I have important matters to deal with tomorrow. Ren and Hayato probably reported what happened with the Grave City Crew. Kurosaki will call me in to update him personally.
Dutch and Zane are supposed to fly out in a few days to investigate where Mom took the girls. I doubt Kurosaki will be pleased, but I plan to join them.
It’s best to follow J’s example and get some sleep.
I close my eyes and breathe slowly.
In the quiet, I hear a low buzzing sound. Eyes still closed, I reach for my phone. There are bank notifications, social media notifications, but no new calls.
The buzzing continues.
Raking a hand through my hair, I launch out of bed and stomp around to J’s side of the bed. Her phone is on the nightstand. It’s completely powered down. The password is impossible, and if I try to tamper with it more than once, the device will notify her.
I know.
I’ve tried and backed off right before the notification was sent.
The vibrating sound is definitely a phone though. Where is it?
A sudden thought lands, and I run to the closet. After the fight in the elevator, I had Hayato search J’s hospital room with a fine-toothed comb. She was unconscious and wouldn’t have a clue. It was the perfect opportunity to get more information.
He returned with a box of suspicious articles, but I’ve been so busy with the Grave City Crew, I haven’t checked it.
I glance at J one more time and find her chest rising and falling calmly. Kneeling next to the box, I peel back the top and dig inside.
The vibrating sound is coming from in here.
I rifle through the contents until…
There.
I spot a small burner phone—mostly used by older people who don’t like technology—amidst J’s things.
I tap the screen, and of course, it’s password protected. This is Jinx.
In the notification box on the screen, there’s one unknown number that’s called forty-seven times today.
My eyebrows climb.
Just then, a text comes in from the same number.
Show yourself, you creep. You’ve been bothering my husband and now you want to go radio silent?
Another text arrives.
If my marriage ends, I’m coming for you, Jinx.
My fingers tighten on the phone, and I brush my thumb over the word “Jinx.” Is this the phone Jinx has been sending text messages from? Who has she been targeting lately and why? I thought her app was closed?
A storm of strange, conflicting emotions forms a whirlwind in my chest. I take the phone, snap a picture of the notifications, and send the image to Ren.
My chest tightens strangely.
It’s getting hard to breathe.
I slip through the glass door to the balcony to get some air. The lawn stretches as far as the eyes can see. Dew falls on the neatly mowed grass, coating my skin with a wet, cold sheen. The stars are gone, creeping away as dawn prepares to touch the sky.
Ren answers my call immediately, despite the time. “Oyabun.”
