Page 108 of The Unravelings

JJ tilts his head. “Group project?”

I groan. “Yes, with Mack and Wilder. It’ll be loads of fun. Please tell me about the doctor and whatever else you know.” I give him my best puppy-dog eyes, despite the distress bubbling in my guts. My fight-or-flight kicks in, and I no longer want to be in the middle of the woods with a man hell-bent on eviscerating everything I’ve come to know and trust.

JJ blows out a breath. “Be cautious with Mack, Spitfire. He’s…”

“Way too fucking mean? Yeah, I already know. My ribs thank him for that bullshit fight,” I quip, throwing out a hand.

JJ’s nose wrinkles. “And your ribs are all right? Your face?” More concern crosses his features. “He’s such a goddamn idiot,” he groans.

“I’m fine.” I wave a hand. “And yeah, he’s an asshole, but I can handle him. I’ve handled more assholes than you can count in the last five years.” I roll my eyes toward the sky, blowing out a breath.

“So you’ve been busy?” He raises a suspicious brow.

Right. We haven’t exactly discussed what I’ve been up to. And you know what? It’s not really his business. Not yet, at least. I need his help in figuring this out.

He shakes his head. “Dr. Lohr is a surgeon. One of the best in the area. She’s been here for over five years now, working at the hospital. She mainly takes care of burst appendixes. It seems, though, according to our missing source, Dr. Lohr has been doing more than removing them. She’s been removing everything and selling them.” JJ digs into his pocket and clicks a few times on his screen before turning it around to me. “Our source shot this video and came to us for help after a fellow nurse, who witnessed this exchange, went missing after speaking with the police.”

Oh, good, that means the police in this town are still upstanding citizens, then. Not.

Wait. Missing source? Malic’s sister is missing. Or was. I have the damn flyer in my room, buried with my vibrator and badge. I didn’t want anyone to get suspicious if I had those hanging around. But another nurse, too? That wasn’t something Malic mentioned to Nick at the bar when he confronted him.

My stomach churns at the visual. “Jesus,” I mutter, watching the video of three surgeons working on a man and taking out every organ in his body, leaving his heart for last. They laugh through the entire process, discussing what they’re going to have for dinner and what their families are up to. I hand the phone back to JJ with a grim expression. “So that’s great. She’s working on people and stealing organs from patients at the hospital. Who are the other two?”

“Two more highly accomplished surgeons employed at the hospital—Dr. Sheppard and Dr. White. They’ve had a clean record as well. Nothing suspicious. Well, until that,” JJ says in a low voice. “Those five patients I mentioned earlier were the only patients she has done that to. Maybe she got caught or got cold feet, but the operation has shifted. Now, we’re losing students. Some vanish. Some get scared and go home. Others show up without their organs.”

Like my roommate, Dane. I can’t get the images of his mangled body out of my head. I’ve seen lots of gruesome shit in my time as an agent. But Dane sticks out. Probably because I knew him. Not well, but he didn’t deserve that.

I shake my head. “And I thought this town couldn’t have gotten any more fucking complicated than it already was. So you think she’s the one doing all this?”

“No,” JJ says confidently. “Dr. Lohr works for an unknown. She doesn’t seem sneaky enough to orchestrate this level of a crime.” He pauses for a second, rubbing at his chin. “Have you heard of the Shades?”

“Your nemesis?” I question, trying to remember what Jonathan said about the Shades and what their role was here in town.

“I…” He stalls for one second before nodding. “Yes. Malic and Wilder work for a big, mysterious boss who hasn’t shown his face yet. He works in the shadows. Here in town. Somewhere.”

How odd that they haven’t busted up the criminal organization on their own turf. Back in the day, Franco would have been eager to stomp out their influence and reclaim it for himself.

“So you think this mysterious boss is the cause of all of this.” I gesture.

“More or less.” JJ shrugs with uncertainty.

Holy shit.

They don’t know.

They have an idea of who is behind it, but not the entire picture.

“And why exactly hasn’t Franco struck them down?” I raise a brow, aching to hear his answer.

Too bad he doesn’t deliver.

JJ’s eyes shift, and he sighs. “We should probably part ways and reconvene in our study session tonight before we’re caught out here.”

“Right. But are you going to answer my question?”

JJ huffs out a laugh. “Maybe later, Spitfire.”

Maybe later? I frown when he takes a step away from me, but reluctantly stops. Reaching into his pocket, he huffs out a breath and stares at a golden envelope in his grip.