Page 280 of Secret Shifters Next Door

“Is it bad?”

Tate was silent for a moment before answering. “Well, it’s not good. I’ll let you guys decide how bad it is when you see it. See you soon.” The line went silent, and I pulled the phone from my ear to see that Tate had ended the call.

I stumbled out of bed, my anxiety at an all-time high. Tate wouldn’t call us in the middle of the night unless it was important. The call should have terrified me, but it was a nice change of pace. It was the first time I’d felt anything other than apathy for a week.

I pulled on a T-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers before I grabbed my jacket and keys. Outside, I kept my eyes down as I got into my car, not letting myself glance at Ava’s place lest I get distracted.

By the time I pulled up at the office, Miles and Tate were already here. A pair of headlights shone through my back window. Steff was right behind me. I parked and got out at the same time as he did.

Steff looked at me over the top of his truck’s hood. “Not good,” he said, shaking his head.

I sighed. “No shit. When is an emergency three am meeting ever good?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Tate sounded worried. If he’s freaked out, we all should be.”

Miles, Jared, and Tate were in the conference room. Miles was starting the coffee maker as we entered. Jared was sitting in a chair at the back of the room, and Tate was focused on the laptop in front of him.

“Wanna tell me why I’m not snuggled up next to April under my blankets right now?” Steff muttered.

Tate gave him a strained look and nodded toward the big screen on the wall. “I’ll show you.” He plugged his laptop into the screen and brought up a saved video. “This was on the eleven o’clock news tonight. I didn’t see it live, but I couldn’t sleep. When I checked my email, Antonio had sent this.”

The five of us exchanged a look before Miles gestured toward the laptop. “Well, let’s see it.”

Tate hit play and the screen on the wall showed a woman addressing the camera. “Good evening. Tonight, we have a special guest. Billionaire businessman Antonio Lowry. As some of you may have heard, Mr. Lowry was the victim of a terrible loss a few weeks ago. His daughter was found dead, and his adopted son has been declared missing. He is here tonight to discuss the loss and help others who’ve lost loved ones find some solace.” The camera panned over to reveal Antonio sitting across the table from her. “Good evening, Mr. Lowry, and welcome.”

Antonio smiled at her with faux sadness. “Thanks for having me, Brittany.”

“I’d like to extend my condolences for your daughter.”

“Thank you. Mariana was…well, she was a gift. A bright, beautiful girl, who was taken from me far too soon.”

“From what I understand, Mr. Lowry, the authorities still have no leads on her death. Is that true?”

“Unfortunately so. The authorities have no suspects. Though, I have my own investigators working on it and we’ve come up with some leads.”

The anchorwoman looked surprised. “You have suspects?”

“Indeed I do.” Antonio glanced at the camera, and I felt a cold chill go through my body. This was all a show. He wasn’t there to talk to this woman. He was speaking directly to us.

“Can you give us some insight into these people? Why did they kill your daughter….and possibly kidnap your son?”

“We aren’t here to discuss specifics, Brittany. If I go into too much detail, it may spook those involved. We’ll leave that to the professionals.”

The anchorwoman looked as though she wanted to pursue the topic, but relented and took a different angle. “Very well. Hopefully your investigators and the authorities will track them down soon. You came here tonight to talk about the loss you suffered, and this platform is here for you to do just that.”

“Thank you, Brittany. What I really want is to address those who’ve lost loved ones. You are not alone. Many of us have suffered similar tragedies. People who’ve lost those they held near and dear have to know that they must keep fighting. Like I have. Each day is a new beginning, a new chance to remember the family and friends they’ve lost. Keep getting up each morning, keep living your life. It’s the best thing we can do to honor their memory.”

“Beautifully said, sir. Now, on the flip side, what do you wish to say, if anything, to those who have perpetrated these crimes?”

Antonio shrugged. “I’d like to tell them they’re nothing but filthy animals. Beasts that have no place on this earth. Abominations that should be eradicated. All they do is run around in the forests and dark places, sowing pain, destruction, and agony wherever they go. These abominations need to know that we will find them. We will bring them to justice, and we will make sure the world is cleansed of them. One way or another.”

Tate hit the pause button on the remote. “All they do for the next few minutes is talk about grief counseling and things like that. This portion was the real message.”

“He was talking to us,” Miles said. “That last bit. Right?”

Tate nodded. “Even sent us the link via email to make sure we got the message. I think this is his way of telling us he’s coming. His organization is about to move in for the final push.”

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