“It’s your ass on the line, Agent Holt,” the man warned. A buzzing sound had him reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his phone. “I need to take this.” He stormed off down a hallway and out of eyeshot.
“What happened?” I asked Saros.
“I still can’t say much,” he whispered, eyes darting around. The vein on his head was raised and angry-looking, but he gritted out what he could. “Lynx had me meet him at Acacia’s house. He’d gone there after listening in to Jade and Ivy mention her at the blackout bash. As soon as I got there, we could make out Acacia through a window. Something was wrong with her.”
“What happened?”
“She’s dead.” The vein in Saros’s temple throbbed.
“Dead?” I asked. “How?”
“When we finally worked through her wards and got closer to her, we spotted a handful of empty vials scattered around,” Saros said quietly. “We’ve sent them off to the lab for testing.”
Lynx opened the door, waving us into the room. “She insisted on seeing you, so let’s sneak you in quickly before the boss gets back. I’ll hang out with him.”
Securing Aspen in his stroller, I swapped places with Lynx, running into the room.
“Haze!” My voice cracked, feet carrying me to her bed in a few long strides. I wrapped my arms around her, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“I’m so glad to see you, sis.” Hazel’s arms slid to my back, holding me tighter than she ever had, so tight I almost felt like she’d squeeze the air straight from my lungs. But I didn’t care, I needed the reminder that she was really here.
Maybe she did too.
Goddess above.
My arms shook, still clamped around Hazel, and her body sank into mine. The woman that never needed anyone was leaning on me right now. What had been done to her?
I pulled back enough to see her face, arms braced at her sides. “How did they find you?”
She didn’t reply, breath catching as if it was too much to utter the words.
“After we found Acacia’s body and called for backup, we checked the house in case the assailant was still there. We are waiting to see if there was foul play involved. That’s when we heard a muffled sound coming from behind the bookcase and discovered a small hidden room with Hazel handcuffed to a pipe,” explained Saros.
Icy dread slithered down my throat. How horrible must it have been being locked away all that time?
I wanted to crumple right there with her. Instead, I willed away the tears, keeping my shoulders pressed back, chin raised. She needed me to be strong for the both of us.
“Can I take her home yet? Or at least bring her somethingrealto eat?” I asked, looking at the sad tray of barely picked at hospital food.
“Not just yet,” Saros said, eyes sorrowful. “We need to wait for headquarters to give us the okay. Our boss is insisting we interview her further. Speaking of, he will be back soon. Best to get back in the hallway.”
Before I could protest, Hazel nudged me to get up. “Go ahead, sis. We’ll be heading home together before you know it.”
I followed him out to the hallway reluctantly, attention still focused on my sister. Lynx flashed her his usual charming smile from the doorway.
“I’m so glad you found her,” I said to the guys, still captivated by the fact that my sister was on the other side of the wall.
“Just doing our job,” Saros said, giving me a crooked smile with his lips clamped together. Was it even possible for him to show teeth?
Lynx nodded before heading back in to be with Hazel. He reached out a hand, and she took it, instantly seeming to calm at his presence.
Saros swallowed hard. “I don’t know what would have happened if she’d been left much longer without access to food or water. We don’t know when Acacia died, and Hazel doesn’t seem to recall much, at least not yet.”
“Couldn’t you touch her to see?” I asked, wondering if that wouldn’t be the easiest thing, especially since he had the ability to.
“I could,” he said, face contorting a bit, as if pained. “But I would prefer to do that once she’s rested and I have her consent to use my Recollection. My boss…would prefer otherwise.”
“Is that what he was pissed off about when he followed you out here?”
