Page 46 of Rivals & Revenge

I snickered, mildly amused at the idea I could have predicted any of this, "psycho maybe, but not psychic."

"We have to find her, Ahren. She saved my life. I owe her at least that much."

I nodded in agreement. I knew exactly how she felt. If we were keeping score, I owed Connor more than one life debt, and I felt the pressure to hold up my end of the bargain. She asked me once if she was in danger because of me and I promised her I would never allowany harm to come to her. Somehow, I failed. I fucked up and let my guard down, and now she might pay for my carelessness with her life.

Chapter 26

TIERNEY

"What do we know about Larissa's new boyfriend?" I asked over my shoulder. “She’s gone out with him three times this week. Moving pretty fast for a new relationship—right?”

Ahren wrapped me in his arms, no doubt seeking comfort from me.

That first kiss had thrown me for a loop. I got in my head and let my fear push him away—certain it was nothing more than a momentary lapse in judgment.

Then there were the roses. That was a conversation I was dreading, if I were being honest. He saved every rose, each one a tribute in our rivalry—a taunt that I won this round. Yet he saved them. He took the time to preserve them and hand write the date on each one.

I took his roses in the same spirit as the ones I left for him. A mocking reminder I was beneath him and I treated histributes as such, throwing them in the incinerator where they belonged—where I thought they belonged.

God, I was a fucking idiot.

Every glance, these past two and a half weeks. Every brush of his skin against mine had been sparks on dry kindling. It was only a matter of time before it ignited.

"Not much." He answered absentmindedly, his eyes combing over the photo.

"Like you didn't run a background check on him." I snorted.

He tossed me that cocky smile that made the deepest parts of me ache. "Fair enough. I ran a routine check, but there wasn't much there. Just a boring executive, some marketing firm. No criminal history. No ties to anyone with any power—a nobody." he shrugged.

“If you’re sure then…” I let my words hang in the air between us.

He barked out a dry laugh. "Of course, I'm not sure."

The smiles slid from our faces as reality crept back in, both of us returning our gazes to the photo and the accompanying note.

He squinted, holding the note up to the light, desperate for a clue.

"Does this look—I don't know—overly warm to you?" I asked, tilting my head as I studied the photo.

"Warm? No." he scoffed. "If anything, it looks like a dank basement, maybe. The furthest thing from warm I could imagine."

"No." I answered, drawing out the single syllable with an edge of irritation. "I meant the lighting. You're right, she's most likely in an interior room with no windows. So where did the light come from?"

"Maybe it's just the camera flash," he muttered, his eyes raking over the picture as if his sharp gaze could force it to spill its secrets.

"Doubtful. Cameras use a white light. It’s closer to natural light. This has a warm, yellow tone, like an incandescent bulb." I explained.

His gaze snapped to mine, understanding dawning in his amber eyes.

"They don't sell those anymore."

"Nope. They haven't for years." a spark of my former confidence flared to life as the next piece of the puzzle snapped into place.

"Shit."

He pulled out his phone and began hastily punching out a message. "I know it's a longshot," he said, his eyes never leaving his screen. "But I thought maybe I could see if Jax could work his mojo and look for older brick buildings in less than ideal condition that are covered in vines."

I nodded. It wasn't much to go on, but maybe if we could start narrowing the search area—well, let's just say that Ahren and I both worked better when we had a target.

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