Page 69 of Safe Haven

“We have his full support.” He agreed that since we now have Butch helping us navigate the hierarchy, Trevor’s existence is pointless. I also got the feeling Intel was able to scrape a good amount of data from what Audrey gave them, nullifying the need for Trevor to continue breathing even more.

Luca taps one finger against the wheel, looking as restless as I feel. “When I talked to him earlier, he mentioned sending Zeke and a few more guys here tomorrow since it doesn’t seem like this is going to be as simple as we thought.”

I huff out a laugh. “This has never been as simple as we thought.” It got complicated before I even parked my fucking car and has only gone downhill since. “But to be fair, nothing’s ever as simple as we think it’s going to be.”

Luca laughs, a little of his upbeat personality coming through the gloom he brought for the ride. “Isn’t that the fucking truth.”

We turn into the subdivision where Trevor lives. The same subdivision I rescued Audrey from less than a year ago. The houses are just as nice as I remember. Big and new andexpensive, with flashy cars in the driveway and meticulously manicured lawns.

“Nice neighborhood.” Luca glances my way, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth. “I almost feel bad we’re about to lower their property value.”

“I’m sure they’ll be just fine.” I grin. “And it only lowers their property value if people know what happened.” I shake my head. “I don’t plan on leaving evidence behind.”

I’ll drive Trevor’s dead body all the way to Alaska if that’s what it takes to make it disappear. I don’t care. All that matters is erasing him from Audrey’s life.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Luca slows as we near the address he plugged into the GPS. His brows pinch together as he scans our destination. “Looks pretty dark in there.”

My hopes for finding Trevor and eliminating him tonight sink. “Let’s go in and see what we can find. If we’re lucky, he’s just in bed.” I doubt it, but anything’s possible.

Maybe not plausible though. Even at night, most houses have some sort of light inside. Appliances glowing. Nightlights illuminating hallways and bathrooms. Televisions left on. Something.

Trevor’s house is pitch black. It makes me think we might not be the first to pay him a visit.

Luca must be thinking the same thing, because he drives past. “Let’s park somewhere else and come in on foot.”

A few minutes later, our car is stashed in an area where it won’t be conspicuous, and we’re closing in on the backside of Trevor’shome. Like the front, it’s completely dark. Not a single sign of any sort of light permeates the blinds or curtains.

Instead of going for a door or window, I make a path along the perimeter. What I’m looking for is in a similar spot on most homes, so I find it relatively easily. The unchanging electric meter attached to the brick at the back corner of the house confirms my suspicions. “Looks like someone cut the power.”

“For the record, I’m not cleaning up anyone else’s mess, so if we get in there and he’s already been taken care of, we’re leaving his fucking ass.” Luca wrinkles his nose. “God I hope it’s fresh.”

I wince, my stomach turning at the thought. “If I don’t get to kill him, I sure as fuck don’t want to have to smell his stink.” I want Trevor dead, but I’d prefer for it to occur under certain parameters, and none of them involve me dealing with decomposition.

“I’ll go first just in case.” This is my plan. My job. If anyone has to get a whiff of dead Trevor, it should probably be me.

Luca falls in behind me as I make my way across the backside of the large home, testing windows and doors as I go. I reach what seems to be a breakfast room, and the side sash of the bay window slides open. It’s not a huge opening, but there’s enough room for me to squeeze through.

I’m just gripping the sill, intending to heft myself up, when Luca gives me a light whistle, dragging my attention where he’s moved a few feet away. His white teeth flash in the moonlight as he grins at me. “I’m gonna use the door.” He disappears through the opening, and I roll my eyes.

“Smart ass.” After sliding the window back into place, I join him, silently closing the door behind me. “I didn’t know you wanted to check every possible entry point before we picked one.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to try to squeeze your ass through the tiniest fucking window on the place.” Luca scans the room around us. “This isn’t looking promising, man.” He inhales. “On the plus side, it doesn’t smell like days-old death in here, so if Trevor’s inside, it’s recent.”

I blink a few times, adjusting to the extra-dark interior of the home. Once my eyes find their focus, I see what Luca’s talking about.

The place is trashed, likely ransacked by the same people who cut the power. “Seems like whoever was here came looking for something.”

“Seems like.” Luca walks deeper into the home, peering from room to room. “Wonder what they were after.”

I shake my head. “Audrey said there was some incriminating stuff on Trevor’s personal computer, so maybe whoever’s involved found out about it and didn’t want it to be used against them.”

It’s possible the collection of evidence was there because Trevor realized they were planning to use him as their scapegoat and was trying to cover his ass in case he was arrested. People doing bad things don’t love finding out someone plans to throw them under the bus to save their own skin. And they hate being beat at their own game. If that’s the case, Trevor might never be seen or heard from again.

Which means I won’t get to kill him.

And Audrey’s beloved dog might be gone for good.

But I’m not giving up yet. “Let’s check the whole house. Make sure Trevor’s not here and see if we can find anything that might tell us who has him or if he left of his own free will before someone came in and tore the place apart.” I lean to peer down the hall leading from the kitchen. "And keep a lookout for anything related to a dog.”

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