Page 72 of Bravo

I don’t interrupt to ask questions. I just let her speak and watch the way her eyes light up when she momentarily forgets that they’re gone.

It makes me even angrier at the ones who stole the light from her. Who murdered the people Kennedy speaks so fondly of.

“My dad was an accountant, but he loved fishing. We’d go out at least once a month. Even after I got into college.”

“What were you going to school for?”

“I wanted to be a veterinarian.”

I feign shock, earning another half-smile from her. “You don’t say?”

She laughs. “I know, I know, it’s a shock. I was going to UC Davis. It’s where I met Olivia. She was studying marine biology.” Her expression falters. “We were like sisters from the moment we met. Or I thought we were.”

Her hand instinctively goes to the USB drive hidden beneath her shirt. Part of me wonders if she hasn’t been afraid to turnit in, not just because of the danger if she chooses to trust the wrong person but also because it’s the last piece of her friend.

“Here you go.” The waitress returns and sets our plates in front of us. “Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thanks,” Kennedy replies. “This looks great, thank you.”

“You’re both very welcome. Just call out if you need anything.” She leaves the table, so I wait for Kennedy to look up.

When she does, I bow my head and fold my hands. “Lord, we thank You for this meal You have provided us. Please let it nourish our bodies and give us the strength we need to get to where we need to go. Amen.”

Kennedy doesn’t say anything, though she starts eating as soon as I’ve finished.

“What is it exactly that you and your brothers do?” she asks after a few minutes of silence. “The town is pretty tight-lipped about it. That or they don’t really know. I thought it might be contract work for the government, but now I’m not so sure.”

“We don’t work for the government, though at times, we’ve worked with them. We run a word-of-mouth search and rescue team. When people can’t be found or things of importance have gone missing, we track them down.”

“Really?” She raises her brows. “I guess that explains how you found me so easily.”

“I’m good at what I do.”

“Hopefully, you’re just as good at staying hidden as you are at doing the finding.”

I offer her what I hope is an encouraging smile. “The problem with hiding is that everything is eventually found. I’m not entirely sure what we’re up against here, but once I am, I’ll be better able to predict their moves.”

It’s nearlyten at night before Eljah is texting me to let me know he and Jaxson are standing outside the door. I check the peephole then pull open the door to a former Army Ranger and his former Marine coworker.

“It’s good to see you again,” Elijah greets as he shakes my hand.

“You too. Both of you,” I say, releasing his hand and taking Jaxson’s. “This is Kennedy Smith.”

“Good to meet you, Kennedy,” Jaxson offers.

We shut the door and click the lock behind us.

“You both too.” She’s sitting on the far bed with Bravo curled up beside her. It’s where he’s been since we got into this room. She’s more relaxed when she’s petting him, and I believe he can feel it too. Makes me love him even more.

“All right. Let’s see what we can do.” Elijah sets a laptop down on the table then holds his hand out for the thumb drive.

Kennedy stands and crosses over but hesitates before offering it to him.

“I’ll give it back. Promise,” he says, keeping his tone kind.

“Sorry. I’ve just been holding it for so long now it feels like a part of me.”

“I get that.” He smiles and takes the thumb drive then plugs it into his computer. After a few seconds, a completely black screen pops up with a passcode entry.

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