Knox didn’t argue that. Instead, he clicked into another system. “Let me show you something. The feed you set up in her room—I can help you swap it out for something that willpick up audio.”
My attention sharpened instantly. “Do it.”
Clicking through multiple boxes that popped up in the interface, he navigated to the camera feed. “So, this is—” He stopped mid-sentence.
I felt it before I fully processed it, the way his posture locked. “What?” I demanded, stepping closer.
He didn’t answer me, but his arm moved, tilting the screen slightly so I could see what he was looking at. My heart dropped straight into my stomach as my eyes locked on the image.
Someone was in her room.The same room she was just reading her book in.
I knew the camera angle all too well, the one I'd placed. What I didn’t recognize was the person standing next to her bed, half hidden in shadow. Their face was hidden, whether it was a hood or maybe just the angle—I couldn’t tell. But I could see enough. He stood over her as she slept.
Something inside me snapped as we let the live video play. The figure moved slowly, deliberately taking up the space around her. My chest ignited completely when a hand slowly reached out, pulling part of the blanket. With her legs now exposed, they slid their fingers over her skin, tracing the muscles there.
My vision tunneled. “Who the hell is that?”
Knox started typing, running something in the background. “I’m trying to identify him, just give me a second.”
Clearly, it was amantouching her—his build and arms wereproof of that.
I clenched my teeth together as he leaned closer, pulling the blanket completely off. His fingers continued to trace along her skin, lifting up her clothes as they moved. The act was both possessive and predatory, like whoever this was thought they owned her.
“Knox!” I yelled, unable to contain my frustration at having to watch this. Clenching my fists, I fought the urge to throw punches against the wall. I stepped back, then forward again, deciding whether to break something or run out the door. “I’m going to kill him,” I said flatly.
“Silas.” Knox’s voice was firm, controlled. “I’m doing what I can, just give me a minute.”
“A minute!?” I snapped, turning on him. “He could use that minute to—”
“If we don’t do this right, we won’t ID him, ” Knox cut in, sharper now. “You think he doesn’t have an exit plan? You think this is his first time?”
That hit harder than I’d expected, and now I imagined this happening to her all the time. A low growl escaped me, and my pent-up anger threatened to spill over as my gaze snapped back to the screen.
The man straightened and then lingered for a second longer. After another moment, he moved toward her vanity and out of frame. Just like that, he wasgone.
The room was still again, and Ember had yet to stir.
Knox exhaled and immediately started pulling up morefootage. “We need to know how long this has been happening.” The screen flickered as he scrubbed through recorded data, and that’s when we saw it again. A different night but the same room and same figure. My stomach churned with each clip. Different positions, different times—but always the same pattern and always when she was asleep.
Knox sighed as he turned toward me. “At least a few weeks on random days.”
Dragging a hand down my face, I tried not to punch through the monitor. “How did we not know this?!”
“I only gave you access. I didn’t scan past footage. There was no reason to. What we’re seeing now is raw data I pulled directly.”
I paced the length of the garage. With every step tight, I coiled tighter. “We go there, now.”
Knox stood, blocking my path before I even reached the door. “And then what, Silas?”
“I get her the fuck out of there.”
“And if he’s already gone? We have to know who this is to do anything about it.” Knox’s eyes locked on to mine. “You tip him off, and he will disappear. We can’t keep her safe that way.”
I hated that he was right.
I looked back at the screen one more time; toward the empty room where she slept, completely unaware.
“She’s alone if I don't go,” I said, quieter now.
