AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shook his head but could not get this woman out of his mind. She was beginning to consume him, and he wasn’t sure if he could confidently say it was all work. There was something magnetic about her, and it wasn’t just her beauty. Diaz saw it too; that’s why Anna White was the only woman ever listed as a girlfriend. Diaz didn’t keep female company. Jackson was sure plenty of women had come and gone, but Anna was the only one who’d held his interest.
He thought about their earlier interaction in the grocery store. She had a genuine playfulness about her, yet she was also tough and fierce—and if she was doing what Jackson thought she was doing, she had nerves of steel.
Why, Anna? Why risk your life? It won’t bring Olivia back.
If Diaz ever discovered her motive, it wouldn’t be a quick death. He would torture her in ways Jackson couldn’t even fathom. Anna had to know that. She had to know the risks she was taking.
So he asked himself the same question again, because no matter what she did, if this was about Olivia, it wasn’t going to bring her back.
Would the risk be worth it?
ANNA
Anna tiptoed down the hallway, following the sound of Diaz’s voice. A slice of light beamed underneath her office door.
What was he doing in her office at three in the morning?
Whatever it was, she was grateful she was in her own house, because there was no sneaking around in Diaz’s house—he had cameras everywhere and floor tiles that seemed to be designed to echo. Every footstep taken in that house could be heard.
But in hers? It was the opposite; not by design, but by fate. Anna hadn’t done a thing to this house since she’d bought it, and there were only a few cameras, some in typical places you’d expect like by the doors for security, but a few hidden around the house so she could make sure Diaz was never in her house doing something he shouldn’t be doing.
If he caught onto her scheme, she’d need as much time as possible to get away; even then, she didn’t like her chances. And where would she go? She’d be on the run for the rest of her life.
Anna stopped at the door, holding her breath as she listened for a moment.
“Good. Make sure she never resurfaces. Is the setup ready for the Feds? Make sure there are enough explosives in there to light up this city. Let me know when you’re ready to go... A few weeks is fine. It’ll give us more time to plan.”
The skin on the back of her neck tingled. Explosives? Where? She thought of Jackson, of that confident-but-not-arrogant smirk he gave. Was he about to walk into something that was going to get him killed?
She shook her head. She couldn’t worry about him—she needed to worry about her own life, because she could be in as much danger as he was without even knowing it.
Make sure she never resurfaces.
Was Diaz talking about her? She swallowed the lump in her throat, unable to breathe. She put a hand on the wall to steady herself.
Or maybe he was talking about Olivia?
Where are you, Olivia?
Olivia had been missing for almost three years now, and while Anna had long ago lost hope that she’d find her alive, she was still determined to find Olivia’s body and lay her to rest next to their mother.
When Anna hadn’t heard from Olivia the day she’d gone missing, she’d known something was wrong. She’d routinely spoken to Olivia multiple times per day. They say twins have a bond, but Anna had felt the same thing with her sister. She’d always had an instinct for Olivia—if she was hurting, Anna had known it. If she was sad or struggling, Anna had known it.
Anna had awoken that morning sick with unease. She’d called Olivia, but the phone had rung out. She’d tried to push the feelings aside and focus on the exam she had later that day. She put it down to nerves and blocked it from her mind.
But once the exam was done, the feelings lingered, and she still hadn’t heard from Olivia.
She went straight to Olivia’s house from the university. From the outside, everything looked fine, and when she didn’t answer the door, Anna had let herself in.
The second she stepped inside she feared the worst. The house was cold, freezing. Goosebumps had spread over her skin. She went to turn the air-conditioning off, but when she pressed the panel, it wasn’t on. She checked the windows, but they were closed. Though it had been autumn and cool outside, it hadn’t matched the chill in Olivia’s apartment.
Anna had called out her name, but there was no response.
As she’d walked through the house, everything looked in place, but nothingfeltin place. The house was tidy. No sign of a struggle. Olivia’s bed was made, her clothes put away, her bathroom clean.
The longer Anna had spent in her apartment, the more anxious she’d felt. Her stomach swirled, her throat tightened, and by the time she’d left she could barely breathe.
Anna had called the police, but she had little to give them other than her sister was missing.
