“You keep saying that.”
“Yeah, well, I keep meaning it.”
“I don’t need your permission to talk to her, you know,” Kellen pointed out.
“We’re not asking Riley to get involved. Every time one of us needs her help, she ends up in the line of fire.” He wasn’t willing to endanger her again.
“Isn’t that why you’re teaching her how to protect herself? Teaching her to shoot, showing her self-defense, practicing situational awareness.”
The muscle under his bruised eye was starting to twitch. Hehadbeen doing those things…until Beth’s case had taken precedence.
“Look, whoever the hell is responsible for Beth’s disappearance is obviously dangerous. I’m not making my girlfriend a target, and neither are you.”
Not even if it meant finding Beth faster.
He needed Riley to keep her distance from Beth. And he needed to make this one right on his own.
6
11:33 a.m., Friday, October 25
“Well, that was a waste,” Riley muttered to herself as they piled back in the Jeep.
“Are you kidding? Look at the outfit I picked for the Halloween party.” Mrs. Penny produced a lacy white negligee from the pile of textiles she’d “borrowed” from the Thorns.
Riley fumbled her phone in her lap. “I’m not wearingthatto Nick’s party. It’s my mother’s! What if I invite his parents?”
“I didn’t pick it for you. That’smycostume. I’m going as a sexy femme fatale. Think I can order one of those thigh holster thingies on the internet?”
“You will make a lovely, body-positive femme fatale,” Gabe said supportively from the back seat.
“Damn skippy I will.”
Trying to erase the image of her elderly neighbor in borrowed lingerie, Riley pulled away from the curb. She was tired and hungry and still had no idea where Beth was.
“Gimmie your phone. I need some fresh tracks to get into investigator mode,” Mrs. Penny demanded.
Riley handed over her phone and headed in the direction of Route 15.
“What is our next destination?” Gabe asked.
“Lunch. I feel like Chinese.” Thanks to her sister, she had a craving for sesame chicken.
“Well, I suppose my investigation can wait until after lunch,” her elderly passenger decided.
“I wouldn’t say no to an egg roll,”Uncle Jimmy yelled in Riley’s head.
They were rocking out to Drake halfway to the only Chinese restaurant in the city that didn’t care if a very large dog sat at the table when Riley spotted a flash of white in the mirror.
Her pulse quickened when a familiar-looking stretch limo changed lanes three cars back.
As a psychic, she had grown to distrust coincidences.
With determination, she tried her best to focus on driving while she cast her mind back to the limo and its occupants.
“Is everything all right?” Gabe asked over the music.
“Yep. Totally great,” Riley lied as her palms started to sweat against the wheel. Multitasking was hard enough on its own without being depleted after her psychically intensive morning.
