Page 47 of Kings & Carnage

Neo grinned. "I'm sure I can think of something.”

I rolled my eyes. "It's only six o’clock. I think I saw a jigsaw puzzle in one of the cupboards. I'll go get it.”

I was halfway down the hall when Neo cut the lights.

My burner phone wasn't fancy enough for a flashlight but I used the dim light on the display to navigate my way to the empty bedroom where I'd seen the puzzle. The winter wind rattled the old windowpanes and I thought I could hear the falls like a deep sigh far below the cliff. For the first time since we'd arrived at Daisy's house, I felt the thrum of fear.

We were completely and utterly alone.

Chapter21

Willa

Two days later we were still studying the binders, daylight waning, the sinking sun casting weak light across the shoddy living room Neo and Oscar had made by carrying in two love seats from the bedrooms.

The sofas were small and cramped, with carved wood legs and stiff backs, but it was nice to have somewhere to sit besides the kitchen and the bedroom. The former was small with only the table and the latter always led to something besides just hanging out.

One of the many things I'd learned about myself over the past few months was that I couldn't to be trusted with the Kings near a bed. Actually, I couldn’t trust myself with the Kings anywhere, but the bed made it way too easy.

"I don't know what we’re even looking for at this point," I said, leaning back against one of the love seats.

My vision was blurry from looking at the information in the binders and I was no closer to figuring anything out than I'd been when I'd left Mrs. Giordana's house with them.

"I don't know either." Oscar's head was still bent to one of the binders, a lock of his dark hair falling over his forehead. I resisted the urge to push it back. I knew how silky it would feel in my fingers but I also knew we'd end up fucking on one of the tiny love seats if I touched him.

If I touched any of them.

And that was the other thing, I was still figuring out how to navigate this relationship-with-three-friends thing.

I knew Neo had a jealous streak in spite of his willingness to share, and I was careful not to play favorites — in the bedroom or out.

"Well, at least now we know that each binder has the information for one of the cabins," Rock said next to me on the floor. "They each have the map that Willa took a picture of the first time she went to Dean Giordana's house, but after that, it really does seem like it's just a bunch of land surveys and financial stuff.”

"I feel like the financial stuff should be making more sense," I said, returning my focus to the binder spread out in front of me. It was for the cabin labeled RAA, and I was looking at a page of what looked like wire transfers from a company of the same name to an escrow company of the previous owner.

I was surprised to feel Neo's hand on the top of my head. He was sitting on the love seat above me, and I could admit I enjoyed leaning against his strong legs a little too much.

He stroked my hair and I couldn't help thinking there was something…affectionatein it?

Ugh. Pathetic.

We’d broken the seal on our physical relationship, and he’d shown he cared through his determination both to see me at the hospital after he’d regained consciousness and to protect me from Roberto’s men.

But there was still a part of him that felt unreachable, and the part of me that was a dumb bitch desperately wanted to break through.

"The names are the key," Neo said. "The numbers will never be anything but numbers, but the names of the cabins have to mean something.”

"Agreed," Oscar said from the other love seat.

Rock looked at Neo. "And you're sure none of these other names mean anything to you? Maybe if we could prove that Roberto owns them all we could get the police to search the woods for the missing girls.”

I'd admitted that I knew Emma was probably dead, but the thought of her buried in an anonymous grave in the woods with the other missing girls still hurt.

"Not a thing," Neo said. "I could do a more thorough search of his known assets if I had access to a computer.”

"Any ETA from Rafe?" Oscar asked.

"Later this week," Neo said. "He estimates we need at least twenty men, probably more like twenty-five, to cover the woods around the house.”

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