Chapter 45
chapter
forty-five
Millie sat on the edge of her bed, wrapped in a towel, her hair dripping onto her shoulders. She’d examined the security camera footage. But she hadn’t discovered anything new.
Maybe she hadn’t expected to. Still, it was disappointing.
Right now, the house seemed quiet. Too quiet.
Naomi was in the office, working on paperwork. Sissy was in her room—Millie had heard her grab something from the kitchen and return to her room an hour ago. Max was in the garage last time she’d checked, tinkering with something mechanical.
Everyone was biding time until Caleb returned with an update.
Millie took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air coming in from the window she’d left cracked open. It was slightly chilly, but the payoff was worth it.
Then she stood and towel-dried her hair. Then she pulled on sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. The shower had helped ease some of the tension in her muscles, but her mind was still racing.
She glanced around the room and realized Biscuit wasn’t at her feet. That never happened. That dog was her shadow.
In fact, he’d been in the room before she’d gotten in the shower. He’d sat near the door, keeping an eye on her.
Concern rushed through her.
“Biscuit?” she called.
No response.
She checked under the bed. Behind the chair. In the closet.
Nothing.
Her pulse quickened.
“Biscuit, come here, boy.”
Still nothing.
Had he gotten out somehow?
She’d closed the door before getting in the shower—but she hadn’t locked it. It was still closed now.
Had someone opened the door, let Biscuit out, and then closed the door again?
Tension threaded through her muscles.
Millie stepped into the hallway, her wet hair leaving damp spots on her shirt. “Biscuit?”
She moved through the house, checking the living room, the kitchen, the dining area.
No sign of him.
Then she saw it.
The side door.
Cracked open.
Her heart lurched. “No . . .”
She rushed to the door and pushed it open more, stepping outside.
The evening air was cold against her damp skin and hair. The sky was a deep indigo, the last remnants of daylight fading fast.
That’s when she spotted Biscuit—near the back of the property—running toward the woods.
Panic raced through her.
“Biscuit!” she shouted. “Biscuit, come!”
But he didn’t stop.
He disappeared into the trees.
Without thinking, Millie stepped into the boots she’d left near the door and bolted after him.
Caleb entered Sheriff Sutherland’s office, his jaw tight and his mind still buzzing from the confrontation outside.
Then he stopped short.
His breath caught.
Valentina sat in a chair across from the sheriff’s desk, her face streaked with tears, her hands trembling as she held Pippa in her lap.
“What—?” Caleb started.
“We found her.” Sutherland gestured to the chair beside Valentina. “Sit down, Caleb. You need to hear this.”
Caleb moved slowly, his eyes never leaving Valentina’s face.
Tears had carved clean paths through the dust on her cheeks. Her lower lip trembled. She sat hunched in the chair, arms wrapped around herself like she was holding the pieces together.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I’m so sorry.”
“We picked her up at a diner outside town,” Sutherland explained. “She was trying to hitch a ride to Miami.”
Caleb sat, his muscles coiled tight. “Start talking.”
Valentina wiped at her eyes, her hands shaking. “I got a ride from your house—Uber. They dropped me off about twenty minutes away. That was all I could afford.”
“We found the box you left in the woods,” Caleb told her. “There was money in it. Why didn’t you grab that?”
“I knew I couldn’t get out there without being caught. I was going to come back later if I could. I really hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“Why did you run?” Caleb asked.
“I’m in hiding. But not just from the man I thought I loved. He was—” Her voice broke. “He was part of a gang. A deadly one. I didn’t know. Not at first.”
Caleb’s jaw clenched. “What gang?”
“Los Espectros. They traffic drugs. Weapons. People.” She swallowed hard. “I saw things I wasn’t supposed to see. So I went to the police. Agreed to testify.”
“Witness protection,” Caleb said, dull realization stretching through him.
“Yes. But my handler was killed three weeks ago. Shot in his car outside a grocery store.” Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. “I knew they’d found me. So I ran.”
Pieces clicked together in Caleb’s mind—but he still had more questions. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why the fake ID? Why lie?”
“Because I didn’t know who to trust!” Her voice rose, desperate. “I thought maybe—maybe the Refuge would be safe. Remote. Anonymous. But then when things started happening there, I panicked. I thought my location had been discovered.”
Another thought hit him. “Wait—was your picture on the news about a month or so ago?”
She nodded, her expression taut. “When I initially went into hiding, one of my neighbors reported it. I wasn’t expecting it to go viral, but it did. That only made things harder for me.”
So that was why she’d looked familiar to Millie. It all made sense now.
Caleb leaned forward. “The PI in the woods. Did you kill him?”
“No!” Valentina’s eyes widened. “I promise, I didn’t. But—” She hesitated. “I fear someone associated with the gang might have. They could have followed me here. They could be watching right now.”
Caleb’s blood ran cold.
Sutherland cleared his throat. “We’re looking into it to see if there are any connections. If Los Espectros is involved, we’ll need federal assistance. But for now, she’s in my custody.”
Caleb turned toward Valentina. “Are you the one who’s been sabotaging things at Refuge Cove? Did you disable the cameras? Let the dogs out?”
“Me? What? No!” She shook her head. “Why would I do that?”
Caleb wasn’t sure he believed her. Who else would have been responsible?
Unless the sabotage had come from someone on the outside. He supposed that made sense.
“Are you the one who snuck out of the house on the night that PI was killed?” he continued.
She swung her head back and forth. “No. That wasn’t me. I promise.”
He had his doubts about that also. But again, maybe that person was someone from the outside. Maybe somehow another person had assessed their keycodes, snuck inside somehow, and then left again.
The questions pounded at his temples.
“So what now?”
“Right now, we keep her here. We keep her safe. We find answers.”
“And how about Refuge Cove?”
“I can send someone out to help keep an eye on the place until we know what’s really going on. And, of course, we’ll be available if you need us. Just say the word, and I’ll send more of my people out to help.”
Caleb stood abruptly, his mind racing.
If a gang was involved—and they thought Valentina was still at the Cove—then everyone there was in danger.
Including Millie.
He pulled out his phone and dialed Max.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
No answer.
His stomach dropped.
“I need to go,” Caleb said, already heading for the door.