tear fell down her cheek.
“She…”
Camden laid his hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry we disturbed you.” He gently tugged Amelia.
“Come on, babe.”
Another tear fell.
Amelia stepped back.
“I’m sorry I broke into your house.”
Mrs. Callaghan stopped with the door partially shut.
Her head tilted. “You’re Hailey’s sister?”
She nodded and had never thought about what the police might have told the Callaghans.
Amelia had had so much on her mind.
“I was trying to help.” She wiped her cheeks.
“They gave me your key. I’m sorry.”
Mr. Callaghan came to the door and rested his hand on Mrs. Callaghan’s shoulder.
“Can I help you?”
“This is Hailey Dumont’s sister,” Mrs. Callaghan said quietly.
“I didn’t get your name.”
“Amelia,” she whispered.
“Would you like to come in, Amelia and…?” Mrs. Callaghan glanced at Camden.
Camden extended his hand and introduced himself.
Amelia nodded. She didn’t know why they were offering hospitality when she’d violated their home.
The Callaghans showed them into the living room.
Amelia went to the window.
“I looked out this window and saw the man chasing me.” The cat threaded herself between Amelia’s legs.
“I don’t think we ever got a good answer on what happened,” Mr. Callaghan explained.
“We just knew about Jonathan and Hailey.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Mrs. Callaghan said.
Amelia’s chin dipped, nodding as she managed to say, “Thank you.”
This was the first time someone had said that without Amelia explaining that Hailey wasn’t necessarily dead.
It was almost comforting that Hailey’s trusted neighbors were the ones to say it.
“They said they watered plants for you.”
Mrs. Callaghan nodded.
“They were fantastic neighbors.”
“What did our cat have to do with this?” Mr. Callaghan scooped up the cat and petted her softly .
The corners of Amelia’s mouth pulled down.
“Do you want me to tell you what happened?”
They nodded.
She left out the part about calling Camden, instead saying she called 911, and explained where she froze, where she hid, and how their cat kept her sane.
“That’s…” Mrs. Callaghan pressed her hand to her chest. “You must have been so scared.”
Mr. Callaghan held the cat toward Amelia.
“Do you want to hold her?”
She nodded.
Her eyes burned, and fresh tears came again.
Amelia cradled the cat to her chest and buried her chin against its silky fur.
It purred, and her heart squeezed.
“Why did you stop by?” Mrs. Callaghan asked.
Amelia focused on the cat.
“I brought a book with me. They gave it to me, and I left it in your kitchen.” She looked up.
“I was hoping I could get it back.”
“Of course, honey,” Mrs. Callaghan said.
“I didn’t even notice it.”
“You don’t mind?” Amelia asked.
“Not at all.”
Amelia retraced the steps she’d taken weeks ago and found herself at the little desk in the kitchen.
The book was easy enough to find.
She set the cat down and selected the tome from the books and magazines.
“This is it.”
“That’s not ours,” confirmed Mr. Callaghan.
“So we can take it?” Amelia asked.
They both shrugged.
“Thank you,” Camden offered.
He put his hand on her shoulder.
“We appreciate your time.”
Amelia turned it over in her hand as Camden guided her out.
The old worn fabric cover and faded spine didn’t offer much hope of exciting news.
She didn’t know why they’d wanted her to have it.
When they got inside the car, she flipped the hardcover open and thumbed through the well-worn pages.
Only the first and last sections of pages turned.
The middle pages were stuck together.
Amelia flipped to the last page that turned and sucked in a breath.
“Camden.” Two small microchips had been hidden in a section of the pages that had been hollowed out.
They were kept in place with pieces of clear tape.
“What are they?”
He leaned closer.
“The answer to what everyone has been killing for.”
She slapped the book shut and closed her eyes.
“Jonathan had two cell phones in his hand before he gave me the book.”
Camden drove out of Hailey’s neighborhood.
“Those could definitely be SIM cards. Maybe microchips.”
Amelia stared at the faded book cover and wondered if it was really worth their lives.
“What do we do with it?”
“My first thought is to give it to Parker.” Camden slowed for a red light.
“What are you thinking?”
“Not Beth.”
He snort-laughed.
“ Not Beth.”
She traced her finger along the spine.
“What about Esme?”
“Eh, I don’t know about that. We have no idea what you’re holding.”
“She saved my life.” Amelia opened the book again and stared at the innocuous chips.
“It might just be her client list.”
“If that’s the case, she already has it.”
“Is it crazy that I want to see her again?” Amelia chewed on her bottom lip.
“Maybe to just say thanks. We don’t have to mention what we found.”
“Every time we’ve come in contact with Beth and Esme, we’ve had problems.”
“True.”
“Then again,” Camden grumbled.
“Like you said, she saved your life. All right—” He changed lanes.
“We’ll make a pit stop at the warehouse. But if we see any cars other than hers, we bail. Deal?”
No cars were at Esme’s warehouse.
Camden parked in front of the entrance.
Something was different, but he couldn’t place it.
“No one’s here,” he said.
“We’ll head to Titan HQ.”
“Wait.” Amelia opened her door.
Camden should’ve known it wouldn’t have been that easy.
She’d left the book on the center console.
“Amelia?”
But she didn’t hear him.
She was tugging on the main doors.
He let out a breath, shoved the book into the glove box, and made sure to lock the doors.
They’d gone through hell because of that thing.
He wouldn’t let someone just scoop it out of his vehicle—not that a car alarm would stop anyone.
“What are you doing?”
“Use your special lockpicking kit and open this up.” She slapped her hand on the metal door.
“Esme, open up!”
“I don’t think she’s in there.”
“Can we check?” Amelia asked.
Camden looked around.
Something was off. He couldn’t figure it out.
No cameras watched them.
No one was in view.
“Please?”
He scanned the perimeter.
“Quick in and out, okay? Because I don’t think she’s in there.” Opening the door didn’t take much work.
He loudly called, “Anyone around?”
Silence.
Amelia strode into the dark.
“Give me a second.” He pressed the car fob again to triple-check the doors were locked then used his phone as a flashlight.
“In and out. Agreed?”
“Yes.”
They retraced the semi-familiar path in the shadows until they reached the great room.
The bar shelves were empty.
The decorations were gone.
Their footsteps echoed as they crossed the large space.
Anticipation needled the back of his neck.
He unsheathed the compact snub-nosed gun from the holster at the small of his back.
Amelia didn’t notice.
They walked into the far hall toward Esme’s office.
Time passed slowly. His heartbeat drummed with a warning.
Something was off. They arrived at her office.
An overhead light illuminated the space with a harsh brightness that he hadn’t seen before.
“Esme?” Amelia called through the open door.
They stepped in. Gone were the black desk and purple cushioned chairs.
Gone was everything—except a small envelope on the floor labeled “Amelia.”
She snatched it.
“Wait.” He reholstered his weapon, but Amelia was already pulling out the card inside.
“What is it?”
She held up a thick piece of card stock.
“Numbers?”
His heart sank.
With sudden clarity, he understood what Esme had left Amelia.
“Coordinates.”
Her head cocked, not understanding.
Camden swallowed against the painful rusty knot that tied in his throat.
“It’s Hailey.”
Amelia’s lips parted.
Instant tears filled her eyes and fell.
“That’s where she is?”
He folded her into his arms. Whatever was on the microchips didn’t matter.
He would ensure they ended up with the right person.
Amelia’s involvement in everything was done.
She had what she set out to find: her sister.
Now Hailey could be buried, and both women would have peace.