Page 188 of Ruin My Life
“What flavour?” I ask, not missing a beat. “Original or vanilla?”
“Peppermint.”
Relief pours through me like ice water. That’s the right answer to our security code.
“Hey, Lee. Everything good where you are?”
“That depends on your definition of good,” Lee mutters. “I’m fine—still outside the city, still breathing. But we’ve got a problem.”
My grip on Brie tightens slightly.
“One of ours? The Songbirds?”
“No,” Lee says. “The Songbirds have actually been quiet the last few days. Too quiet. The others are fine, as far as I can tell.”
“Then what is it?”
“There’s something I think you need to see. Do you have access to a computer?”
I lean over, open the drawer beside the bed, and pull out the old laptop I keep stashed here. I ripped out the Wi-Fi antenna years ago—it only connects via hardline, making it significantly less traceable
I perch it on my knee beside Brie and plug in the Ethernet cable from the drawer.
“Okay. Got it. What am I looking for?”
“I sent you a news article from yesterday,” Lee says. “Through King’s server.”
Good. That means it’s secure. Our internal server is heavily encrypted—nearly impossible to trace unless someone has access on the inside.
I open the file.
One look at the headline and my stomach drops like a stone.
A woman was found murdered just outside my apartment building. Beaten. Left in a dumpster.
Just like Isabella.
“What the fuck…” I mutter, cold fury setting in as I scan the words.
Beside me, Brie goes still. Her eyes skim the article, and her breath catches.
“Damon…” she whispers, her voice tight with realization.
She sees it too. The timing. The method. The message.
This wasn’t random.
This is personal.
There are only three groups of people in the world who knowexactlyhow Isabella died—my inner circle, the Songbirds, and Brie.
It has to be the Songbirds.
This is their response to Xander’s death. A retaliation. A message carved in blood and left in plain sight.
But it’s more than that.
It’s not just a murder. It’s areplication.
