Aria reappears with paper and pens. “Here, we can figure this out.”
Tension rises, silence falls. The only sounds are pens scratching on paper and occasional curses.
“Three hundred sixty-two thousand, eight hundred eighty,” Rex grumbles.
“What?” I spare him a glance.
“The number of combinations you can make with nine letters.”
We gape at him.
“What? I may be a party animal, but I’m smart. A genius really—”
“Ugh.” I roll my eyes, a smile twitching my lips. I miss my siblings.
“Silent Eke?” Maxwell furrows his brow. “God knows the man makes no sound.”
I try it. Still nothing.
“An Elks Tie!” Aria yells.
We stare at her, and she grimaces. “I don’t know. I’m a nurse, not a wordsmith.”
I try that too. Nothing.
“Ink Least.” Scarlett holds up her paper. “Does that mean anything?”
“No.” That combo doesn’t work. I slide the letters back into the original position.
ELIAS KENT
“It’s something else, something—”
Then suddenly—clarity.
I slap my forehead.
“What?” That can be Rex or the girls. I don’t know because my quaking pulse eclipses all sounds.
“I’m so stupid,” I whisper, more for myself than for others. “He told me who he was all along.”
My fingers tremble as I rearrange the letters once more.
The most obvious answer.
KIAN LESTE
“Holy shit. He’s your Kian? The guy you dated in Chicago in high school?” Rex asks.
Click.
I nod, a sob wrenching out of my throat.
A tiny compartment pops open at the bottom.
A micro SD card tumbles out.
“Let me get my laptop.” Scarlett scrambles off the seat.
