The house is loud but it’s a happy chaos. Here in the warm lighting, with the laughter and voices, and the air full of delicious smells, you could almost forget how cruel the world is. Calli was right. Silver needs to be here.
Dinner is delicious, and afterward, Silver joins Arlow’s parents, Calli, and Alicia to play a board game. Gregory wrangles the kids and they take turns cheering on their mom. I’m on my way to the kitchen for a drink when my phone rattles in my pocket with a text.
Private Number
You killed the wrong man. Poor Joss. I know where she is.
The noise of the room fades around me, and my heartbeat becomes audible in my ears. Any hope I had that this wasn’t connected to my former life dies at the sight of that name. Joss.
The text isn’t unexpected. Of course they’re getting impatient. It’s been well over two weeks since the demand was made. More than two weeks of following Joshua, of Landon tracking everything he can online, and we haven’t learned a goddamn thing of value. We can’t find a reason that anyone would want the man dead.
My name is being called, seemingly from far away. “Lee?” The noise of the room comes back into focus, and I look over at Arlow. “What’s wrong?”
That’s a whole conversation, one I’ve been hesitant to involve him in, but I should tell him. If the shit hits the fan, I might need him to help in some capacity, and it’d be better if he knows what I’m in the middle of beforehand. Besides, Arlow is one of the only people I truly trust. He knows my past, all of it, and has kept me from tripping over the edge more than once.
“Can we get away for a minute?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
He nods and glances toward the living room where Silver’s laughter mixes with Calli’s. “Let’s go check out the goat pen.”
It’s a good enough excuse and no one wants to follow us into the cold night. Arlow knew about the first two texts, but I never told him anything after that. I catch him up on everything including what we’ve done to try to figure out who’sbehind it all. He listens without comment until we get on the far side of his barn, then stops and produces a half pint of bourbon from his coat.
“The look on your face told me we might need a drink, but damn.” He takes a pull from the bottle then hands it to me. As I do the same, my phone buzzes again, this time with a text from Landon.
Landon
I saw it. We’ll be back tomorrow.
Arlow looks over at me. “Another one?”
“No, the guys are coming back tomorrow.”
He leans against the barn. “What can I do?”
“I don’t need anything. Just keep this between us for now.”
“Does Silver know?”
“No, she knows I’m dealing with something that I won’t talk about, but she’s distracted by her own problems right now.”
Arlow shakes his head. “It really has been a hell of a month for you two.”
“Fucking tell me about it.” I take another small drink from the bottle and hand it back to him. “Don’t say anything to Calli. I know she’s trustworthy, but she’ll be worried about Silver and try to intervene. I don’t need anyone else involved right now.”
“Is Silver safe staying with you? We can arrange something else. She can crash here or we can pay for a place until this blows over.”
Maybe I should, but I can’t bear the thought of her being away from me right now. I need to know she’s okay. I need to be there if the Matheson’s pull some more shit. And I need to sit on the couch with my arm around her and let my mind rest from the turmoil that’s only growing worse.
“She’s safe. I would never let anything happen to her. They haven’t threatened me or anyone, only offered that one crumb of bait. That they know where Isla is. They’ve communicated through texts, a link, and an anonymous letter left in the middle of nowhere. There’s no sign that they know where I live, or reason that they would show up. Whoever it is has done everything they can to stay hidden, even outsmarting an excellent hacker. They have nothing to gain by showing up. If that changes or I think she’d be safer elsewhere, I’ll let you know.”
He's quiet for a moment, digesting everything I’ve dropped on him. “Do you believe they know where she is?”
That’s the question of the year, isn’t it? “They had her ring. They know something. I took care of Joss alone, disposal and all. Tonight’s text changes things. I need to pay a visit to an old employer.”
Arlow shoves his hands in his pockets as a gust of wind cuts through us. “I’ll go with you.”
He knows how serious this must be for me to reach out to people I never want any part of again, and I appreciate the offer, but it isn’t possible. “No, he isn’t the type that welcomes strangers. And he’s no threat to me. We didn’t end things on bad terms, but even though I never admitted to killing Joss, he told me he knew.”
Arlow nods. “So you want to find out who else he told or who else might know?”
