Page 32 of See How They Hide

“No!” Donovan said. “We’re going to have to leave now, you know that, Riley? Don’t you? We have a life here. You destroy everything you touch. I don’t want to leave!” His voice cracked.

Andrew put a hand on Donovan’s arm to quiet him.

“We need to talk,” Riley said. “It’s important.”

Andrew nodded and Riley brushed past Donovan. The living room was warm and comfortable. Simple, not cluttered. Homey with two love seats, a small television on the wall, a colorful rug on the hardwood floor. The dining room to the left had an old table that sat four and a hutch displaying a collection of mismatched china that was so charming Riley almost cried.

She buried the tears deep in the well. Her eyes burned, but they remained dry.

Deep breath. Be calm. Stay in control. No fear.

She turned to face the two men.

“Jane and Chris were murdered.”

Andrew looked stricken, and Donovan put his hand to his mouth with a gasp.

“How?” Andrew asked.

“They were lured out of their homes and their throats were slit.” Blunt, to the point. Because how else could she tell them? “I don’t know how they were found, how they fell into a trap, but they’re dead. The police called me about Jane.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I didn’t talk to anyone. I wasn’t in the country.”

“Of course you weren’t,” Donovan said in disgust. “You ran far away—”

Again, Andrew silenced his partner with a calming hand.

Riley cleared her throat. “I have an internship at a museum in France. The police left a message and I came as soon as I could. And, um, I went to see Chris, but he’d also been killed. Around the same time as Jane, within days.”

“This is...” Donovan threw up his hands. “This isthe worstthing that could happen. What if they know where we are? We have to go, Andrew! Tonight,right now!”

“We don’t know anything yet,” Andrew said calmly, though the news had obviously shaken him.

“I need to talk to Jesse,” Riley said. “He’s the only one who knows how to reach Thalia.” She didn’t state the obvious:Now that Chris is dead.“I posted on the message board as soon as I heard about Jane, but he hasn’t responded. I tried again yesterday, nothing. I don’t know if his network is down or he’s being cautious or if he’s working on a rescue with Thalia, but I need to talk to him. You know where he lives.”

When Andrew and Donovan were first rescued, Andrew was seriously ill. He almost didn’t make it out of the mountains he was so weak, and they stayed with Jesse for several weeks until Andrew regained his health.

She looked at Andrew, not Donovan.

“Thalia saved your life,” Riley said quietly. “Help me save her.”

He nodded. “I’ll take you.”

“No!” Donovan shouted, fists clenched.

Andrew said to Riley, “Give me a couple minutes, okay?”

She nodded. “I have a rental car. It’s a gray Nissan.”

“We’ll need my truck, it has four-wheel drive. Jesse lives off the beaten path. It’ll take about five hours.”

Donovan looked near tears and Riley felt like shit that she had come here and screwed up their lives. After everything they’d been through, they didn’t deserve it.

What choice did she have? There were more people at risk if she walked away, ignored the murders, didn’t warn Thalia. They knew it, too. While Donovan might be able to turn his back on the people left behind, Andrew couldn’t. Riley had counted on his honor and loyalty.

She stepped onto the front porch, pulling her jacket closed against the cold, and walked to the rental to grab her backpack, then back to Andrew’s truck to wait.

---