Page 14 of Under Her Skin

There’s a beautiful library and music room, but it seems a shame for them to exist in such a vile man’s home. The smell of books and leather is so familiar and inviting that I push into the room before I can think better of it. The room is grand, with high ceilings and dark wood shelves. I’m just thinking that this space has the potential to make my time here more bearable when I see them.

In the back corner of the room, a small group is huddled by the fireplace. I can see the others in the circle, but the one with his back to me seems familiar. He’s tall; his black hair is shorter than it was the last time I saw it.

“Cal?” I gasp, forgetting where I am. The men immediately stop talking and whip toward me. The tall man arches an eyebrow at me.

“I think you have me confused for someone else.” And indeed, I do. This man’s face is warmer than Cal’s, and his eyes are an earthy shade of brown. I nod, beginning to back away. The man takes a step toward me, brows now furrowed.

“Who did you think I was?” he asks. The question feels important. Afraid I’ve given too much of myself away, I turn and flee the room.

14

CAL

A week later, we’re no closer to finding Ava than before. Lucas and Jax have been working to infiltrate a club where Kiel’s circle tends to run with no success. Everyone connected to him is on high alert and they’ve cleared out of the city. They all know how we can make people talk.

Chase brings me food and water like a goddamn mother hen. I’ve been steadily rebuilding my physical strength over the past several days, but I’ve barely slept since leaving the hospital. Whenever I close my eyes, I see Ava strapped to the mattress while she suffers for sins I committed long before we knew each other.

I know I’ll get her back, but I don’t know who that person will be. I barely know myself anymore. I can’t begin to fathom how these last few weeks have altered my girl. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which version of her I have. Ava will always be Ava, and I will help her heal. She didn’t have support after the first man who hurt her, but I’ll be with her for whatever comes next. I just have to find her.

We’ve spent most of our time working at my house. Chase crashes on my couch so often that he eventually just brings over a bag of clothes and toiletries. He didn’t witness Ava’s suffering, but I know it haunts him too. Neither of us sleep. We usually end up at the kitchen island, desperately looking for clues.

Paige lets herself into my house one morning, with coffee in tow. “Courtesy of The Sable House,” she declares, setting them on the island. She looks between the two of us, shaking her head. “You’ve been here all night, haven’t you?” Chase cuts his eyes to her and takes a sip of his drink. She shakes her head again.

“I have news. It’s not much, but it’s something.” I perk up a little at her tone. “I’ve been talking to the girls. I thought I’d see if anyone had a private session with him. He has a pretty memorable face, so I started asking around. Sure enough, he paid Mikayla for a session, and he told her some interesting stuff. He said that he operates a lucrative business, usually out of Europe, but he wanted to see if there was potential in the States. I know it’s not much, but-” Chase cuts her off.

“It at least narrows it down to a continent. That’s better than what we had before. Good work, Paige.” He grabs her hand and gives it a squeeze. I nod and chime in.

“Anything helps. That’s great, P.” She glares but doesn’t correct me. The nickname started when she bombarded me in the hospital. I had initially meant it to mock her, but it’s stuck since. I’ve grown to really like Paige in the last week. I see now why she and Ava are such good friends.

Paige seems tough with her sleek black hair and the tattoos running up her arms and legs, but she’s one of the most caring people I know. I’d bet anything that she feels too much, and I find that entirely too relatable.

“So, what now?” She demands, ready to jump into action. Chase and I consider one another for a moment. Paige snorts. “I love the bromance, really, but if you could clue me in on the silent conversation happening right now, that would be great.” I smile. It’s the first time I’ve felt any sort of amusement in weeks. It dies as fast as it came, but I appreciate Paige for trying to keep things light.

“We have some connections in Europe. Not many, but hopefully they could get us in contact with the people we really need,” Chase explains.

“Which is who?” She asks, prompting me to chime in again.

“If we could get air traffic logs, that would give us a pretty solid starting point.” Paige nods her head slowly and crosses her arms.

“Okay, then write your emails. Make the connections.” She wiggles her fingers at my computer, and I feel a second smile creep onto my face. Chase actually laughs as Paige leans against him. I open my inbox, pausing in confusion.

“Cal?” Chase asks, voice laced with concern.

“What is it?” Paige asks, walking around to my side of the kitchen island.

“It’s a weird email from an unknown address. It just came in.” I frown as I reread the message.

“What does it say?” Chase asks.

“It says, ‘You got a girl?’” I look at Chase, utterly bewildered. He looks as confused as I am. Paige turns the computer toward her. She reads the message again before she starts typing.

“What are you saying?” I don’t try to intercept, mostly because I have no idea what to say. Paige’s reply is only 4 words: Have you seen her?

We all pace around the kitchen in silence as we wait for a response. We only have to wait 10 minutes, but this message is more confusing than the first. There’s no text, only an encrypted file.

“The fuck do we do with this?” Paige demands, clearly exasperated. I point at Chase, who is already on the phone.

“Lucas, are you with Jax? Good, put me on speaker. We have a lead.” Chase walks out of the room. I can hear him explaining the email to his brothers.

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