“You were close to Kira,” the reporter says in a warm and sympathetic voice. “Her best friend?”
Brianna nods. “Yeah. We’ve known each other since college.”
“And she stole your car the day she disappeared.”
“I wouldn’t say she stole it,” Brianna replies. “She borrowed it. She knew it would be okay with me.”
Viper leaves the room as the reporter is tilting her head and making a sympathetic face. “But she didn’t tell you where she was going?” she asks Brianna, who frowns.
“No, but that doesn’t mean she?—”
“So she left suddenly,” the reporter cuts in. “With no explanation.”
Viper reappears carrying a box of tissues. He hands them to Kira without saying anything, and she immediately pulls one out and blots tears from her eyes.
“Kira’s not impulsive,” Brianna is saying. “Something must have scared her.”
The reporter’s smile tightens. “Scared her?”
Brianna’s eyes shift to the side. “Or upset her. The wedding was … a lot. She was under pressure.”
“From the pregnancy?”
“From everything. The wedding, the attention, Preston?—”
“Senator Preston Vaughn,” the reporter interjects. “Her fiancé.”
“He can be … intense,” Brianna says.
Kira sniffles and says, “Brianna didn’t like him once she got to know him.”
“Intense how?” the reporter questions.
“He liked things a certain way,” Brianna says. “He controlled her schedule, didn’t want her going out after work …”
Light shines in the reporter’s eyes. “So you noticed changes in Kira’s behavior before her disappearance.”
“I noticed she was stressed. Anyone would be.”
“And emotional?” the reporter prompts.
Brianna exhales. “She was pregnant.”
The reporter’s head bobs sympathetically.
Brianna glances at the camera. “Look, I’ve seen what’s being reported, but Kira’s not dangerous. She wouldn’t hurt herself, and she’d never do anything tohurt her baby.”
“But you don’t know where she is,” the reporter presses. “Or who she might be with?”
Brianna shakes her head. “No, but I know she wouldn’t vanish unless there was a good reason. I hope she’s okay.”
The reporter thanks Brianna for her time, and the screen fills with Kira’s picture and the number for people to call if they have any information about her disappearance.
Kira’s sitting ramrod straight, even as tears slide down her cheeks. “I wish I could contact her to tell her I’m okay.”
I squeeze her hand and rub her shoulder.
“It’s safer for Brianna not to know anything,” Atlas says, and Kira nods.
