Page 92 of The Lies We Tell Ourselves

I turned my gaze onto Daire. “What do you know? Have you found him?”

“Not yet, but we found two people with gunshot wounds.” He tapped on his phone before flashing it in front of my eyes. “Can you identify them?”

“Where were they found?”

“Outside the back of the exhibition center. The female had a GSW to her stomach, and the male had one to the shoulder. They’re being transported to the hospital with a police escort. We can’t interview them until they’re out of surgery, so we won’t know if they were involved until then.”

I held out my hand for Daire’s phone. If I could identify them, maybe I would be able to offer something useful. “Oh you stupid little bitch.” I pointed to the screen. “This is Elise Estrada. Her father is a senator.” I flicked to the next person. “This fucker is Chad Prescott.”

“Thank you. Do they have anything against Jamie or anyone he might know?”

Buchanan’s snort cut though the shitty small talk. “Elise is obsessed with Dillon and is pissed that he turned her down. Chad is a spoiled little shit. He’ll do anything for cash, and he hates Dillon.” shit is always up for making cheap cash and he hates Dillon.”

“Why does he hate you?”

I slipped my hands into my pockets to hide how badly they were shaking and rocked on the balls of my feet. “Jealousy. He wanted to be varsity captain, and I got it. Not much more to the prick, honestly.”

“Okay, thanks.” He stepped away and made a quick phone call, speaking too low for me to make out what he was saying. With him distracted, I made my way over to Jamie’s bed and collapsed on it. I pulled his pillow to my face and inhaled deeply. I missed him so fucking much. My raw eyes burned, but it didn’t stop a fresh wave of tears from spilling down my cheeks. I felt weak and useless, and I hated it. I was supposed to protect him.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I yanked it out, pulling out the photos and note along with it.

“Daire!” I barked. His head shot up, his sharp eyes pinned on me as I waved them at him.

“What are they?” he inquired as he covered the mic on his phone and strode toward me. “Shit! Chief, I’ve gotta go. I’ll update you in an hour.”

“We found these backstage after a redheaded woman told me Jamie wanted me.” Acid filled my mouth as I looked at the images again. I felt violated. They were only grainy photos taken from a distance, but they made what had been an amazing night feel dirty.

Daire sat next to me on the bed and expelled a breath. He pulled out a notepad and pen. I tried to smother my snort but failed, and he smirked right back at me as he clicked his pen. “I need all the details as concisely as you can. Alright?” I nodded and recounted everything I could remember, even the description of the girl.

“Oh, that’s Kaileigh Waters. She’s in my dance class.” Ava sobbed. “I think I have her phone number, and I can tell you where her off-campus apartment is.”

“Excellent…?”

“Oh, uh, Ava, sir.” Her red-rimmed eyes looked like fresh blood. She licked her lips and nodded as Constantine walked over and crouched down in front of her. They talked in hushed tones while Daire went over the photos and the note.

Daire sighed. With his elbows braced on his knees his head hung low between his shoulders, defeat radiated off him. “These don’t make sense,” he said as he spread the Polaroids out on the floor by his feet.

“What do you mean?”

“These don’t feel like the first ones. They’re too violent and threatening.”

A memory surged forward in my mind, propelling me onto my feet and into Jamie’s closet. I searched around, moving clothes, boots, and boxes. “I know it’s in here somewhere. Come on, Jamie. Come on.” I kicked a large cardboard box and the side split, revealing another box inside. “Fuck! Yes!” I crawled on my hands and knees and ripped the bigger box open and pulled out a wooden box with a mother-of-pearl inlay. It was one Selene had given him years ago.

“What have you got there, kid?” Daire sounded worn down, like hope was slipping away from him.

“Um, when Jamie and I were younger, we’d write each other little notes. He always kept his, said he was like a dragon and they were his treasure. So I thought maybe… if he’s had other photos like you’ve hinted at, they might be in here.”

“That’s great kid, thanks.” The shrill ring of his phone needled, making it feel like my eardrums were bleeding. I scrubbed my damp hands on my pants, my eyes tracking Daire as his body tensed. I slipped off the bed as shadowed his footsteps so I was close enough to hear what he was saying. “Left… Bean There? I want two teams combing that whole…”

“Buchanan!” I grabbed his shoulder and shook him. “Let’s go. I think I know where he is.” A wicked grin carved across his face.

“Let’s go.” He extracted himself from Mal and Ava and trailed behind me as we slipped from the room without anyone noticing us. We turned in the opposite direction of the crowd and headed to the fire escape. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“I’m sure you can work it out,” I said as we raced down the stairs, glancing up periodically to make sure no one was following us. “If the car’s been abandoned by Bean There, where would he go that’s far enough removed from everything?”

“Shit. Jerry’s storage shed?” I snapped my fingers, just catching B’s grin as we stepped out into the dark night. Silence enveloped us, broken only by our labored breaths and the calming pitter-patter of raindrops splattering on the ground around us.

We broke into a run, weaving through the trees, using them for cover in case any of Daire’s men spotted us. We made it to the sports fields without encountering anyone. It seemed way too easy, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sweat poured down my face, intermingling with the rain drops. I’d lost my jacket at some point, but I didn’t care as I unbuttoned and rolled up my sleeves. I cracked my neck, rolled my shoulders, and flexed my fingers.

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