Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75288 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“… authorities confirm the vehicle belongs to Brianna Thomas, a close friend of Preston Vaughn’s pregnant fiancée, Kira Parker, who’s been missing—”
I move instinctively, coming up behind Kira and bracing my hands on the back of her chair.
“The car was discovered at the base of a landslide triggered by storms earlier in the season. Officials believe the vehicle went over the cliff days after it was last seen.”
Kira swallows as Atlas kills the volume. “They found it two ridges south of where she crashed,” he says.
When she fled the city, no one knew which direction she went. Now they do. The wreckage site is close enough to our compound to allow the wrong people to narrow a search radius.
Viper is standing off to the side with his arms crossed. He hasn’t looked at Kira once since I came in.
The news anchor’s mouth moves soundlessly as the footage zooms in for closer images of the wrecked car. Kira’s headshot and the tip line number are posted in the top corner.
Then the chyron changes.
MISSING BRIDE’S BEHAVIOR UNDER SCRUTINY
The feed cuts to Vaughn. Red-eyed, unshaven. He’s playing the character of a man holding himself together by sheer will, but I’ve seen better acting in low-budget B-movies.
After a concerned glance at Kira, Atlas turns the volume up to a barely audible level.
“My fiancée was under tremendous stress,” Vaughn says, voice breaking in all the right places. “The pregnancy was unexpected. The pressure was … a lot. We were worried about her mental state even before the wedding.”
One of Kira’s hands balls into a fist as she makes a small, strangled sound. I reach down and rest my hand over hers.
The smug bastard continues. “Dissociation can make people unpredictable. Dangerous, even. Especially when a child is involved.”
I stroke my thumb over Kira’s hand as Atlas moves closer to her.
On the screen, the scene has switched again. A reporter is shoving her microphone into the face of a bewildered-looking young woman, who’s identified as Brianna Thomas. Kira draws in a sharp breath.
“You were close to Kira,” the reporter says in a warm and sympathetic voice. “Her best friend?”
Brianna nods. “Yeah. We’ve known each other since college.”
“And she stole your car the day she disappeared.”
“I wouldn’t say she stole it,” Brianna replies. “She borrowed it. She knew it would be okay with me.”
Viper leaves the room as the reporter is tilting her head and making a sympathetic face. “But she didn’t tell you where she was going?” she asks Brianna, who frowns.
“No, but that doesn’t mean she—”
“So she left suddenly,” the reporter cuts in. “With no explanation.”
Viper reappears carrying a box of tissues. He hands them to Kira without saying anything, and she immediately pulls one out and blots tears from her eyes.
“Kira’s not impulsive,” Brianna is saying. “Something must have scared her.”
The reporter’s smile tightens. “Scared her?”
Brianna’s eyes shift to the side. “Or upset her. The wedding was … a lot. She was under pressure.”
“From the pregnancy?”
“From everything. The wedding, the attention, Preston—”
“Senator Preston Vaughn,” the reporter interjects. “Her fiancé.”
“He can be … intense,” Brianna says.
Kira sniffles and says, “Brianna didn’t like him once she got to know him.”
“Intense how?” the reporter questions.
“He liked things a certain way,” Brianna says. “He controlled her schedule, didn’t want her going out after work …”
Light shines in the reporter’s eyes. “So you noticed changes in Kira’s behavior before her disappearance.”
“I noticed she was stressed. Anyone would be.”
“And emotional?” the reporter prompts.
Brianna exhales. “She was pregnant.”
The reporter’s head bobs sympathetically.
Brianna glances at the camera. “Look, I’ve seen what’s being reported, but Kira’s not dangerous. She wouldn’t hurt herself, and she’d never do anything to hurt her baby.”
“But you don’t know where she is,” the reporter presses. “Or who she might be with?”
Brianna shakes her head. “No, but I know she wouldn’t vanish unless there was a good reason. I hope she’s okay.”
The reporter thanks Brianna for her time, and the screen fills with Kira’s picture and the number for people to call if they have any information about her disappearance.
Kira’s sitting ramrod straight, even as tears slide down her cheeks. “I wish I could contact her to tell her I’m okay.”
I squeeze her hand and rub her shoulder.
“It’s safer for Brianna not to know anything,” Atlas says, and Kira nods.
“I know.”
“I’ll adjust the protocols,” Viper says in a flat, efficient tone. “Vaughn’s team will start triangulating now that the vehicle’s been recovered.”
My hand tightens around Kira’s before I realize it. “You’re not wrong,” I tell Viper, “but you could say it like she’s a person, not a threat assessment.”
His head snaps toward me, his eyes cold. “There it is.”
Kira looks between us, confusion clouds her face, followed by hurt, and my chest gets hot.
“I’m serious,” I tell him. “You’re standing there talking about her like she’s a problem to be managed.”