Chapter 26
LEE
Arlow is blowing up my phone. I’ve already told him I’m not going out to celebrate tonight. Does he think he can talk me into it? I’ve been sitting with a drink I haven’t touched, trying not to think about the year ahead of me that promises to be empty.
With a sigh, I accept the call. “What?”
“Lee.” His urgent tone has me on instant alert. “You need to get to Lacey’s now.”
The word now lands like a blow. “Is Lacey hurt?”
“No, she’s okay. It’s Silver.” A flash of relief is followed by a new surge of fear. He pauses for half a second. “She’s been taken.”
The room tilts and my heart pounds in my ears. I’m already moving. I grab my jacket, keys, and phone, knocking my drink over in the process. “What do you mean taken?” I demand. Cool night air washes over me, and my truck roars to life.
“Trinity drugged their drinks,” Arlow says, speaking fast. “We found Lacey passed out when we got here. She remembers Trinity telling her not to be scared. She's fine, just upset, but Silver’s gone. They left a note.” He pauses and I want to reach through the phone and pull the words from him.
“If Joshua isn’t dead by morning, then Silver will be. ”
I stomp the gas pedal down, throwing gravel behind me. “Do you have your gun?”
“Yes.”
“Stay there. I’m on my way.”
The drive to Lacey’s apartment is a blur of lights and streets. Fireworks crack somewhere in the distance. Between the fireworks and the gunshots, it’ll sound like a war zone in town once midnight hits. I blow through a stop sign, gripping the wheel so tight my knuckles are white.
Silver will be dead by morning.
The words loop, heavy and relentless. That can’t happen. I’ll kill whoever stands in my path and turn my woods into a graveyard if that’s what it takes to save her. I pull into the lot near Arlow’s truck. Lacey’s car is there but Silver’s truck isn’t.
Lacey throws her apartment door open as I approach.
Her face is red, streaked with tears, makeup, and glitter.
She starts to sob when she sees me and collapses into my chest. I wrap my arms around her automatically, holding her tight even as my insides tear loose.
Arlow steps over to shut the door so no one overhears us and involves the cops.
“I don’t understand,” she cries, her fists twisting in my shirt. “I don’t understand. Why would she do this?”
“It’s going to be okay. You aren’t hurt?”
“No, but S-Silver…”
“I know.” I lead her over to the couch and guide her to sit. “Listen to me, Lacey. I’m going to get her back, okay? It’s going to be alright, but I need you to tell me what happened and what you saw.”
“I didn’t see anything. We were having fun, drinking and talking.
Silver went to the bathroom and I started feeling woozy.
Trinity took my drink out of my hand so I wouldn’t spill it, and she said, ‘You don’t have to be afraid.
You’ll be fine. This isn’t about you.’ I couldn’t move or keep my eyes open.
The next thing I remember is Calli waking me up. This note was taped to the TV screen.”
She nods to the piece of paper that’s tucked between two empty glasses on the coffee table. Calli stands nearby, pale, with her arms wrapped around herself. Arlow paces, his phone in his hand and his jaw clenched.
The note holds one simple sentence handwritten in black ink. If Joshua isn’t dead by morning, then Silver will be.
“This is my fault,” Lacey cries. “She was my roommate. But I thought she liked Silver. She asked me about her a lot. I thought she might even have a crush or something. Do you think that’s why she took her? Is she some psycho stalker? And who the hell is Joshua?”
“No, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine.” I head down the hallway as I ask, “The last bedroom is Trinity’s?”
“Yes.” Arlow is right behind me. Lacey and Calli hover at the door as we start tearing the room apart looking for anything that might be a clue to where she took her.
The closet door is slightly ajar, and I yank it open, pulling things out. Clothes, shoes, an extra pillow and blanket. A plain cardboard box is shoved in the back corner, labeled summer clothes in black marker.
I yank it open to find a manilla envelope full of cash hidden in a bunch of skimpy clothes and underwear. I freeze when I look at the back of the top shelf. A foam head stares back at me wearing a bright red wig.
My stomach drops into my feet. It was her all along. She was the prostitute who paid her client to deliver the dress to Silver. All this time she’s been fucking with me and living with my little sister.
I step out of the closet, holding up the wig, and Arlow’s eyes widen as he curses. Pure confusion lives on Lacey’s face when I look at her. “I need to know everything you know about Trinity. Where she works, who she hangs out with, what kind of car she drives, everything you can think of. Now.”
