Page 49 of Misguided Vows

I walk through the random cars until I set my sights on one that might meet the description I have, except this one’s been blown out by a fire. I look down and notice the license plates have been removed.

I shine my light on the interior, which doesn’t give too much away except charred seats and smoke damage. I stop at the trunk, and I have a bad feeling as I lean over to pick the lock. It pops open, and I cover my nose from the stench that escapes.

My stomach sinks as I look down at the burned-to-a-crisp body. From what I can tell, it was most likely a woman.

Reluctantly, I blow out a shrill whistle and wait for Thomas to track back to me. I don’t want him to see this. I know the feeling well, and my jaw grinds that I was too late to stop this from happening.

“Did you find something?” Thomas asks, hopeful. Before I can warn him, he looks in the trunk, and his face twists as he speaks his daughter’s name. He drops to his knees as he touches the necklace that hadn’t completely melted.

“My baby girl!” he cries, and I take a step back, cowering into my own memories. Of the woman I’d loved and lost and the powerlessness I felt to protect her. “My girl!” he screams, and I don’t have the heart to tell him to remain quiet. I’d fight off an army for him right now if it’ll give him even a moment to grieve. “Who would do this to you!” He begins to sob.

Whoever abandoned this car tried to leave no loose ends. Had they been smart, they would’ve dumped it into a body of water or at least not been so clumsy with the body. What I do know is that she deserves a better grave than this.

I leave Thomas for the time being and scour the area. I find what I’m looking for—a tarp covering another car. I undo the plastic sheet and return to Thomas, dumping it at his feet.

He stares at it, confused, destroyed, not really here.

“She deserves to be taken home,” I say gently, putting my hand on his shoulder. “She deserves to be properly buried with her family.”

He begins to sob again, crumbling under my hand.

I take a deep breath and hold my nose as I pull the body out of the trunk and then lay it down on the tarp, intending to wrap her up. There’s nothing dignified about this. But it’s the best we can do and the very least she deserves.

Thomas seems in shock as he watches me carry his daughter back to our car. “I told the police, but they didn’t believe me at first. They took too long,” he says angrily from behind me, and I recognize the pure hatred that fuels him now. Because I’d been there. It’s something that still lingers so closely under my own surface. I feel like I’m looking at a reflection of myself.

“I’ll find the person who did this to her. I promise you that much.”

Because everyone should be found and returned to where they belong.

Some lives are just taken too soon.

CHAPTER 27

Alina

Honey invited me to a small gathering for Dawson’s birthday. I considered visiting my mother instead, but with the schedule and changeover of workers on Monday for the shop, I didn’t want to jeopardize anything by being out of town in case something happened at the last minute.

Tonight, I decided to dress up, considering Honey and Dawson are still technically my clients, even though they’re now also my friends. I’ve kept most of my relationships to a professional level, but recently I seem to not have much of a choice. Starting with Maria and then Honey and Rya. But I’ve enjoyed it. I’m wearing a light-blue silk dress with black heels. A small part of me wonders if I’ll see Will tonight, but I doubt it. I don’t like that my mind keeps wondering about what he’s doing and where he is. I insist it’s my own paranoia after he upped and left when I won our bet. And definitely not the fact that I’ve dreamed about his face between my thighs almost every night since.

It’s a cute restaurant that I walk into, and when I tell the hostess who I’m here for, she guides me to a private section with a few faces I recognize.

Honey stands up, waving, wearing a flowing pink dress that emphasizes her stomach. She’s probably the cutest pregnant person I have ever seen. When I spot her, she sits back down, and Dawson’s hand naturally gravitates to her stomach. He’s always touching her, not just her belly; it could be her shoulder, her hand, or even her lower back. It’s cute even though most of the men sitting at this table are deadly and anything but cute.

I met Rya’s husband when I moved into Honey’s old apartment. Crue barely looks my way, and I don’t take it personally. I’ve come to realize he doesn’t curry favor with many people. His gaze is only ever on his wife. With an exception for Dawson and Honey, at times. He’s cold and not overly friendly, but the way he watches Rya is nothing short of uncomfortable because he devours her with his gaze.

I stop short when I see Anya and River. I didn’t expect them tonight, but I keep my composure, hoping there’s no bad blood with regard to the prank Will set me up for. Either way, I got a plane out of it, so it wasn’t all an entirely wasted effort. The Russian beauty is eyeing me as if she wants to chop my head off, but I have the sense she’s more like Crue and chose not to take it personally.

I haven’t seen Anya since that day, and I gathered from that encounter she’s a very powerful woman. I would say she would be someone I aspire to be, but I think I’ll still be afraid of her.

“You can sit beside me,” Honey chirps as she pulls me toward the chair beside her. The chair on the other side of me is empty. And although it’s nice to sit among these powerful people, it’s also a reminder of my single status. Something I’ve never been bothered about before.

“You’ve met everyone, yes?” Honey asks.

I nod with a smile as I eye the table.

“We were in cahoots to get her a plane. Did the little fucker honor your bet?”Anya asks, and I’m caught off guard.

“He did. I sold it.”

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