Page 25 of The Tourist

I sit down at the table, my head in my hands. The image of Serena, looking gaunt and abused, haunts me. Each moment that passes seems like a lifetime. I can't help but feel we're always one step behind. We’re always chasing shadows.

Eaton hangs up the phone and walks over to me.

"We've got a few leads on where they might have taken her. It’s not much, but it’s a start."

I look up at him, the frustration clear in my eyes. "We can't keep doing this, Eaton. We have to find Serena and bring her home. Instead of following false leads, I should be looking after Chloe. She’s not sleeping, and I shouldn’t have left her alone for this."

Eaton raises an eyebrow. "You’ve grown pretty attached to her, haven’t you? Developing feelings, maybe?"

I scowl, shaking my head. "It's not like that. She's been through hell. She needs someone to look after her and be there for her."

"Sure." Eaton says, a knowing look in his eyes. "Just don’t fight it when your head catches up with your heart. Ignoring your feelings wastes too much time. Shelby and I learned that the hard way.”

I ignore his comment. Chloe is my sister’s friend. She’s in this position because of me, and I’m trying to help her. That is all. I can’t afford to develop feelings for her while she needs my support.

So why do I keep thinking about her?

And why is her presence the only thing that calms me down and keeps me grounded?

CHAPTER17

Chloe

The house feels unnaturally quiet as I sit in the living room, trying to distract myself with a book.The Fourth Estate: A History of Newspapersby Jeffrey D. Klausner is a comprehensive account of the evolution of newspapers, tracing their development from the early days of print to their role in contemporary society. I should find it interesting because it relates to my chosen career, but the words keep blurring together, my mind unable to focus.

Anticipation and worry gnaw at me. Diego has been gone for five days now. I didn’t expect the mission to take this long.

The sound of the front door opening jolts me from my thoughts. My heart leaps as I stand up, my book forgotten. Diego steps inside, his shoulders slumped and his eyes haunted. I can tell immediately that something is wrong. I don’t dare think the worst, though. I can’t afford to.

"Diego, what happened?" I question, tentatively approaching him. "Please tell me?" I beg, not wanting to hear his answer but needing to know at the same time.

He looks at me, and the pain in his eyes is almost too much to bear. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out. Instead, he collapses onto the sofa, burying his face in his hands.

Rushing over, I sit beside him and place a comforting hand on his back.

"Diego, talk to me. Please."

He takes a shuddering breath, lifting his head to meet my gaze. "We didn’t find Serena. She was there, but by the time we arrived, she was gone. We missed her by a day. One fucking day!"

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. "What? How?"

Diego shakes his head. "She had been there, but her purchaser took her away the day before we arrived. We were too late."

"Did you find out anything else?"

Diego's face contorts with sorrow and anger. "We were given a photo of her. She appeared to be savagely beaten. The date stamp was from the day before we got there."

I reach out, taking his hand in mine, tears threatening to erupt. “I'm so sorry."

He squeezes my hand, his grip almost painfully tight.

"For the first time, I’m beginning to think we may not find Serena alive. We haven’t got any new leads on where she’s been taken. The man who purchased her has disappeared, and now that he and his associates have demonstrated that Eaton and I are no longer in control, she’s of no value to them."

I can hear the helplessness in his voice. It threatens to consume him.

"You can't think like that, Diego. We have to keep hoping, keep searching."

Diego lets out a bitter laugh. "It's hard to keep hoping when every lead has ended in failure. We have discovered that someone who we thought was an ally has been working against us. He’s been making sure the traffickers are one step ahead of us all the time. We’ll never know how many women we could’ve saved if it wasn’t for his traitorous actions. He was the one who informed Serena’s purchaser we were on the way, giving him sufficient time to disappear with her."

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