Page 61 of No One’s Daughter

​“Um, this phone call is making me alarmed Ailsa,” she said slowly. “What’s going on? The truth this time.”

​“I’m fine, seriously,” I insisted. “Like I said, just under the weather. I think I picked up the flu from one of the girls at the bakery or something. Sorry I didn’t mean to worry you, I’ve just not been sleeping the best and I had the thought that I could be asleep during the day, and if you tried to contact me, you’d not hear back.”

​I pinched the bridge of my nose. What the fuck was I babbling about? She could read me like a book just based on the tone of my voice. But I went on regardless. “And I wanted to say happy birthday in case I couldn’t make it to your annual birthday lunch. I wouldn’t want to make you sick, you know?”

​That part at least was true. I hated that I’d miss her birthday lunch and I couldn’t even guarantee the ability to call her on her actual birthday. I was officially the worst sister, but at least this time it wasn’t entirely my fault.

​“Oh… okay,” she said, slowly. Carefully. “Do you need me to come over, I still have the key—”

​As predicted, she picked up on my bullshit.

​“No,” I interjected. “No, no, that’s okay. I just wanted you to know that you don’t need to worry if you don’t hear from me, that’s all. I’m fine.”

​She hummed suspiciously, but—for my sake I suspected—played along. “So you’re fine and I shouldn’t worry if I don’t hear from you.”

​“Yes,” I said dragging out the word, fully aware of how ridiculous my request sounded. She probably thought I was with some mystery man.

​“Alright, just be careful, okay?”

​“I promise.”

​“Alright. Love you.”

​I closed my eyes briefly, gripping the receiver a little tighter.

​“Love you too.”

​At the sound of the receiver hanging up I let my head fall against the dial and exhaled. She probably thought I was going insane, but at least I got to hear her voice and know that she was okay. And at least now, hopefully, she wouldn’t be too worried when she couldn’t get a hold of me.

​I knew I was avoiding the inevitable, but what was I supposed to do?

​Our relationship would never be the same, but I wasn’t ready to let go of her yet.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Davien

MY KNEE BOUNCED up and down as I sat hunched over the small table, in our latest new location. The scattered files Marlette had sent in front of me did little to settle the unease building beneath my skin.

There’d been a murder by the thing we’d been hunting suspiciously close to where we had stayed our first week together. Far too close to be a coincidence and now I was worried that that thing appearing was somehow linked to Ailsa.

I dragged a hand over my mouth, eyes scanning the details again, slower this time. The same signs. The same absence where there should have been something. It was like this thing erased all signs of everything just with its presence.

​My fingers tapped against the page before I reached for the next file, flipping it open with a quiet snap.

​I leaned back slightly, dragging my gaze over the photographs again, forcing myself to look past the obvious.

​But all I got was nothing.

​Abso-fucking-lutely nothing.

​There was so much inconsistency, but at the same time it was untraceable.

​It didn’t make sense.

​It didn’t follow the rules, and with that thought at the forefront of my mind, my gaze flicked across the room.

​To her.