Page 83 of The Daredevil

“I’m coming back in two weeks, so we should plan on a girls’ night out.”

“Definitely,” said Audri. “I can’t wait to hear about you two.”

“Anything new with you guys?”

“Not really. I’m busy helping a friend throw a big fashion show for charity. I’m photographing a lot of stunning men. Did you know that Forrest models?”

“He does?” Audri asked. “He never mentioned it. But you know how the boys are when we’re all hanging out. They only talk about their video games, food, and sports.”

“Yeah, he was in a photoshoot with a bunch of guys. I was surprised when I saw him. The camera loves him, though.”

“Like how I didn’t know Royce was a doctor. He got his PhD in volcanology and mentioned nothing about that.”

Kiera snorted. “We’re surrounded by a bunch of nerds. Very handsome nerds, though.”

“A brilliant mind is sexy. I love my hot nerd,” Audri said. “Anything else exciting over there?”

“More like dangerous.” I didn’t want to change the energy of the conversation, but I needed to share about Fiona and Brittany with them. Audri and Kiera were like sisters to me.

“What?” Kiera exclaimed, cursing up a storm. I could imagine her eyes narrowed to slits whenever she got protective. “The bitches are just jealous.”

“Be extra careful, though,” Audri said. “A jealous woman can be unpredictable.”

“I am. Royce is making sure I don’t go anywhere without him.”

“I love him more for that,” Audri said.

We continued our conversation for a few more minutes until they had to go. I felt better every time I talked to my girls. Genuine friends were treasures I cherished.

I cleared my head as best as I could and went back to work, trying to finish everything before I returned to Providence. Fiona and Brittany didn’t have my permission to infiltrate my life more than they already had. I’d wasted enough energy on them.

CHAPTERFORTY-ONE

ROYCE

“There’ssomething you should know about what I’ve encountered recently. It ties back to that unfortunate event we witnessed years ago.” I stared at my boys on the computer screen.

Remington, Grayson, Forrest, and Arrow looked at me inquisitively.

“What happened?” Remi asked, raking a hand through his brown hair.

“Dominic Bryson is the police chief for Providence. He was also my high school bully. I believe he’s been sabotaging my excursion sites, even killing someone at the Oregon location.”

“The fuck?!” Grayson exclaimed, looking angry. His black hair seemed shorter than the last time I’d seen him.

Ever since Grayson discovered his uncle had killed his father and betrayed the family, my carefree friend changed. Now, every time I saw Grayson, anger and sadness surrounded him. He used to throw parties at his house, but they stopped when his uncle was imprisoned for kidnapping Audri.

“Do you need our help with anything?” Forrest scratched his beard. “You can’t do much when you’re stuck in Iceland. We can handle things easier on our end.”

“I’m still trying to figure things out. I’ll let you know. We should all be cautious. We don’t know what Dominic is up to. Is he after me because I broke his arm when we fought in high school, or does it have anything to do with his father’s death?”

“We didn’t have anything to do with that.” Arrow adjusted the cap that hid his light brown hair.

“But he doesn’t know that,” Remi added. “The city probably informed him about the bone identification before it was announced publicly.”

“Maybe he found out about our drones?” Grayson wondered.

“It could be anything,” Forrest said. “Though we had nothing to do with Edward Bryson’s death, anyone with a vendetta could frame us. It’ll be an inconvenience for all of us and our families.”

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