More images of Rachel’s mutilated corpse?
Pictures of her in compromising positions?
Or worse: Rachel, happy and smiling, completely unaware of what’s about to happen to her?
“It’s a modeling contract,” River says by way of explanation.
Asch’s lips purse, but he doesn’t comment.
I steel myself and open the folder.
The first thing I notice is the photo of Rachel, taken in what is clearly the corner of the secret frat house room. She looks more excited than nervous. I wonder who was behind the camera.
The rest of the page is information about her, in her handwriting. Name, address, phone number, next of kin.
She’d left that line blank.
Why would she leave that line blank? I would have been there for her. If she’d written my name, somebody might have realized it was a bad idea to take her!
There’s a date in the corner, and I frown.
“This is from before she was taken,” I say quietly. “She came back to New Bristol after signing this.”
“From what I understand,” Asch says, still speaking in that cautious tone even as he gently extricates his fingers from my hair, “that would be when they did the background check. Obviously they didn’t do a very good check, though, or they’d have found you.”
“And me,” River says, his lips curling into a sneer. “Two Pavone links — they never should’ve dared to take her.”
“I don’t think Zayden did much of a check at all.” Blaze clenches his hands. “She wasn’t procedure. We don’t… that is, she wasn’t even enrolled here yet. There was too much of a risk that somebody would notice she was missing. Students who are far from home are easier.”
“I noticed,” I bite out. “I knew immediately she was gone. But nobody believed me.”
River sighs. “I believed you. I just… didn’t know what to do about it.”
“So you sold her off to somebody who cut her up into small parts,” I say. “And stupidly dumped her in a New Bristol garbage lot.” I smile widely. “Who was it? Who do I need to decapitate?”
“I don’t have that information,” Blaze says. “Not here. I’ll try to find it, I promise. If I can help you avenge Rachel?—”
“And Samantha,” I say. “You forgot about her.”
“We didn’t forget about her,” Asch says, shaking his head. “We don’t think she’s dead. We know she was dating Zayden, and that was a link. The fact that she’s missing is bad enough.”
“The goal isn’t to murder the girls,” Blaze says.
“Women,” I correct. “They’re women. Not children. Don’t dismiss women like that.”
Blaze grimaces. “Yeah. Okay. But I’m pretty sure Zayden dropped Samantha off at one of the usual facilities. I might be able to find out where, but the problem is…” He sighs. “This is still my family’s business, Pandora. You get it.”
I get it, because it was my family’s business too.
It might even still be our business.
Papa says he runs strip clubs or sex clubs, but we all know not everybody who shows up to dance naked is there willingly.
From how Aunt Lucia speaks of Papa… yeah, even Mama might not have started out entirely willingly. She’s fine now though. Happy.
Maybe Aunt Lucia was exaggerating.
It’s one of those things where I’ve always thought: I just don’t care.
