Page 93 of Faded Rhythm

“Hey, girl. You doing okay?”

“Listen to me,” I say.

“Who is this?” Her voice is saturated with panic.

“It’s your cousin. I need you to get in the car right now,” I say. My voice is clipped and firm. “Come straight here. Don’t stop. Don’t tell anybody. Don’t talk to anybody. Just get here.”

Her voice cracks. “Is my sister okay?”

“I’ll explain when you get here. Just go. Now.”

I hang up before she can argue, then text her my gps coordinates.

In my room, I get my burner and take a seat on the bed. My thumb hovers over the screen for a second before I type a text to Brett.

What do you want?

The dots appear almost instantly.

Meet me. My house. Bring every fucking dime of the hundred grand I paid you or she dies

My jaw clenches. My vision tunnels for a second.

Another text comes through.

24 hrs. Tick tock

I stare at the screen, letting the fury boil low and quiet in my chest.

I should have killed him already. On my own, no hesitation. Just dispense of the problem and move on with Sable. But I didn’t. I wasn’t thinking straight.

I was compromised.

I push to my feet, crack my neck, and push the pain down where it belongs. Deep. I can unpack the guilt later after I get Sable back home to her girls.

I grab my main phone and unlock my encrypted contact list. There’s only one name that matters at this point.

AJ picks up with a groggy, “Yo.”

“I need you.”

His tone shifts instantly. “Talk to me.”

“He took her.”

“Her?”

“Sable!” I yell. “He grabbed her by the water. I got twenty-four hours before he kills her.”

“Fuck,” he mutters. “You need me at the house?”

“Not yet. I need you to pull every satellite image from this morning. You know where my safehouse is. Find out what vehicles or boats were near the property.”

“I’m on it,” he says, all business now. “You okay?”

“I don’t need to be.”

I end the call and go to my safe. I retrieve my Glock, extra mag, GPS tracker, and a bug. I tuck everything into my tactical belt, then secure it around my waist.

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