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“Yeah,” I sigh. “But the moment we got home, she returned to her robotic self. Sometimes I wish I’d never seen the nice side of her, because it makes me think about what-ifs, and that doesn’t do any good. So, I’m not going to do that with you guys. I’m not going to spend weeks wondering about what would’ve happened if you’d brought me in on the plan. And part of me understands why—how dangerous knowing the truth would be. And I know you guys were trying to protect me.” As thoughts of Levi creep into the shadows of my mind, I shove them away. “But, anyway, let’s get unpacked.” I move to set the snow globe on my nightstand, reaching under to wind it up. “I’ll turn on some music while we do,” I joke as my fingers brush the knob underneath the stand.
Blaise smiles amusedly as he picks up a box on the floor.
As my fingers brush the knob, I pause. “What the hell?” I peer underneath the snow globe and find a key and flash drive taped to the bottom.
Blaise moves over to me. “What is it?”
I show him what I found. “I didn’t put these there.”
His brows furrow as he takes the key and flash drive from me. “Do you have your computer? We can see what’s on the flash drive.”
Nodding, I collect my laptop from the dresser and hand it to him. He sets it down on a desk, slips the flash drive in, and taps a few keys. “It’s passcode protected,” he mumbles as he shakes his head. He clicks a few more keys before saying, “I can probably crack it, but it’ll take a while.”
A chill slithers up my spine, a silent warning that something isn’t right. “What do you think is on it?”
“I have no idea,” he replies as he leans over the computer, the glow of the screen reflecting against the worry in his eyes. “But …” He trails off as his phone beeps. He fishes it out of his pocket, reads the message, and if it’s even possible, his worry magnifies. “Holy shit.”
I step beside him. “What is it?”
He meets my gaze. “It’s your mother. She’s … she’s gone missing.”
My heart slams against my chest. “What? How? She has bodyguards.”
“I know. It doesn’t make any sense unless someone within the families did it.” His gaze returns to the computer. “Who had access to your belongings?”
I shrug. “My mom said she was having movers do it, but I never saw them.”
He wavers, chewing on his bottom lip. “I think we need to get onto this flash drive as soon as possible.”
“You think it has something to do with her disappearance?”
“I’m not sure, but it’d be oddly coincidental if you found a random key and flash drive taped to a snow globe your mother gave you during the one happy vacation you guys had together. And then she disappears.”
He’s right. My mother had been acting strange for days.
I stare down at the key in my hand.Just what are you hiding, Mother?
And what do those secrets have to do with me?
