Fucking hell.
I shake my head, praying Em doesn’t come out looking for me. “Don’t recognise her. Sorry.”
It’s not even a lie. I don’t recognise this girl at all.
Arron Matthews stares at me for a second, before his face falls. “I figured. You just… you never give up hope, right?”
“Right.”Fuck off.
I’m not moving, in case he tries to follow me in.
Because he doesn’t seem inclined to leave. He reaches for the poster, and I keep hold of it. “I’ll put it up in the bar for you.”
“Thanks. I think she passed through here, but the last person to see her said she’s headed to Oregon, or maybe Seattle. I’m leaving now.”
Well done, Angelo.
“Well.” I smile, not showing teeth. “I’ll keep an eye out.”
He nods. “If you do see her… she’s not in any trouble. We’re not even angry. We just want her home safe, you know? Where we can get her the help she needs.”
He blurts out the words before rubbing his hand over his eyes. “Shit. Sorry, man. Long few months.”
I fold my arms. “What kind of trouble?”
Makes sense, that they’d make up some sort of bullshit story.
Matthews tugs at his sleeves. He looks uncomfortable. “I’d rather not say.”
“Fair enough.” I point to the street. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.” He turns to leave, pauses. “Look. Emilia… She was going under evaluation for self-harm. Not a long hold, just for a few days, but she ran in the middle of the night before they could collect her. I wouldn’t say, but maybe it’ll help people to know. My wife has a tendency to exaggerate.”
I’m fucking sure. “Right.”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “They’re not pressing charges.”
The fuck? “For what?”
Something twitches on his face. “She’s not well, you know? It’s not her fault.”
“What?” I force my muscles to relax. To look mildly interested, instead of over-invested. “She stole a Rolex or something?”
He laughs quietly, his hand lifting to the telltale glint on his own wrist, but his smile falls away. “A quarter of a million dollars, actually. She scammed it out of my dying father. Seems she has a history of finding vulnerable victims and ripping them off before moving on. He wasn’t the first. A lucrative career.”
Vulnerable victims.
It feels as if the oxygen has been ripped from my lungs. I force myself to breathe steadily. “Shit. Sounds like you’re better off letting her go, in that case.”
He sighs. “Probably. But I’m genuinely worried about her mindset. I’m sure the money’s gone, anyway. Lesson learned.”
With that, he starts walking away. Arron Matthews raises his hand in the air. “Thanks, man.”
“No worries.”
I don’t move, keeping myself between him and the woman behind me.
My stomach twists violently.
