from the others. I shine the flashlight from my phone closer, furrowing my brow. I pull out the drawer on the right side to compare, putting my hands in both.
“Shit.”
The one on the left is slightly higher. It’s a fake bottom. I take out the stacks of clothes, taking care not to mess up the order so Coleman doesn’t suspect anything. There’s a tiny tab at the back. When I pull on it, I’m able to remove the false cover.
My heart stops.
A row of necklaces sits in the drawer on black velvet. All matching.
At first I suck in a breath, thinking I’ve found the locket. But no, these aren’t silver. They’re gold plated. Cheap. Each heart pendant sits on a slip of paper with Coleman’s handwriting.
Girl’s names.
These are disgusting collars of ownership for every girl Coleman is manipulating. He probably sends them as gifts to make the girls feel special, when he’s got six other duplicates. If they feel doted on, he must have an easier time controlling them to do whatever he wants.
Acidic bile rushes up my throat.
“Jesus fucking christ.” My teeth clench hard enough to crack.
It takes a long minute to control the powerful instinct to punch through the wall as hard as I can as an outlet for the rage.
I snap several photos on my phone, documenting closeups of the name tags, each necklace, and the hidden compartment in the drawer. My phone vibrates with an incoming call, sending my heart into an awful adrenaline spike. It’s Thea.
My chest goes tight and my attention drops to her necklace, second in the row. What a cruel twist of fate that she ended up vulnerable and pliant to fall into this monster’s trap. “I’m sorry, baby.”
I grip my phone tight, rubbing my forehead with the back of my hand, and let her call go to voicemail. I can’t afford to get distracted when I need to be ready for Devlin and Blair’s signal while I search. If I answered, I don’t know if I’d be strong enough to keep this secret from her. As soon as I give the crow guys what they want, I’m telling Thea everything.
And I’ll never let her near Coleman again. She’ll be safe.
Once I know she’s protected, I’m coming for Coleman. The proof of his evil is here. If Landry won’t listen to me, I’ll go over his head. Whatever it takes to put Coleman away for his crimes.
He won’t hurt anyone ever again.
Putting everything back the way I found it in the drawer is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Every part of my being screams at me to grab the necklaces, that it’s wrong to let Coleman keep these like he hasn’t been caught. With a rough sound, I turn my back on the bureau.
A single nightstand sits beside the bed. I head there next.
For a minute, I stare down at the dark wood, rubbing my fingers to gear up to continue the search. I force out a ragged breath and brace for the worst as I open the first drawer. My nose wrinkles at the tube of lotion mixed in with an inhaler and other odds and ends. There’s nothing else, so I go for the second drawer.
At first glance, anyone could mistake it for a junk drawer.
But amongst charm bracelets, a headband, two leather cuffs, and a picture keychain I find a silver locket. Trophies. Before I do anything, I pull up my phone camera and grab several shots of the drawer’s contents.
My hand shakes as I take the locket, checking it.
The initials CT are engraved on the silver heart.
This is the one.
My gaze flicks from the bed back to the drawer. He keeps them right next to where he sleeps. An uncomfortable shudder wracks my body.
“I will end you, if it’s the last thing I ever do,” I growl, stuffing the locket in my pocket.
I have what I came here for, but I want to keep going. As soon as I finish the bedroom, my phone buzzes, signaling my time is up. Opening the group chat confirms it.
Blair: On the move. 15min ETA.
A second later, Devlin revs the engine outside.
“Damn it.” I cast a glance around the room I was checking.
Connor: 2 mins [sweat smile emoji]
Devlin: Now. Christ, only you would use emojis at a time like this.
Gritting my teeth, I rush into the living room to check the download status. A relieved breath leaves me. It finished. I’ve got it all. Ejecting the thumb drive and