“No. We found out at the meeting yesterday that our father had a third child. I have a sister, older than me, I think. She has voting rights, so the meeting ground to a halt because she needs to be found. Her name is Darcy. Yet another secret.”
Surprise pulled me up short.
My mind spun, making connections that felt too far-fetched to be real.
Mila shook her head, getting my reaction wrong. “It’s crazy, I know. We have to find her if we’re going to get through the vote and have the company up and running again, but honestly, I’m not that motivated anymore. Not after the repeated kicks in the teeth I’ve had from trying to help my family. How many people knew? How many people lied? It’s a good thing Kane is taking the lead in the sister hunt. I feel bad for her as well, but right now, I want to hide away from all of it.”
Oh. My. God.
I was right. Kane was hunting for a woman. Energy bounced through me at my discovery and the dozen ideas combining in my head. But at the same time, what if I was wrong?
He hadn’t told her. Mila didn’t know.
Mila’s phone rang. She rolled her eyes and showed me the solicitor’s name onscreen, then stood to take the call by the window.
Cassie reappeared and skipped back to the kitchen, her lips bee-stung from her extended goodbye to Riordan. The kettle had boiled, and she readied three cups then poured in hot water, bringing them over to the coffee table when she was done.
I thanked her and picked mine up, warming my hands on the lovely-smelling fruit tea.
On her phone, Cassie activated a video feed then set it on the coffee table, propped against a decorative skull which itself sat upon a romance novel with a half-naked man on its cover.
On the screen, the warehouse’s CCTV showed staff readying the clubs for the evening. Riordan appeared in a corridor, and Cassie sighed happily now she could see him again.
I got back to my first objective, even more important following Mila’s unknowing revelation. “Have you heard anything from Dixie in the past few days?”
She shook her head, her black curls flying. “Not a thing. She’s not in work and she isn’t answering messages, which is odd because she’s one of the most talkative people I know. For her to go silent is unnerving. I’m worried.”
“I am as well. I’m trying to find her.”
Relief shone in Cassie’s blue eyes. “I’ve talked to the dancers and sex workers about where she might be. Do you know what’s weird? Everyone knows and loves Dixie, but nobody actuallyknowsher. Not whether she had any family, or where she hung out when she wasn’t in work. Probably because she was always here. She was even sleeping over at the warehouse for a while, but the room she was using on the camgirls’ floor only had clothes and makeup in it. I already searched it.”
“This is hers, isn’t it?” I brought the tablet out of my bag.
Recognition brightened Cassie’s expression. “I gave it to her for work. How do ye have it? It’s one of the things I searched for.”
“I went to her flat. According to her neighbour, the landlord was going to empty the place, so I went in. Do you know the passcode?”
If she was bothered by my breaking into Dixie’s home, Cassie didn’t show it. While I lived on the fringe of the criminal world, she was fully immersed. The woman had killed in the past. My actions would be a drop in the ocean.
“Not a clue. It was used for stock ordering down in Divine, I think. I asked for a spare, and one of the women who works there showed Dixie how to get into it. Manny, who runs the security team, might be able to reset it.”
I tapped the screen, activating the skeleton crew logo that I’d stared at in frustration last night. “If there are clues on here, resetting it might wipe them. Do you remember who gave it to you? Maybe she still knows the code.”
“I do. Her name’s Molly. Let me see if she’s around.” She made a phone call. “Molly? It’s Cassie from the warehouse. No, nothing’s wrong.” She explained the problem then put the call on loudspeaker, saying she was with me.
Molly’s voice came on the line. “I’m really sorry. I used to kind of draw it on in a squiggle. Muscle memory, you know? Without it in front of me, I can’t remember the numbers.”
“Can I bring it to you?” I asked.
“Sure! Except I’m not working at the warehouse tonight.” She rattled off an address in town where she’d be at eight.
Cassie thanked her and hung up. Her expression turned pensive. “You think Dixie’s in real trouble?”
“I believe she might be hiding. I don’t mean to be secretive, but I don’t want to share this any more widely. If I’m wrong, it could cause issues for someone else.”
Cassie mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key. “I’ve tried calling and messaging her countless times. I miss her a lot.”
“I do, too.”