She shakes her head. “I met her when I was getting my nails done. We got to talking, and she was looking to rent a room. She works the overnight shift at one of the warehouses in Cadiz. She doesn’t have a car anymore, the engine blew and she junked it.
She uses a rideshare app. I’ve heard her mention a work friend named Lisa, but I’ve never met her. Lee, what’s going on?” she cries.
Arlow holds up a phone in a purple case that he’s fished out of her top drawer. “Is this the phone she uses?” he asks Lacey.
Lacey looks at it and nods, then turns her gaze back to me waiting for an answer.
Arlow turns the phone case around to show that she’s smashed it. He digs around in it and announces, “No sim card or battery. She knew we’d track her phone.” Arlow shakes his head. “Was she working for Matthew Wynne?”
“Or with him, maybe, I don’t fucking know.” It doesn’t make sense. I turn to Lacey. “Has she ever mentioned the name Matthew? Or Joshua Haney?”
“No, she never talks about any guys really. Lee, tell me what’s happening!” Her voice rises, carrying a note of hysteria, and I grab her arms, looking her in the eye.
“It’s a long story. Right now, I need to go find Silver and I need you to listen to me.
Go with Calli back to their place.” I look over to speak to Calli.
“Tell her everything. All of it.” Calli nods, and I finish talking to Lacey.
“Stay there until I come after you, do you hear? I don’t care if it’s days from now. Stay with Calli.”
The fear on Lacey’s face is hard to witness, and I hate that she’s about to learn exactly what I’m capable of, but she needs to know. “Do you have a gun at home?” I ask Calli.
“More than one.”
“Good. I doubt you’ll need it. If they wanted her, they would’ve taken her. But keep it loaded, lock up the house and stay inside.”
“Where are you going?” Calli asks.
I look over at Arlow, and he nods his understanding as I explain. “To see Joshua. She wants him dead. He must know her.”
“Let’s go,” Arlow says.
Calli brings Lacey a coat, and they walk out to get in Arlow’s truck. “She took Silver’s truck,” Lacey says.
“I know. Stay inside and don’t call cops or anyone, do you understand?” Lacey nods and climbs in beside Calli. We follow them out of the parking lot and turn in opposite directions.
On the way to Joshua’s place, I call Justus, but it goes straight to voicemail.
Landon picks up and explains that the rest of the In Safe Hands guys are on a plane, bound for a vacation they all take together.
Landon missed the flight and is spending half the night at the airport.
When I explain what’s happened, he tells me that he has his laptop and will be standing by if there’s anything he can do remotely.
Other than that, Arlow and I are on our own.
Arlow and I discuss the best way to do this, and keeping calm is going to be my struggle.
I’m terrified. My instinct is to put a gun in this guy’s face and demand answers.
Arlow reminds me that he’s likely a victim in all this too, and if we can show him his life is at risk, we’ll get more cooperation.
“Intimidate him but don’t just go in waving a gun,” he advises.
“Fine but he’s going to tell me what he knows.” Because fuck if I have any other way to get Silver back.
Arlow looks over at me when I park down the road from Joshua’s house. “Lee. Are you going to kill him?”
That’s a question I can’t answer right now. My silence isn’t the answer he wants.
His voice is calm and cautious. “Do you really think they’ll just let Silver go if you do? How long before you get another name to target?”
Logically, I know he’s right. But logic is a slippery thing to hold onto when someone you love is in danger. “What would you do if it were Calli?”
It’s his turn not to answer, but he doesn’t have to. The night I stumbled across him digging in his graveyard wasn’t that long ago. He finally nods. “I’ve got your back. Either way.”
“The letter left in the church is in my glove box. Grab it.”
“That should be convincing,” he says, and we move quietly toward the house.
We creep around, looking through a couple of windows. Joshua stands in a back bedroom, watching his kids play a video game and laughing with them. “Front door,” I murmur, and Arlow nods. The door’s locked but it’s only the handle, and I have no problem busting it. It doesn’t even make much noise.
We enter the small living room that’s strewn with little paper streamers and empty confetti shooters. A greasy pizza box sits on the coffee table with a few paper plates. Before we can decide how to approach him, we hear footsteps coming down the hall.
Joshua stops short when he sees us, the smile falling from his face. “What the fuck?” His eyes dart to the door where the broken knob dangles, then to the gun held down at my side.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” I warn, keeping my voice low.
He slowly holds up a hand. “Take whatever you want. My wallet’s on the kitchen table. I got kids here.”
“We don’t want money. Tell me about Trinity Davis.”