We both jump right into it, and I pray I can get these answers sooner rather than later.
“What the hell is this?” I frown as I finish hacking into the mainframe of The Retreat.
There's a list of names buried deep inside a file within a file. It's a bunch of nonsense letters and numbers, but near the end of the sequence, there are names. Seven of them.
“Oh my God.” My mouth goes slack in shock.
It's the names of our families—plus one more.
Aslanov
Franco
Petrov
Marino
Barbieri
Volkov
Rossi
I yelp loudly, excitement coursing through me. “Holy shit. There’s a seventh family!”
Thor whirls around so fast he almost falls out of his chair. “What?” he pulls close to my screen. “Dude. That's a start for proof.”
“A start?” I utter in frustration.
Fuck me. I need some kind of document to confirm this.
I keep scouring the files, hoping for something solid. After about ten minutes, I find what I’m looking for. It's a copy of two documents. The first is a report on the Rossi family from a private investigator. The second is a birth certificate.
“Caterina Rossi. The fuck?” I look at the date of birth.
September 25, 2007.
I sit back trying to catch my breath.
Iskra turned eighteen shortly before she arrived at The Retreat, in September, which was two months ago.
I'm so deep in thought I don’t notice that Thor is still looking over my shoulder.
“Dude! Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he blurts.
I nod, needing a little more.
The next few files are fruitless, but the one after...oh my God. It's an article, dated February 2013.
Missing Girl from Influential Family Considered to Be in Danger
Caterina Rossi, age six, was reported missing on February 3rdby her parents, Anthony and Pamela Rossi.
The girl was last seen in her backyard, playing on her swing set. She was wearing light-colored jeans, a long-sleeved, grey sweatshirt, and a red jacket. She has long, medium brown hair and green eyes.
She is considered to be in great danger. The Rossi family is offering a two-million-dollar reward for information that leads to her safe return.
You may contact the Rossi’s at this toll-free number: 1-800-345-2189
