Page 77 of Nanny and the Beast

“How can you even tell?” I ask, squinting at the photograph. It could be anyone.

“The tattoo peeking out of his collar,” he says. “And the profile of his face. It’s definitely him.”

“Where was this?” I ask.

“A small village in Eastern Europe.”

“Was he seen again?”

Alaric shakes his head.

“He’s supposed to be a dead man, so he’s in hiding,” he says.

“The fucking coward,” I say. “I can’t believe he’s been alive this whole time.”

“It’s probably to avoid that mountain of debt from his failed businesses,” Alaric says.

“I should never have let Sera marry that loser,” I say. “But she was blinded by love. She thought he was the one.”

There’s a storm brewing in Alaric’s eyes.

“Did you find anything else?” I ask him.

He shakes his head.

“All we know right now is that the motherfucker is still alive,” he says.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” I whisper to Alaric.

He nods. An unspoken understanding passes between the two of us.

Two people were in the car that night. Two bodies were never found.

Something violent builds in my chest.

It feels like I’m going through the emotions of the night all over again. The pain and the rage hit me in full force, knocking the breath right out of my lungs.

I work hard to keep my breathing steady.

“We finally have a lead,” I say.

“I thought it would feel better than this to finally have something,” he says, stealing the words from my mouth.

I nod. “I can’t wait till we get our hands on him.”

“We’ll find him,” Alaric assures me. “It’s only a matter of time.”

“I hope it’s sooner rather than later,” I say. “All this waiting is torture.”

“I promise you that when we do find him, I’ll let you kill him with your own hands,” Alaric says.

I exhale slowly.

I like the thought of that. In fact, I like it a little too much.

“I need to ask you for another favor,” I say.

“Anything,” Alaric replies.

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