I stare.
My stomach drops. It looks… identical.
“Oh my God,” I breathe. “You’re a terrifying person.”
“Thank you,” she says, very proud of herself. “Alright. Go.”
My palms are already sweaty when I grab the envelope and head for the elevator.
The ride up feels like a slow descent into bad decision hell.
I slide the letter under his door, hold my breath, then practically sprint back to the elevator.
By the time I’m back in my apartment, my heart is still racing—but the relief doesn’t come.
Instead, my stomach twists.
Because now it’s done.
And I can’t shake the feeling that we crossed a line we can’t uncross.
Chapter 28
Nathan
The city feels different when you’ve got a sliver of hope in your chest.
It’s like everything, horns, chatter, footsteps, moves to a rhythm that finally makes sense again.
I’m halfway down the block when my phone buzzes.
Taylor Pierce.
“Yeah?” I answer, breath visible in the morning chill.
His voice comes through tight, but there’s a current of excitement beneath it. “We’ve got footage from the lead.”
My pulse kicks up. “Really?”
“Yes, I got security footage from a Walmart about one hour outside the city. There’s a woman in the parking lot with someone who fits her description. The image isn’t clean enough, but the height, hair, and build line up.
The plate isn’t readable. But I’ve sent the make and model to the police to run it. And I’m waiting for more angles of the footage. I should have more tomorrow.
“If we get a hit, we’ll drive up there tomorrow.”
“I’ll send the file to your email now.”
For a second, I can’t breathe. My chest feels too heavy for everything pressing against it: relief, fear, disbelief.
I close my eyes, smiling for the first time in what feels like forever. “You just made my morning, Pierce.”
“Let’s make it your year,” he says before hanging up.
I stand there for a moment, phone still in my hand, letting the words sink in. The noise of the street blurs to a halt around me. It feels like the world just shifted a little toward something right.
For the first time in months, maybe years, I feel hope again.
And not just because of the case.
