Chapter 48
CHAPTER
FORTY-EIGHT
Duke didn’t like being separated from Andi.
He didn’t pace. Didn’t argue. He sat in the small interview room with his hands folded loosely in front of him, posture relaxed enough to read as cooperative. He answered questions when asked. Gave timelines. Confirmed travel details. Nothing more.
Still, the minutes dragged.
The agent had left him alone in the room.
Too long.
Duke waited.
The door finally opened, and the agent offered a clipped, “You’re free to go.”
Duke stepped into the hallway and joined the rest of the team in the lobby. The rest of the team—except Andi.
Of course, they were still questioning her.
Ten minutes later, she finally emerged.
Duke soaked in her details. She looked composed and controlled—like she always did.
But Duke caught the tightness in her shoulders and the way her gaze flicked to him.
He met her halfway down the hall.
He reached for her hand and quietly asked, “You okay?”
She nodded once. “I’m good.”
That was enough. For now.
“You?” She glanced up at him.
“Just worried about you.”
They joined the rest of the team for updates.
Matthew blew out a long breath. Rupert muttered something sharp under his breath about liability. Simmy’s shoulders eased, though she stayed close. Ranger didn’t say a word—his attention already drifting to his phone.
Two agents in two different vehicles drove everyone back to the hotel. The ride passed in silence, city lights streaking past the windows, Los Angeles glittering as if nothing underneath it was wrong.
Yet everything was wrong.
The team reconvened in Mariella’s room. Just as they stepped inside, Ranger’s phone rang.
He stepped a few feet away, turning his back slightly as he answered.
His posture shifted almost immediately—he went still, his jaw tightening.
When Ranger ended the call and joined them, he didn’t sit. Instead, he said, “I’ve got an update.”
Duke waited to hear what he had to say.
Andi waited for Ranger to continue, curiosity thrumming in her ears.
“Portland released details on Jen Watkins,” he finally told them.
Andi’s fingers curled into the edge of the chair beside her before she realized she’d moved.
“They confirmed cause of death.” Ranger’s voice sounded steady, but Andi caught the pause he didn’t quite manage to hide. “It wasn’t quick.”
Her pulse thudded hard in her ears. “Keep going.”
“They found restraint marks on her wrists,” Ranger said.
Andi swallowed as the room seemed to tilt. She’d expected the update, but she’d hoped she was wrong.
“From all appearances, her body wasn’t dumped in the woods,” Ranger continued. “Police found a cabin where they think she was left. There were claw marks on the door as if she tried for several days to get out. Based on a broken hinge, she was finally able to escape. They think she ran for help.”
Images burned into Andi’s mind until she closed her eyes. Was this what Kate was going through now? Being locked away in a strange place and forgotten? How about Gina?
Ranger exhaled slowly. “The ME said that it appears she went without food and water for several days. That might have been what ultimately killed her.”
Andi pressed her thumbnail into her palm, welcoming the sting.
What had happened to Jen was terrible.
She’d been terrorized. Taken. Played with. Then left to die.
And if they didn’t find Gina or Kate in time, that might be their fate also.