Page 123 of Corpse Roads

Out of them all, he knows exactly what Harlow’s going through. This man has nerves of steel, borne from the darkest of evils that a human can endure.

“Harlow is recovering,” Hunter grinds out.

“From long-term imprisonment, abuse and psychological torture. I know, I’m familiar with it.”

“She wouldn’t hurt herself.”

Jude rests his elbow on the table, unveiling the stump where his left hand should be. “I understand that you care about her. Denial won’t help you.”

“I am not in denial, Jude.”

“Is that why your agents are out there looking for her while you sit here, staring at photographs?”

“Careful.” Hunter’s tone grows frigid. “You may not work for me, but I will still throw you out of this hotel with my bare hands.”

Jude’s mouth turns up with amusement. I think he’d shatter Hunter’s spine with his pinkie finger and not break a sweat.

“Richards sent me her notes,” he continues, unfazed. “Harlow is suffering from dissociative amnesia and severe PTSD. She presents a huge risk to herself.”

“I said she’s recovering. End of discussion.”

“Harlow might not even know that she’s lost. Reality can twist and turn in cases of extreme trauma. Accidents happen.”

“Jude! Enough!” Hunter yells at him. “You think I don’t feel bad enough? Fuck! This happened on my goddamn watch!”

Grabbing his chair, he smashes it to pieces in a silent storm of rage. None of us flinch. With a shout of fury, he braces his hands on the wall and lets his head fall.

“There’s something else.” Leighton frowns at his laced fingers. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Harlow. She’s been… hurting herself.”

“What? Since when?” I cut the silence.

He shrugs. “I don’t know when it started, but I’ve caught her pulling her own hair out several times. She doesn’t even know she’s doing it half of the time.”

Jude raises an eyebrow. “Self-harm can take many forms. We all know that.”

Lips pursed, Brooklyn stands up and dares to approach Hunter. I doubt anyone else would have the courage to right now. She bends down to whisper in his ear, somehow coaxing him to come back to the table.

“Do you think this is a cry for help?” he asks with a sigh.

“People don’t always want to end their lives.” Jude spares his family a quick glance. “They just want the pain to stop.”

“To what end?”

“The world’s a scary place when you’ve been kept from it for so long. I think Harlow may be looking for an out.”

“Is that your professional opinion?” I ask next.

“It’s what I know, Theo. I’ve been where she is.”

Looking back down at my laptop, I churn his words over. Harlow didn’t survive thirteen years of sheer hell to go and do something like that. I’ve seen the determination in her.

“Kade, laptop.” I load my TOR browser to access the dark web. “I want to see every surveillance feed in Devon. Domestic and commercial. She has to be somewhere.”

“You want to use the new AI program?” He grabs his satchel to start unloading. “We’re still awaiting approval from the Ministry of Defence.”

“Do I look like I care about the law right now? The Prime Minister can pull his finger out of his ass another time to get us security clearance.”

He begins setting up cables and screens. “Alright, then. Let’s give this baby a whirl.”

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