Page 68 of Fortune's Control
Jack scraped his lower lip against his teeth as Sophie entered the kitchen. “I’ll be back in the morning.” His eyes narrowed as he considered saying more, before leaving without another word.
“That was enjoyable,” Sophie said, and joined me at the sink. “I’ll help you clean up.”
The water pipe’s dull echo sounded, letting me know Lilah had started her shower. She changed clothes for dinner, but put that part off until everyone left for the night.
“We need more groceries.”
“Correction. You need more groceries. I have a little kitchen of my own, and I’ll leave soon.”
“Any plans to return?” My casual question hid how much I wondered. Sophie put long breaks between trips home, and now, with Lilah here and her sudden interest in working with Sam, I hoped that would change.
“I have a job waiting for me.” She tilted her head toward me. “The timing depends on a few things.” Sophie pinched her lips. “I need to tell you something.” She crossed her arms.
I picked up the serious tone and turned off the faucet. “What’s wrong? Did you remember something else about today?”
“It’s not about our new local psycho. It’s Lilah’s grandmother. Lilah said her mother had been kicked out instead of running away. That sounded familiar, butI couldn’t remember for the longest time, and then it hit me in the middle of dinner.”
“What did?” My hope for Lilah grew.
“In high school, I did a local history project for one of my classes.”
“We checked high school yearbooks and found no one with that name.”
“There wouldn’t be. I interviewed some women about how their lives changed here in old Florida. One of them worked at the university in Gainesville and told me about a family member who stole a family heirloom, so she made them leave. She was upset, and I was a teenager, so I ignored the comment and kept going.” Sophie shrugged. “Maybe I should have asked more.”
“Is there anything else you remember?”
“She lived outside of town, closer to Gainesville. I never checked, so she might still be there.”
That would explain why Lainey found so little information. “Do you remember her name?”
“Evelyn Carter.”
23-Lilah
Never underestimate the curative power of a hot shower. The kind that leaves your skin blistered as your muscles dissolve into a relaxed pool of goo. Wilson Skane’s attack, and all the terror it brought with it, faded away. I was safe tonight, and that was enough.
I put on one of Shane’s shirts, stolen from a drawer, and pressed the towel into my hair to absorb some of the excess water.
The deputy took a report and promised to relay it to Detective Davis in Atlanta, but I didn’t see the point. Wilson Skane stole and abandoned a car, leaving no clues to his current whereabouts. The promised ankle monitor failed—even the most well-made electronics break.
I left the steamy bathroom and returned to the guest room. I slept in Shane’s room the past few days, but my belongings stayed there, and I wanted my laptop for another round of research before speaking to Detective Davis in the morning.
All my things were gone. The bureau top was clean, and my suitcase had disappeared.
“That’s strange. Did I throw it all away and forget? Probably. Maybe Detective Davis came and took it for evidence, or maybe a thief is somewhere close.”
Moving it all without asking was a Shane thing to do. I tried his room and found my hair brush and favorite scented lotion on his dresser, as well as my library book beside the bed.
“Where is my laptop?”
“In the window seat.” Shane picked it up to show me. “Your suitcase is in the closet. When I said you could no longer goanywhere alone, I meant it.”
He moved me for safety reasons. That made sense, considering all that happened. If Wilson Skane found me so easily, this house wouldn’t be difficult.
“Where did you come from?” I didn’t hear him on the stairs or see him in the hallway.
He smirked. “Sophie plans to leave soon. I checked her old bedroom to see how much space it has. She doesn’t know it yet, but I decided she won’t stay in the garage apartment any longer.”
