Page 15 of Nikoli

"Carlisle and Jessop Hallen can take care of themselves, Willow. Trust me on that." I gently lead her to the Uber that's just pulled up outside of Evergreen.

It doesn't take us long to get to the apartment where Rhodes lives with Rosie, and by this time Willow is on edge. A slight tremor in her hand gives her away. I don't comment. I wonder who the hell her uncle is and how he gets away with murder. It bothers me more than I admitted to Willow. The man obviously has friends in high places, and not just in the local sheriff's office. Not with murder. Willow gives me a cautious look. I smile as we go up in the elevator and pull her close.

Rhodes meets us at the door in sweats and a T-shirt, followed by a yawn. "You must be Willow," he says. "I'm Rhodes, and this is Rosie." The woman in question hugs Rhodes before slipping her arm through Willow's and pulling her into the kitchen.

I raise an eyebrow at Rhodes, who nods into the living room. "We need to do some research on the bastard before we do anything else. See what we can find out about her father's death."

I watch Willow in the kitchen with Rosie and when I catch her eye, I ask, "What's your uncle's name?"

"Marcus Carter." Willow carries two cups as she joins me on the sofa.

Rhodes is already staring at me when I meet his gaze. My heart pounds and blood rushes through my damn ears. Marcus Carter. "It can't be," I whisper.

Willow sets the cups on the coffee table. "You know him?" She asks, her voice shaking.

"Does he have a daughter?" Rhodes asks.

She nods. "Sarah." A brief flinch flashes across her face. "She's not a very nice person." Pause. "You know her?"

"No." Rhodes and I say together. I continue, "After the game in New York, Marcus was there and introduced himself to Rhodes and me." Pause. "We also met Sarah."

Willow raises an eyebrow, so I add, "She's creepy. Not sure she was happy about the two of us leaving."

Rhodes snorts. "He," he points at me, "compared her to a woman from one of the Transformer movies."

"What woman?" Rosie asks.

"The one who tried to kill Witwicky when he was at the university." I shrug. "I hope I don't run into her again."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Willow admits.

"Don't worry about it." I pull her closer and intertwine our fingers. "So how does Wyatt know Carter?"

"He doesn't." Rhodes sits forward. "I asked him about the man. Apparently, Wyatt was put in the position of having to invite him to the party." He looks between Willow and me. "After your call, I spoke to Carlisle, forwarded him the picture. He's going to get someone he knows to try and find where it was taken.”

"So, we wait."

"And research the guy. A lot of shit online." Rhodes turns to Rosie, who nods. "You also have a computer genius at your disposal who also happens to work for one of the best private investigation firms this side of the Mississippi."

Rosie smiles at Rhodes while Willow breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she whispers. "I can't believe you're helping me."

I remove my hand and pull Willow against me, my arm around her waist. I like her close. "We wouldn't have it any other way." I kiss her forehead.

Rosie interrupts. "The note. It was slipped under your bedroom door, and you recognized the voices last night, right?"

Willow nods. "Laura and Isabel."

Rosie grins. "I'm going to call in a favor and ask a colleague, Levi Dodge, to come with me to talk to Laura and Isabel. He can be charming one minute and terrifying the next."

"I need to find my brother. I doubt he'll be at the house since that's the obvious place to look."

"What about a hospital?" I suggest.

"Why would he hide him in a hospital?" Willow frowns.

"Yes!" Rosie sits up and takes the note from Willow's lap. "The note mentions that he's crazy and that they're giving him drugs." Rosie's eyes remain fixed on Willow. "Is there a psychiatric hospital near where you live?"

"Um, there are a couple of hospitals around Baton Rouge, but that doesn't make sense. Wouldn't he want to keep Gabe close and under his control?"

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