Dread recovers quicker than me and jumps up to his feet before shoving his arm between us to create a barrier, though he’s careful not to touch her.
“Get the fuck out of her face,” he snarls.
The girl doesn’t even spare him a glance. She heeds his order enough to straighten, though she doesn’t step away from the table.
I barely process her waist-length blonde hair, pale face, and squinty eyes before she’s yelling again.
“Tell me where she is!” Her face flushes bright red, her chest heaving.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I yell, finally finding my voice. I stare up at her, eyes round and brow furrowed with incredulity.
I’m beyond baffled, but I’m also fucking pissed now.
Tears rise to her eyes as she trembles with fury. “Mindy Sackler,” she snaps.
I blink. “Oka-ay,” I say slowly, drawing out the vowel. “Can you tell me who that is?”
She scoffs, hurriedly pulling her phone out of her back pocket, her hand trembling as she taps the screen a few times. Then, she shoves the phone in my face.
I recoil, my brows pinching as I stare at a picture of an unfamiliar girl with sun-kissed skin, long chocolate brown hair and caramel highlights, vivid moss green eyes, and a bright white smile.
I shake my head, racking my brain for any memory of her, but recall none. I open my mouth, prepared to tell her so, until something thatisfamiliar catches my eye.
My heart drops, and I barely catch my expression from falling, though I don’t know if I can stop the blood from draining from my face.
The pink barrette.
Mindy is wearing it, pinning a small section of her hair away from her face.
The same pink barrette I found in my room beside a note from Lionel. Barry has it now, but that hair clip is imprinted into my brain.
Adrenaline releases into my veins, my racing heart circulating it throughout my system with every erratic beat.
Did Lionel fucking kidnap her before he left that note? Not even twenty-four hours out of prison, and he's already kidnapped someone.
Dread leans into my shoulder, and the girl swings the screen toward him, allowing him a better view. He gives no reaction, seeming not to know her based on his blank expression.
I want nothing more than to lie down on the floor and cry, but that would make me look crazy. So instead, I attempt to swallow—though I don’t know why, considering my mouth is drier than a camel's ass—and meet the girl’s fiery stare.
“I don’t know who she is,” I tell her, praying she can hear and see my sincerity. “Did we share classes or?—"
“Don’t act stupid,” she spits, lowering the phone. My response seems to have only enraged her more, based on the way her cheeks darken to a deeper red. “She went missing two days ago after she left for a date with some guy she met online, and I haven’t heard from or seen her since.The authorities are fucking useless and aren’t doing shit to find her.”
The crease between my brows deepens.
Two days ago? Two days ago was the 5th, the day Lionel got out of prison. Depending on what time he got out, and what time Mindy’s date was, itcould’vebeen possible to make the twelve-hour drive here in time to meet Mindy, but he would’ve had to leave straight from the prison.
It also means he would’ve had access to dating sites prior to release to set all this up, but that’s not difficult to do these days. It’s common to see inmates interacting online, even when they technically shouldn’t be. All it takes is having the right connections, and if anyone would, it’s Lionel.
“Okay,” I say gently. “But I’m not understanding what this has to do with me.”
The girl barks out a laugh, though it’s riddled with disgust. She returns her focus to her phone, angrily clicking a few buttons before holding it up to my face once again.
For the second time, I stare at a picture of an unfamiliar person, this one a man. He appears to be a model, sculpted abs, tanned skin, unnaturally bright blue eyes, and, well… hot as hell.
“Show me,” Dread snips impatiently. The girl does, the phone shaking from her trembling hand.
“I don’t know who he is, either,” I say quietly as Dread studies it. It’s clear by his furrowed brow he also doesn’t recognize the guy.
