“I’ll watch them tonight,” Milly continued. “And Nolan will be there too.”
“Yeah, and I don’t mean to sound callous,” Dan said, stepping further into the room, “but this might just be what we need. It could flush out whoever Malcolm is now.”
“No!” David’s hand slammed down on the table, making everyone jump. “I will not have them used as bait. I didn’t leavetwenty-eight years ago to have them come back here and get dangled like carrots in front of a starving donkey.”
“David...” Mia’s voice was low and soft. “I’m no longer eight. You sacrificed a lot for Mom and me. Now let me help you. We are staying at the hotel, and this Malcolm guy, or whoever he is now, doesn’t know we know. So we have the advantage over him.”
“No,” David said stubbornly. “You have Lila.”
“She can come stay at my place,” Brian offered. “Out of harm’s way.”
“Absolutely not,” David was even more adamant.
Then his eyes narrowed, and a calculating look came over his face. “But son, I think you just gave me a great idea.” He grinned, though there was no humor in it. “My Uncle put you in harm’s way. Now he’s going to help get you out of it.”
“The three of you are going to stay with William,” David said, looking at Milly. “It will be a lot easier for you to protect them there.” He continued laying out the plan. “Tonight, the three of you will go back to the Inn, and Milly will go with you. Introduce her as your cousin Mia, whom you went to fetch. Tomorrow at breakfast, William arrives and invites you all to stay at his place for New Year’s.”
“I’ll have all the guests photographed by then,” Nolan said. “I only have two more pictures to take. One is of Preston Langford, and the other is that creepy Calvin dude that seems to be everywhere Mia is.”
The group began to move, gathering their things, preparing to leave.
David stopped Eve near the door.
“I’m sorry you’ve been pulled into this,” David told her, his voice quiet. “But there’s a part of me that isn’t, or I’d never have met you.”
He pulled her to him and kissed her.
Brief. Warm. Full of promise.
“Please be careful and listen to Milly,” he said when he pulled back.
“I will,” Eve assured him, feeling giddy despite everything. Her heart was going crazy in her chest.
When they got back to the hotel, it was almost midnight.
The lobby was quiet, with only a few lights on. Marcus was still behind the desk, and he looked up with a smile as they entered.
Eve approached the desk while Milly hung back slightly.
“We need to check in another guest,” Eve said. “This is Matilda Gray, Mia’s cousin. She’ll be sharing a room with Mia.”
“Of course,” Marcus said, pulling up the reservation system. “Welcome, Ms. Gray.”
As he processed the check-in, he glanced up at Mia. “Oh, Mrs. Gray-Duncan, I have something for you.”
He reached behind the desk, pulled out an envelope, and handed it to Mia.
“What’s this?” Mia asked.
“The information you requested,” Marcus said. “About the photo.”
Mia’s eyes widened. “Thank you, Marcus.”
They headed upstairs, and once they were safely in Mia and Milly’s room, Mia opened the envelope.
Her eyes went wide as she read the note inside.
“The person who asked about the photo was someone named Erika,” Mia said, looking up at them.
