Page 157 of Pack Frenzy
“Got something,” he says, nodding toward his tablet. “Cross-referenced the cruise passenger lists against missing-persons databases. Three women disappeared that year, but none match the timeline exactly. And without seeing her face, she could be anyone.”
Eli doesn’t look up. “That’s because the one we’re looking for isn’t on the list.”
Jess glances between them, a frown forming. “What’s going on?”
I wipe my hands on a towel and move closer, resting one hip against the counter. “We’ve been digging into Blake’s ‘shark attack’ that happened seven years ago. Eli found corrupted security footage from the night before it happened. Looks like he was with a woman who never officially existed.”
Her brow creases. “Never existed?”
Cassian turns the tablet so she can see. “Not crew. Not a passenger. No ID, no digital footprint. Whoever she is, she was wiped from the cameras except for one tiny moment. But we can’t see her face.”
Eli angles his screen toward her. “I’m still reconstructing frames, but someone went to serious lengths to erase her.”
Jess blinks, setting the coffee pot down. “Why would anyone do that?” Then she hands out mugs of coffee to each of us.
“Because she fought him,” I say quietly.
Her head snaps toward me. “What?”
“Look.” I bring up the paused frame — Blake at the railing, the brunette beside him, sea wind snapping her hair. Then the glitch, the half-second where her wrist flashes silver before the feed dissolves.
Jess steps closer, eyes fixed on the screen. “Can you zoom in?”
Eli does. The pixels blur and warp, but the shimmer of something metallic catches in the light.
Jess’s hand trembles. The mug she’s holding knocks gently against the counter.
“Jess?” Cassian’s tone softens, and I catch the shift in his scent as his Alpha instinct rises. “You okay?”
She doesn’t answer. Just stares at the screen like it’s rewiring her memory, rewriting her entire history. The color drains from her face so fast that I move without thinking, ready to catch her if she falls.
Her breath shudders out. “That bracelet.”
“What about it?”
She swallows hard. “It’s hers. That’s Sabrina’s bracelet.”
Eli blinks. “Your sister?”
Jess nods, eyes wide and wet. “My dad gave it to her when she turned sixteen. A silver crescent moon. She never took it off.” Her voice breaks.
“When I met Blake the first time, he said I reminded him of someone. I thought he was just being a creep.” She drags in a shaky breath. “And later—after I hit him—he called me a wild cat too. I didn’t understand it then, but…” Her throat closes around the words. “He was talking about Sabrina. About what she did to him before he?—”
The room goes silent except for the hum of Eli’s laptop fan and the slow tick of the oven timer.
Cassian’s hand curls into a fist. “You’re sure it’s her?”
Jess doesn’t even blink. “I’d bet my life on it.”
“Eli, pull up the date again of the cruise.” I rub Jess’s back while he searches.
“Dates are July tenth through seventeenth, over seven years ago.”
“Oh god.” Jess shakes, covering her mouth with her hands. “That’s when she disappeared from Nexus, and no one would tell us shit. They said maybe she ran away after she was placed.”
My chest tightens. “Then she’s the one who fought him.”
Eli leans back, face pale. “And if she fought him…”
