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He extends a large envelope toward me, and I quickly snatch it from his grip.
I flip it over, and the name scrawled across the front makes my stomach drop, and my eyes dart around the lobby as if whoever delivered it is still standing around. But all the wary eyes I meet aren’t the culprit, and when my gaze finally drops back to the envelope, I know whatever the contents are will make me fucking homicidal.
Without another word, I step into the elevator and jab the close door button three times, desperate to get the fuck out of the view of other people.
I tear the envelope open and drop the contents into my hand.
It takes me a few moments to recognize what I’m looking at. The simple charm bracelet would look inconspicuous to most. The myriad of standard charms are likely found on thousands of people’s wrists around Chicago alone, but there’s one I know for a fact has only ever been worn by one person.
The jar of sugar charm I had made for Mia to put on her mother’s charm bracelet stares back at me like a fucking homing beacon, and even if I know I’m completely alone in the elevator, I still look around as if there’s someone staring right at me.
By the time the elevator stops at the top floor, I’ve gathered myself enough that I don’t think I’m going to lose my shit at any second, but there’s always a chance.
I peer over the back of the couch and release a breath when I find Mia still sleeping soundly, her gentle snores bringing me back down from the spiral threatening at the edge of my vision.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I make my way to the balcony and quietly slip into the Chicago afternoon, the sound of the bustling city below assaulting me immediately.
I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Everett’s number without thought. Kyle is escalating, and his coming here only proves he not only knows where she is, but that he could get to her at any moment. It’s never going to matter to an asshole like him how much security there is in place, he’ll find a way, and the daily ads that go up on the noticeboards on the dark web are only proof of that.
The more people that take the job, the more likely we are to be ambushed, and we’re just sitting ducks up here in a penthouse apartment, the illusion of safety allowing us to get complacent.
“Yeah?” he answers distractedly.
“You busy?”
“Uh, a little.” He curses, and the phone drops, a loud bang filling the line and forcing me to pull my phone from my ear.
“Everett?”
“Yeah, sorry. Changing diapers is a shit ton harder than it looks.”
“You answered the phone while dealing with your kid’s shit?” I snap.
“That’s what being a parent is. Juggling every other responsibility while looking after a small angel that cries and shits a lot.”
I scoff. I swear I hated this motherfucker a few weeks ago. Now I’m finding him amusing? “We have a problem.”
He sighs. “What now?”
“We had a package delivered to the penthouse this afternoon. A charm bracelet that would have been on Mia’s wrist when she was taken to The Factory but was not with her when we found her in Florida.”
“Fuck.”
“Exactly my sentiments.” I sigh and drop into one of the outdoor chairs, staring across the city skyline like it holds the answers to all my questions.
“Let me take her,” I hear Wynter say in the background, and Everett only puts up a small fight.
“Does Mia know yet?” he asks after a few moments.
“No, she’s asleep. She’s had a rough afternoon.”
The sound of him sitting down in his desk chair fills the line, and then the telltale sound of typing follows. “I’m checking the security tapes from the lobby, maybe we can track his movements after he left the building through convenience stores and ATMs?”
“That’s assuming Kyle’s doing his own dirty work, which doesn’t seem likely, seeing as he knows we’re looking for him.”
There’s silence for a few minutes, but while Mia is asleep, I’m not in any rush to move. She needs her rest, and if I start working, I’m likely to wake her.
“It’s not him,” Everett confirms.
