Page 79 of When Hearts Awaken

And I’d feel comforted.

Because I wasn’t alone.

Riiiiing.

I startle and quickly take out my phone, my body freezing at the caller ID.

Emerson Clarke

My pulse quickens at the name of my private investigator. I left him a voice message yesterday asking for an update on the case.

Quickly, I answer, “Emerson? Do you have something for me?”

“Someone has taken great pains to hide their trail, Taylor,” he says.

“What do you mean?” I grip my phone tightly.

“The financier I told you about, he was arrested and thrown into prison for embezzlement three years ago, but he was killed in a scuffle shortly afterward. There were no witnesses. The murder was suspicious.”

My breath freezes in my throat.Murder? What?“W-Why do you think he has something to do with that night?”

The silence is heavy and grim.

“What? Just tell me, I can take it.”

“Shit. I didn’t want to tell you this until I could take care of it for you. But…there are photos…photos that came from his phone with a geotag.”

My heart lurches to the floor, and I sway on my feet. “Photos of…”Please don’t tell me, please, I beg you.

“Drunk girls in compromising positions at the hotel lounge you were at that night. It’s bad. I won’t sugarcoat it for you. I’m running facial recognition right now, so that’s taking a while.”

I place my hand on the window, trying not to throw up at the news. “A-Are there p-pictures of…o-of…”

I couldn’t get the words out. But thankfully, Emerson takes pity on me.

“No, I haven’t come across photos of you yet. There’s still a lot to comb through. The photos were found on the dark web and there are places my team hasn’t searched yet, but I want to be transparent with you.” His voice turns urgent, as if he’s upset he isn’t having this discussion in person. “We’re going to get these motherfuckers, okay?”

Closing my eyes, I focus on my breath, my teeth clattering as the hazy memories of that night swallow me whole like a tidal wave. How many of them were there?

When will this nightmare end?

“O-One more thing…were you able to locate Sir Ian?” I whisper, hoping this one memory I have—blond man, blue eyes—this one is false. That there is no reason for the nervousness I feel in his presence.

Because if he’s involved, I won’t be able to continue dancing at ABTC. I will fight like hell to get him arrested, to get the justice I deserve. It’ll be chaos, a dynamite thrown into our circle of friends and family at home.

And Charles, his nephew, the only man who’s ever been able to get close to me…I’ll have to cut ties with him. Because there’s no way he’d choose me over his family.

My pulse pounds rapidly in my ears as a hollow ache spreads inside my chest.

I can get through this. I’m Taylor Peyton-Anderson, take-no-prisoners badass. I can survive this.

“I can’t match the geotags of the photos to his phone yet.” My breath whooshes out, the sudden relief letting me rake in a much needed inhale.

“But his credit card statements and cell phone records show no activity for that night and the days before and after it. Nothing on social media either, so no alibi yet.”

“So we can’t rule him out.” I blow out a deep breath.

Clicking sounds come across the line, like he’s typing. “I’m sorry I don’t have better answers for you.”

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