He says a few more things, but I don’t hear or feel anything around me. In a state of shock, I let Jarod push me up the stairs and out of the factory. By the time I wake from my daze, I’m already in the car, and we’re on our way back to the city.
I stare out the window, my body tense and cold. All I can see is that brown bag covering Daniel’s head. Is he going to end up “overdosing” in a random, dark alley like Cadence’s mom?
The crunch of chips brings my attention back to Jarod Cross. He’s eating nonchalantly while going over documents.
When he sees me looking, he smiles. “Oh, I heard about the girls, but just so you know, it wasn’t me. I wouldn’t dare do anything to upset you, Finn. After all”—he winks—“we’re on the same team.”
My throat constricts, and I beat on the door until the driver swerves to the side of the road.
Turns out, a human can throw up, even on an empty stomach.
Chapter Thirty
J
Kelly is being absolutely ridiculous.
I scoff at the message that just popped up on my phone.
I don’t care how many times you threaten me with your Cheeto-dusted fingers, you bum. Get off your mom’s couch and go be a productive citizen instead of harassing me and my family!
It’s from Shawn’s number, but there’s no way Shawn wrote that. He’s too much of a coward to respond to any of the texts I sent as Jinx.
Oh, Kelly.
I imagine my only friend, bent over her husband’s phone as he sleeps soundly next to her. She’s on a rampage to save her farce of a marriage.
Why? I just don’t get it.
“How do I deal with this?” I turn my phone around and around in my palm.
Kellyneedsa divorce. She also needs to file a lawsuit and report Shawn to the police, but I can’t force her to do any of that. And I also can’t do it for her.
It’s so frustrating! I wish I could log into her brain and re-program her mind. I’d download a zip file of “self-respect” and add a software called a “backbone.”
My computer beeps with an incoming notification. I stop playing with my phone and check the screen.
There’s a message box open in the terminal.
Excitement sparks in my veins, chasing away the belligerence I feel on Kelly’s behalf.
Yes!
I found a leak in the encryption.
Digging deeper, I realize it’s more than just a leak.
“Holy crap. It’s a message.”
I drag my chair closer to the monitor and tap to decrypt the message. Unfortunately, I unscramble a bunch of words that mean absolutely nothing to me.
“Piano. Rooftop. Hospital. Ring.” I flop back in my seat, and my computer chair creaks loudly. “What does that mean? Is it a location?”
I search the web for restaurants, hotels, beaches, or cities around the world with names that include “piano,” “rooftop,” “hospital,” and “ring.” The program finds almost a thousand hits, but none with all four names.
Agitated, I yank off my finger compression sleeves and cram them into a drawer. The one thing I absolutely hate is losing, and it feels like this encryption is kicking my butt every day. Those kidnappers intentionally left a bread crumb in the middle of the road for me to find, and I can’t even solve that.
Now they’re just taunting me.
