Page 12 of Wicked Heirs


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Me:Erin had an idea that might help us find her. I’ll tell you more about it once we have it all figured out.

I slipped my phone back in my pocket and looked over at Erin. She turned her phone screen to face me. “Adam told me to come over. This is his address.”

“He lives in Crown Point?” I asked, brows lifting. “I thought he’d be away at college somewhere.”

“He got offers from all the Ivies when he graduated. MIT and Caltech too. But he rejected all of them,” Erin said. “He’s trying to do his own version of that self-made college dropout thing that so many famous tech people do. Like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.”

“Right.” I turned the car back on and swung a U-turn. “He doesn’t mind seeing us this late?”

“No. He’s just like that Remy guy. Chronically-online and nocturnal, or whatever you said.”

Ten minutes later, we arrived at Adam’s place. He lived in a swanky apartment overlooking the coast on the north side of Crown Point. When he opened the door, I realized I actually recognized him. I’d never spoken to him before, but I remembered seeing him around school in the past. He was tall and rake-thin with pale skin, dark hair, and wire-rimmed glasses.

“Wow,” Erin said, casting her gaze around the open-plan living room and kitchen. “This is all yours?”

Adam grinned and nodded. “Sold a little program to Google six months ago and used the proceeds to buy it. No help from my parents. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s great.” Erin smiled back at him. “I always told you being a massive geek would pay off for you.”

“I’m sure it will for you too,” he said, eyes twinkling as he stared at her. “Anyway, what can I do for you? You said you were having some sort of emergency.”

“Yes. We really,reallyneed to track someone down,” Erin replied. “As soon as possible.”

Adam’s brows rose. “Who?”

“Do you remember the Dirt app?”

“Yup.” Adam rolled his eyes. “I never downloaded it, but I remember all the havoc it caused in certain circles at school.”

“We need to figure out the creator’s identity. I’d tell you why, but it’s a very long story,” Erin said. “Anyway, we figured you’d be able to help, seeing as you’re an uber-genius when it comes to this kind of stuff. And we’re willing to pay, obviously.”

“You don’t have to give me a cent,” Adam replied, flashing another grin at Erin. “I love doing this kind of stuff.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Anything for an old friend.” Adam dipped his chin toward the gray sectional in the living area. “It might take a while, so you two can go and sit down if you want.”

We stepped over to the couch as Adam headed down the hallway on our right, presumably to his home office. Erin picked up a cushion and hugged it to her chest, eyes focused on the picture window on the other side of the room. I leaned back and looked over at her, brows furrowing.

“You know, you always talk about how you think you’re a nobody and a loser, but you’re hooking up with one of the most popular guys in school, and this Adam guy is obviously still into you as well,” I said, cocking my head. “I think you’re actually doing pretty well for yourself.”

I meant it as a compliment, but Erin looked stricken.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to offend you,” I said hurriedly. “I was just saying you aren’t a nobody at all. You’re cool.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t say anything wrong.” Erin shook her head, one hand rubbing under her eyes. “It’s just… that’s exactly the sort of thing Kinsey would say if she were here right now. She’s always gassing me up and trying to make me feel good about myself. That’s why she’s my best friend.” She paused and inhaled deeply, hands twisting on her lap. “I keep worrying I’ll never see her again.”

A hard lump formed in my throat. I knew her fear intimately, because I felt it myself. I knew I couldn’t allow it to get to me, though. I had to believe we’d find Kinsey one way or another.

I steeled my jaw and leaned over to pat Erin on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her.”

“But she could be anywhere,” she replied, voice trembling. “Anyone could’ve taken her.”

“We need to stay positive,” I said. “This idea of yours about finding RXorcist is a good one. I really think it’ll help us find Kinsey.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Definitely. Someone is bound to have seen or heard something related to Kinsey tonight. They might not have realized it was important at the time, but when they see the post on Dirt about her being missing, they’ll say something.”

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