Mindy’s social media wasfloodedwith family and friends posting about her, begging others to help them find her. Each and every post and comment chipped away a piece of my heart until nothing remained by the time I stopped torturing myself with them.
I flipped through dozens of pictures of Mindy, wearing that pink barrette in several of them, and all with her smiling or making some goofy face. She seemed like a fun, outgoing girl who had an entire life ahead of her.
Not anymore.
I sent every picture of her wearing the hair clip to Barry. Problem is, one Google search proved exact replicas of it can be ordered online, and according to Barry, the one in my dorm had no trace of DNA on it. It could very well be hers, but it also could be Lionel fucking with my head.
I'd bet money it’s hers, but there's no way to prove it. He left it in my dorm the day after she went missing.
That’s no coincidence.
Regardless, the hair Dread holds now looks nothing like Mindy’s,but it’s only a small relief.
“What about Roxi? What color is her hair?” Dread asks, pulling my attention back to him.
I tighten my lips. “Black. Curly. Exactly like the hair you’re holding.”
He’s quiet for a beat. “We should make sure she’s alive.”
“She is,” I say, my tone scarcely above a whisper. He arches a brow, silently asking for an explanation. “It’s a threat. He’s telling me to come back to Silent Mist instead of running. If I don’t…”
I don’t need to finish the rest.
Dread briefly rolls toward the desk to grab a thin stack of papers and then shows them to me. “Transfer papers to a school in London,” he says, confirming what I said.
I nod. “Yeah.”
That’s it.
There’s nothing else to say or give.
“Do you think he’s here this time?” he asks.
I shrug a shoulder. “Won’t know until his parole officer checks. Could've been Roxi herself.”
A small crease forms between his brows, appearing unconvinced. “You think she’d do something like this? Threaten you? Wouldn’t that disprove he’s this good guy she believes him to be?”
“Maybe. But he’s really good at manipulating people, and he’s had her under his spell for years now. Anyone can make someone believe they’re good if they spin it in a way that makes it seem justifiable. Why do you think evil politicians have so many supporters? Why do you thinkyouhave so many?”
He hums, clearly not offended. “Good point. But he didn’t need to trash your room and threaten you to make you stay. I would’ve done that myself.” There isn’t a hint of amusement on his face.
The lid over my emotions is frosted glass. I can see their faint shadows swirling beneath, trying to escape, but I can’t see what they are. I imagine fury and humiliation. Panic, resentment, hate.
My expression stays blank as seconds tick by. With a sigh, I sit upright and swipe my bangs out of my eyes. They’re getting too long.
“I still might go. I don’t want anything bad to happen to Roxi, but I don’t exactly want him to kill me, either.”
“He won’t.”
He’s so confident about that. Doesn’t possess a single atom of doubtin his body. I, however, can’t relate.
“You can’t stop me from leaving.”
As soon as the words spill past my lips, I instantly know they were a mistake. Not because hecanstop me, but because I challenged the fucker, and now, he’s going to go the extra mile to sabotage me.
Another sigh. My stupid-ass mouth just made a lot of shit harder for me.
He juts out his bottom lip and nods, as if what I said was interesting, reacting exactly how I knew he would.
