Page 108 of Breaking Point

The words do nothing to soothe my worry. “What do you want?”

There’s a knock at the door, and Sofia breaks into another smile. “Looks like our plans are well underway. He might already be here,” she says before twisting to leave.

“He?” I say louder, but as she departs, I yell, “Who is ‘he’?”

The door shuts, leaving me alone with only my thoughts to satiate me. The panic is nearly overwhelming now, rising in my chest so fast that it’s an effort to swallow it down.

He might already be here.

I take a steadying breath, determination filling my veins. I tug on the restraints, but there’s not an inch of give. My ankles are strapped down just as tightly.

I search the room for any sign of something sharp. There’s a lounge chaise and a desk in the corner, and I sigh in relief when I see a cup filled with heavy silver pens and letter openers.

If I can just get my hands on one...

It will just be a matter of getting there before she comes back. I brace myself against the chair. I slam my weight forward, and the chair scrapes forward an inch.

Using my momentum again, I jolt forward another two inches. Four. Six, until I position the chair so that the back is in front of the desk.

If I leaned the chair back, I could possibly grab a letter opener with my teeth. Pressing the tips of my shoes against the floor for traction, I let the vague bubble of a plan form in my head.

I inhale slowly.

Then I push.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Crew

I’ve scoured every inch of Olivia’s apartment for clues. The same with Aspen House and Viserion. I’ve come up empty.

It’s been two days. Two days of waiting, and all the while, Liv and Aleks could be hurt. There’s no telling what happened in the struggle at the hospital, and the fact that I’m waiting for the footage from Taylor doesn’t help either.

The longer I stare at my computer, the more my vision blurs. It’s nearly midnight. I need to sleep, but even if I tried, it would be pointless. I dream of her now. And when I wake up and realize she’s gone, my chest aches. I startle when Chesna meows, crawling into my lap and staring up at me.

I almost forgot she was here.

My chest aches again. She’s done nothing but lay by the door. Waiting for it to open and Liv to step inside.

I reach down, scratching her ears as she purrs. Guilt gnaws at me. While Chesna’s been home alone, I’d like to tell myself that tirelessly looking into finding Chase has been worthwhile. But I’m chasing dead leads, and I know it.

His phone number is disconnected. The last time the phone tower pinged his location, he was at his listed homeaddress. I found the house abandoned though. It looked like it had been for a while.

Chesna mewls, sprawling out on her back and exposing her scarred stomach. I gently scratch the scar that disappears around her ribs. She abruptly shoots up at a sound in the hall, and when she hears a neighbor’s door close, she darts towards the credence table, silently flicking her tail.

The pit in my stomach deepens when the footsteps disappear. I force myself to look away. My eyes find Liv’s purse on the coffee table, the contents spilled out. There are a few tubes of her favorite lipstick, tissues, a new planner, and her favorite pens and pencils.

Chesna must have knocked it over, and I shake my head when I spot white shreds of paper littering the floor. I reach down, finding the wad of notes the stalker left. Chesna must have gotten into it.

I kneel with a sigh. I inspect the note for any sign of further damage, but I pause when I find pencil shading over the top.

Liv, I think as I notice the traced stamp with anRin the middle.She was onto something. R. Rema.

It’s probably a family crest which only confirms what we already know. Harvey made a deal- and Rema wants his due.

But I know that symbol from somewhere else, I think before tugging my laptop toward me. I search a registry of local businesses. The more I stare at the shape, the more my mind starts wandering.

What if they took her somewhere close by?

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