Page 61 of Resolutions

“You're right. I've only been sleeping in fits and starts, always on alert.” I sit up, crossing my legs. “I can't thank you enough for finding me. And bringing me here.”

“Of course I had to find you, your our family.” Her voice carries absolute conviction. “That's what Michael didn't account for. That as long as I was breathing, I would never stop looking for answers. I knew you loved Cameron and all of us. Running away without explanation? That wasn't the Melanie I know.” She reaches up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear, the gesture so achingly familiar it brings tears to my eyes.

I fidget with the blanket, unable to meet her gaze. “Once Michael's locked away, I hope Cameron and I can at least be civil. I don't want to lose everyone again. If they'll even have me back.”

“Once they hear the whole story, they'll understand.” She pauses. “Cameron's always been stubborn, it comes with being the baby of the family. But he'll come around. Remember, though, his best friend caused all of this. It's going to be a lot for him to process.”

“I know. I keep trying to figure out how to tell him, how to explain everything.”

“Do you miss him?” Her question is gentle but direct.

“Every minute of every day.” The words tumble out before I can stop them. “I have to constantly fight to keep my emotions in check. I'm terrified that if I let go, I'll either collapse completely or do something stupid like call him. So many times, I've picked up the phone to call, knowing the minute I do, Michael will knowand horrific things will happen.” Tears spill over and Evelyn wordlessly hands me a tissue. “Cameron's face is the last thing I see every night before I fall asleep.”

“Hold on to those feelings. They'll help you get him back.”

“Thank you for believing in me. I was afraid no one would.”

The phone's sharp ring startles us both. We share a nervous laugh at our jumpiness before Evelyn answers.

“Hello?” She listens intently. “Yes, of course. We'll be right there. No, we're fine, we can manage.” She hangs up and springs to her feet. “The girls found something; Law wants us in the conference room.”

A burst of adrenaline dispels any lingering drowsiness as we hurry down to Law's office. The elevator seems agonizingly slow as Evelyn and I exchange nervous glances. My mind races with possibilities. What could they have found? Is it enough to stop Michael? Or just more breadcrumbs leading nowhere?

We find Law's team gathered in the conference room. Mouse and Keyboard look different now, their playful personas replaced by grim determination. Even their pigtails seem less bouncy as everyone spins to look at us when we burst through the doors.

“Ladies, please sit.” Law gestures to our earlier seats. Once we're settled, he continues, “Mouse and Keyboard have discovered something.”

The twins exchange glances, then look to Law, who nods. Mouse speaks first. “We found a hidden network of servers.”

“This has been like finding a spider web in the dark—the ugly one has talents,” Keyboard interjects. “But we are better.”

“We are. These servers are running dark web sites, very heavily encrypted. But we found a weakness.” Mouse's fingers dance across the keyboard of the conference room computer as we watch what she's doing on the projector's big screen. “See, this Michael thinks he's clever, which he is, but—”

“But he's sloppy and ugly, mostly ugly.” Keyboard finishes. “He leaves digital fingerprints.”

“In English, please,” Evelyn requests.

Sebastian swivels to look at us. “What they're getting at is they found proof linking Michael's alias to an underground network. The same signature appears on sites selling...” He pauses, jaw clenching. “Selling women who we believe are being kept there.”

My stomach lurches. “Emperor Maikeru?”

Both twins nod vigorously. “Got it in one,” Mouse confirms. “That's his dark web handle. So full of himself, this one is. The hidden site is a bugger to break into, but we are working on it. We want to see who the players are. Don't worry, sister,” they both look at me, “we'll find them.”

“We traced huge financial transactions,” Keyboard explains. “Coming from the site. And I mean big—”

“Big, big,” Mouse adds.

Keyboard continues, “These large sums of money in all sorts of denominations are flowing through shell companies—”

“All leading back to properties owned by other shell corporations.”

Both ladies say together, “Every one of which traces back to one Emperor Maikeru. Now, we need to link Michael Thorne.”

Law holds up a hand to stop their rapid-fire exchange. “There's more. One of those properties is a warehouse outside of Whispering Pines. Satellite imagery shows it’s remote, really remote, with only one main road leading in. If you even want to call it a road, I think it’s more a cattle trail.”

“You mean,” I look at the ladies, “you found the warehouse?” The words taste like ash in my mouth. “He said...” I can't finish the sentence.

“We believe that's where he's holding the missing women,” Law confirms quietly.

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