Page 75 of Unveiled

She could feel a pair of eyes on her, and she turned her head, scanning for the source. A small, dark-haired woman sat in the chair along the left wall, and it didn’t take but a few seconds for her to place her. She recognized Hannah from the morning she had shown up at the salon after the break-in. Hannah caught her movement and met her gaze with a soft smile. “Hey.”

Adalyn cleared her throat to rid it of the sleepy rasp. “Hi.”

“I brought your toothbrush and a change of clothes for you.”

Adalyn shot her a grateful look. She was thankful Hannah hadn’t immediately jumped in to ask how she was feeling. Hannah seemed to intuitively know that Adalyn would want to get back out and start scouring the streets again. “Thanks.”

Adalyn slid from the makeshift bed and reached for the bag Hannah held out. “Any news yet?” She couldn’t help the hopefulness in her voice.

Unfortunately, Hannah shook her head. “Not yet, but the guys are still chasing every lead. Last I heard, Aiden is still trying to figure out who is behind the auction.”

Guilt stopped Adalyn in her tracks, and she shot a wary look at Hannah. “I’m so sorry about having to use you…”

Hannah waved away her concern. “I’m happy to do anything to help. These guys know what they’re doing, and I know they’ll bring her home safe.”

Tears burned the back of Adalyn's throat at the conviction she heard in Hannah's voice. She knew Hannah had been through something horrifically traumatic, though she wasn’t sure of the details. For Hannah to speak so plainly both hurt Adalyn's heart and gave her a surge of hope.

Adalyn wanted to ask if Hannah was okay, but she saw the haunted look in her eyes. She knew Hannah wasn’t, and she extended her the same courtesy of not dredging up bad memories. Instead, Adalyn swallowed everything down and gave her a smile, as genuine as she could. “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about the bed,” Hannah said. “I’ll have Luke take care of it later. I’ll let you get changed, and I’ll be right outside.”

Adalyn waited until Hannah left, the soft click of the door announcing her exit, and she sank down on the edge of the bed. She dropped her head into her hands, shame and guilt welling up inside her at the memory of her recent altercation with Jaxon. Her insides felt as if they’d been shredded. She was still hurting over Jaclyn, but she’d let her anger get the best of her and said so many terrible things to him that she would never be able to take back. She had no idea how to begin to bridge the gap between them.

Pushing the thought away for the moment, she moved behind the door and quickly stripped down, changing into the clothes that Hannah had brought. Hannah had even had the foresight to throw in some deodorant, for which Adalyn was incredibly grateful. Two minutes later, she felt cleaner, more awake, and she pulled the door open.

Hannah hovered on just the other side like a sentinel. “Good?”

As good as she could be. “Yep.”

In silence, they trudged to the bathroom, where Adalyn quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth. She passed a window and noticed that it was pitch-black outside, the only light a faint yellow glow from a streetlamp. “What time is it?”

Hannah checked her phone as Adalyn stifled a yawn. “A little after one in the morning.”

So Adalyn had slept for about six hours then. “And they still haven’t heard anything?”

How long were they going to wait to announce the winner? Her pulse doubled, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. She couldn’t live like this. She threw another look out the dark window. They’d checked the entire city over the past day and a half, it seemed, but she couldn’t tamp down the urge to run right back out there and search every crevice. She had to find her.

“Come on.” Hannah set a gentle hand between Adalyn's shoulder blades and propelled her forward. “Let’s check in with the guys.”

Adalyn allowed herself to be herded along, down a short hallway toward the lobby. Hannah stopped beside the door to the bullpen area and knocked. Seconds later, it swung open, and a large blond man Adalyn had never seen before filled the doorway. He stepped aside with a nod.

“Thanks, Mason.”

Hannah moved inside first, and Adalyn followed a few steps behind. A few sets of eyes darted to her, then immediately moved away again. Adalyn felt her cheeks heat under their scrutiny. She was sure they were all watching her like a hawk from behind their screens, waiting for her to break down again.

Pulling her shoulders back and lifting her chin, she strode toward Knox, who hovered next to Aiden’s desk. She didn’t look around, though she knew Jaxon was close by; she could feel his presence as if he were an extension of her.

Aiden didn’t even look up as she approached, but Knox nodded at her.

“McDonald’s,” Aiden said loudly, making Adalyn jump. Everyone looked in his direction.

His fingers flew over the screen a few more times before he lifted his gaze. “I just sent you guys the info. I was able to trace the IP address from the auction back to a McDonald’s off Miner Street. It looks like this one”—he pointed to the screen—“was definitely done by a completely different person.”

Adalyn stared at him. “What does that mean?”

“It looks like someone piggybacked off the original auction website for ease. The perp knew he’d still have an audience, and it’s obviously time sensitive. He wants to—” He stopped himself midsentence. “I would guess he’s strapped for cash and needs this to happen quickly.”

“Is that good or bad?”