The towel she was in now sits at her waist. Her entire upper body is exposed. She looks to me confused.
“Sounds like Ry and Felix,” I say.
She nods and pushes a hand through her hair. After a moment she seems to realize I’m staring at her. She looks down and covers herself with one arm while trying to get the towel back in place.
I turn my back and pretend to stretch. The bed dips as she moves to climb off the foot of it. When I finally stand and face her, she’s in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt.
We both head out of the bedroom together. The living room falls silent as soon as we walk out. I was right, Ryan, Felix, and Brax are all surrounding Torque as he sits with his laptop in his lap.
Ryan straightens from behind the couch. “And you mean to tell me you two aren’t fucking,” he says.
I give him the finger. “Not that it’s any of your damn business in the first place.”
“Forget all of that. Come here, Roni. I think the kid is onto something. It’s probably a cold lead by now, but it will confirm that Natasha is still alive,” Felix says.
Roni moves to Torque’s side so fast; I have to do a doubletake. I go over to see what’s going on as well. Once I round the couch, I hover next to Ry.
“This is what I was doing while you guys were away. I got this new digital drawing pad. I was able to draw a picture of Natasha and then use digital software to make it 3D. After that, I started to run it through facial recognition software at train stations, bus ports, and airports around the country,” Torque explains.
“The kid is smart,” Brax says.
“I wasn’t getting anything at first. I mean, I had to go region by region, country by country, and I spanned the course of four years. Then I got lucky. I got a hit on a shithole bus station here in the States,” Torque says.
“Where?” Roni says as she stands as if ready to jump into action.
“Calm down, killer,” Ry says, causing me to pop him in the back of the head. I know how important this is to Roni.
“He’s right. No need to get our hopes up just yet. This was two years ago. I doubt we’ll find a trace of her there now, but it’s hope, right? She’s still out there,” Torque says, sounding more like the fifteen-year-old that pled with me to help Roni on that truck.
“Good work, kid,” Roni says in her detached voice.
When she turns and heads for the bedroom, I can feel the hurt coming off of her. This has been weighing on her shoulders for years. I wish I would have gone back when she asked me to that night.
“Felix, Ry, you guys mind going to Georgia and looking into this. Maybe there are some breadcrumbs still there. It’s worth a try. Best lead we’ve had yet,” I say.
“I want to go with them,” Torque says.
I nod. “Be safe.”
Chapter 48
Warning
Roni
Seven months and two weeks later…
“Hey, you,” Val says into the phone.
“Hold on a sec,” I reply.
The salty, briny air hits me in the face. The sound of the waves crashing soothes me. I put one earbud in to switch the call to my headphones.
“Hey.”
She’s silent for a moment. I have to check to make sure I switched over properly. We’re connected.
“What’s going on? And don’t tell me nothing. I can hear it in your voice,” she says.
I stop and turn to face the ocean. I drove out to the beach to be alone to think. I’m grumpy and need a vacation.
“John wants us to go to Ireland for his brother’s wedding. I don’t want to go,” I mumble.
“Why the hell not? I’m going to be there. You can see the kids.”
“Don’t make this about you, big head,” I mutter.
“Oh, I’m so going to whip your ass,” she scoffs. “Tell me, La rabbia della morte. What is the real problem?”
I groan. Death’s rage. “That’s the thing. I haven’t been full of that same rage. It’s not gone, it’s simmering somewhere in the back of my mind, but not taking over.”
“Because of John?”
“Coger, woman. Does it always have to be about him?”
“Let’s see. Yes.”
I sigh. “Okay, yes, it’s him. Somehow in the last three months, John has convinced me to start dating him again. It started with dinner one night, then a movie. The next thing,