Page 110 of Freeing Lark

Hoot felt every protective instinct he possessed surge to life. Whatever the hell the Whitmores were involved in, one thing was becoming painfully clear. Lark hadn’t simply stumbled onto someone else’s secret on that island. She had already been standing dangerously close to the center of it for years.

“SIBYL just found another match.” Everyone turned toward her. She looked at the screen, then at Flint. “It’s a manifest from the same operation.”

Hoot’s pulse accelerated. “Where’s it going?”

The destination appeared on the screen. Virginia. Not far from Bell Creek.

Nobody spoke. Hoot looked at Lark. He thought of everything they’d uncovered. The crates. PSG. And now a manifest trail leading through waterways and within striking distance of Bell Creek.

It was no longer a theory. They’d stumbled onto part of something much bigger.

Flint’s expression hardened. “Haley, Baker, trace every shipment associated with that manifest number. Find out where every crate went.”

“Already working on it,” Haley said.

“Voodoo, get Jeeves and Eggs. I want eyes on that Virginia location.”

Hoot’s instincts kicked into gear. “And Calloway?”

Flint looked directly at him. “We start digging into everything Grant Calloway has touched.”

Lark’s hand slipped into Hoot’s. He squeezed it. The mystery she’d accidentally uncovered wasn’t sitting on some distant battlefield anymore. It was moving through their backyard.

And whoever was behind it had already proven they were willing to kill anyone who got too close.

CHAPTER 35

The meeting was finally winding down when Lark’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen and immediately wished she hadn’t. Mother. Of course.

She considered letting it go to voicemail, but Hoot’s eyes flicked toward her, then down to her phone screen. “Answer it,” he said quietly.

Lark sighed and accepted the call, putting it on speaker. “Hello, Mother.”

“Lark, darling. Where are you?”

She glanced at Hoot. “I’m... with Cormac.”

There was a brief silence. “Good. Then you can both attend.”

Lark frowned. “Attend what?”

“Wren and Bradley’s engagement party, obviously.”

Her stomach dropped. “What?”

“Your father and I have been discussing it with the Whitmores. We’re having an engagement celebration next weekend. You’re expected to be there.” Hildi Meadows didn’t announce things to Lark. She informed her of decisions that had already been made. “It will be very exclusive,” her mother continued. “The Whitmores are hosting it at their estate. There will be important people there, so I expect you to behave appropriately.”

Lark rolled her eyes. “What exactly does appropriately mean?”

“It means no more embarrassing behavior.” There it was. Lark’s jaw tightened. “And you will bring that man.” She said the last word like a disgusting curse.

She nearly choked. “My boyfriend?”

“Yes. You told us you were serious about him, didn’t you? We must meet him.” In other words, they wanted to meet him, scrutinize him, and decide whether he was acceptable by their standards.

Lark glanced at Hoot. His eyebrow had risen. She knew he’d heard that, and the derision in her tone. Apparently, so had everyone else.

Her mother continued. “This is actually perfect. It will help to further put all that unpleasant online speculation to rest. People have been talking about you disappearing from society, and frankly, it’s becoming tiresome. Having you arrive with a respectable boyfriend will make it quite clear that you’ve moved on.”