Page 128 of Can You Take It?

I exchange a glance with Luna. Our eyes confirm the suspicion between us: Victor was involved in Ava’s disappearance. Why would a father not put in the effort to find his daughter? The letter was too convenient, and it raises too many red flags.

Victor’s insistence that Ava ran away and his reluctance to keep searching point to something darker. Maybe Ava was never far from home. If Mrs. Montclair was out getting groceries, it wouldn’t give him a lot of time to get Ava out of the house without drawing attention.

“Mrs. Montclair,” I say carefully, “do you mind if I take a look around your house? Maybe there’s something that was missed before.”

I know this isn’t legal or formal in any way, but I don’t give a fuck. If Victor has Izel, I’ll cross any legal boundaries. I used to be the kind of man who followed the law. Now? I write my own,and they’re written in the blood of anyone who tries to take my girl from me.

She looks taken aback but nods slowly. “I suppose so, but I don’t know what good it will do now.”

We follow Mrs. Montclair back to her house. I start in Ava’s old room. It’s been preserved like a shrine. Everything is in its place as if she might walk back in any moment.

I check the obvious places first—closets, under the bed, drawers. Nothing jumps out at me. I move to the window, examining the locks. My frustration mounts. There has to be something.

“Anything?” Luna asks, checking the closet.

“Not yet. But I can’t shake the feeling we’re missing something obvious.”

I turn my attention to the walls, running my fingers along the seams of the wallpaper. One corner feels different, a slight bulge. I peel it back gently, revealing a small hidden compartment.

Inside, I find a collection of letters and some other random teenage stuff—notes from friends, ticket stubs, little trinkets. But the letters catch my eye. They detail how much Ava’s father wanted to control her. He wasn’t particularly happy about her relationship with Will.

As I read through them, something falls out. Two bus tickets to Virginia, dated the day Ava disappeared. Ava and Will were planning to run away, but they never made it.

But how is that possible? Theydidmake it. It's the only way all of this adds up. He and Ava didn’t just disappear off the grid. They found themselves in a cult. Maybe they got sucked in with promises of freedom or salvation—something that seemed like an escape from the tight grip Ava’s father had on her. Ava had the twins there, in secret. Will fathered the girls, but they never got the chance to live a normal life. Isla and Izel wereborn into this. That’s why the birth certificates were buried, why everything was hidden.

“Rick, over here,” Luna calls out, breaking my train of thought. She’s pointing at a loose floorboard.

I cross the room and kneel beside her. The board creaks as I force it open, revealing another stash of documents. As I sift through the papers, a chill runs down my spine—what I see shocks me to the core.

Chapter 34

IZEL

“I only wanted you to keep our mom safe,”Isla’s voice whispers, floating through the mist like it’s part of the air itself.

I turn, searching for her face, but there’s nothing. “I will, Isla,” I whisper back. “I promise.”

“It's been a decade, Izel.” Her tone isn’t accusing, but it cuts just the same. It’s a reminder of a promise I made. “I expected you to keep the promise you made me.”

“I will get her out alive today,” I say, louder this time, hoping she can hear the conviction in my voice. Hoping she believes me.

“Izel! Izel, please wake up!”

I can feel hands on my face, gently slapping my cheeks, trying to bring me back.

“Mom?” I croak out.

She looks like a ghost. Her once vibrant hair is now gray and thin, her face gaunt and hollow with deep-set eyes. Her skin is so pale and almost translucent, stretched tightly over her bones. She’s been held captive for three decades, and it shows. Shelooks fragile, like she might break at any moment, but her eyes are still the same, filled with love and relief.

“Izel,” she whispers. “I can’t believe it’s you.”

I collapse into her arms. She holds me just as tightly, her bony fingers digging into my back as if she’s afraid to let go. I can feel her ribs through her thin clothing, and it breaks my heart to see her like this.

“I’m here, Mom,” I choke out. “I’m here.”

She strokes my hair “I never thought I’d see you again,” she says, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I thought... I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“Well, isn’t this touching,” Victor sneers from somewhere. “Mother and daughter, reunited at last. How heartwarming.”

---