Page 60 of Knight

I shake my head, gnawing on the inside of my cheek while I try and figure out what Victor’s doing. “If Victor is warning me that someone else is monitoring me, then that changes the game.It means someone else is behind this, and it’s not one of his tests.”

Her hand touches my arm, the contact sending an unwelcome surge of awareness through me. “What do we do?”

“I have to figure out what he’s trying to tell me.” I force my attention back to the screen, away from her.

The numbers blur as fatigue sets in, but I can’t stop now. Not when I’m finally seeing the breadcrumbs Victor left for what they are. Not when every new pattern suggests there’s more to this than someone just trying to fuck with me. And not when the woman beside me might be the key to understanding it all … Or the reason everything falls apart.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Evangeline

The steady humof the generator fills the silence, interspersed with the sound of Knight typing. He’s been silent for thirty minutes, focused intently on the screen.

In an attempt to stop myself from asking him more questions, I examine my wrists. The marks from the handcuffs are starting to fade, the worst of the cuts healing cleanly thanks to Knight’s ongoing first aid. Regular changes of bandages and antiseptic have prevented infection, but the skin around the deepest wounds is still tender.

“Something is bothering me about your brother’s disappearance.” Knight’s voice breaks the silence.

I look up from my inspection. "What about it?"

“The timing, mostly.” He leans back, stretching muscles cramped from being too long in one position. “Of all the missing persons cases they could have used, they picked yours. Why?”

My stomach twists thinking about my brother. Of where he might be. Of the man who used his disappearance to pretend to be my friend and send me to Knight.

“I thought it was because I was posting everywhere looking for help.”

“That doesn’t make you special. Thousands of other people are doing the same thing.” His eyes meet mine. “But something about you specifically made you the perfect option. Tell me about your family.”

“There isn’t really anything to tell. It’s just Michael and me.”

“Parents?”

I shake my head. “Mom died when I was twelve. Cancer. Dad left just after she got pregnant with Michael. I don’t remember him.”

“Other relatives?”

“No one close. Our aunt raised us but she passed away last year.” The familiar ache of loss surfaces. “Michael is all I have.”

Knight’s expression sharpens. “Friends? Boyfriend?”

I shrug. “Work keeps me busy.”

"What kind of work?"

"Library assistant." I smooth the wrinkles from my shirt. “No one else really likes the evening shift, so I try to take those as often as I can. It's quiet. Usually only people who are researching things come in after six, so it’s often just me and the books most nights.”

"Perfect isolation." His voice is neutral. "Even when surrounded by people."

“I like the routine, the order.” The words sound hollow. “Everything in its place.”

"Including you. Alone in the stacks at night."

“It’s peaceful after hours.” I try to make it sound like a choice rather than what it is. Complete isolation, like he’s pointed out. “Sometimes I don’t see another person for hours.”

“So, when Michael disappeared, there was no one else to help look for him. No one to question who you were talking to online.”

His implication is clear. “No one to tell me it was crazy to trust a stranger.”

“Someone who always responded when you needed them.” His fingers drum on the tabletop. “Who understands what you were going through.”

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