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“Abby!” Mark hisses as he snaps on the light. “I need your help.”
“Huh?” June squints at the sudden brightness.
Abigail reaches for her robe. “Mark, dear, what’s wrong?”
“I need…” He pauses to control his jumbled thoughts. “Where’s Sue?”
“With Savannah. Why?”
Mark shakes his head. “I need you to go to Cole’s room and wait with Savi. Something happened, and I don’t want her to be alone. I—”
Abigail pulls on her slippers. “What happened? Where’s Keith?”
“I need a meeting. I-I think I found something.” He starts to leave but turns. “Abby, you know better than anyone where Cole might have weapons stashed around his room. Please get rid of them.”
She looks at June, baffled, then nods at Mark.
Mark bangs on the spare bedroom door, yelling out Daniel’s name. Sue answers first, looking exhausted.
“Sue! You need to go see Savi.” Her face drops as she pushes by him and runs down the hall. Mark moves into the room and sees Daniel pulling on a t-shirt. “I need to speak with you now.” Shrieks from Cole’s room make Mark squeeze his eyes shut.
Holy shit, this is out of control.
Mark is busy pulling up the file, while everyone plays catch-up.
“Jesus Christ!” Daniel rubs his head, listening to Keith’s story.
“If Mark hadn’t called…” Keith’s hands drop heavily to his sides. “I-I thought she was all right. She’s been so quiet, I thought she was dealing with all this in her own way. I had no idea she’d go this far.”
“Guys,” Mark interrupts, pointing to the flat screen, “tell me what you see.” He presses play on the DVD from The American. Daniel shoots Mark a nasty look. “I know, believe me, I know, but just watch, please.”
Daniel takes a deep breath and watches his son’s murder all over again, but this time he steps a little closer.
“Wait,” Mark says, and Keith moves next to Daniel.
“Oh my god!” Daniel’s head jerks toward Mark. “There’s no tattoo.”
“Exactly.” Mark nods, freezing the video with the man’s shoulder in view. “That man isn’t Cole.”
Daniel picks up the phone and makes a quick call before returning to the stunned group. “Frank will be here in an hour. Get the guys up. We need to have a meeting.”
“What do you think we should do?” Keith asks.
Daniel folds his arms. “Get the guys prepared. We move out tonight.”
“I’m coming.” Mark’s tone is stern as he removes his sling.
“Yeah, you are.” Daniel nods and looks at John. “Paul can’t come. Have Derek take his place.”
Mark stops mid-step, hating how much his team despises Derek. “Not Keith or Mike?”
Daniel turns to Keith. “Savannah or Cole?”
Keith runs his hand over his forehead. Mark knows he’s close with Savannah, and she trusts him more than anyone in the house, but the idea of bringing back Cole is tempting. “Cole.”
“Okay,” Daniel agrees. “Living room meeting at zero two hundred hours.”
Half an hour later, Mark waits while zoned out, trying to sort his thoughts and mentally prepare for what’s to come. What if they’re too late? What if Cole tried to escape after that video and they had to kill him? Mike sits bouncing his knee and watching Mark pace the living room. Derek sits next to Mike, half asleep. He yawns loudly, making Mike glare at him.
