One-nighters are out of the question. I won’t let a strange man near me without a raincoat. That would just be stupid.
But Brock…
Is it any safer with him? He’s a womanizer. The man has had a lot of sex, and I’d be willing to bet he never has sex without a condom.
So how does that help me?
Once more, I laugh out loud.
It doesn’t. It doesn’t help me at all.
I toss the ovulation stick into the trash and get off the toilet. This is a stupid idea. It was all a stupid idea.
Back in my bedroom, I check my emails.
Funny that I haven’t looked at them before now, but I gasp when I see that there’s one from Brock.
He checked into the cinema for my recital, and he’s booked it for two weeks from now—the week before Thanksgiving.
Two weeks? He wants me to put a recital together in two weeks?
With everything else that’s going on?
I sigh.
He didn’t call, but he did do this. He cares. Not enough to sleep with me, but he cares.
Then another email catches my eye. It’s from Doc Sheraton.
Except it’s not from Doc Sheraton—only from his address.
And it’s sent to both Callie and me.
We know what you’ve done. Don’t think you have all those pictures. We have copies.
Callie storms into my room, holding her phone. “Have you seen this?”
My heart is pounding now, more so than when I took the ovulation test. “Yeah. I just did. Where were you?”
“Outside with Dusty.” She shakes her head. “I knew it. I knew he had more copies.”
“He’s just saying he has more copies. Obviously they went to the tree to try to dig up the stuff they left there, found them gone, and assumed we have them. They’re probably bluffing.”
“What if they’re not, Rory? We can get them on child porn charges for my photos, but what about yours?”
What about mine? I should be upset. Really upset. All I can think about is my ovulation test, Brock Steel, and some ridiculous recital I have to put together while all this is happening.
When all I really want is a baby.
But is it fair to bring a baby into this world? When naked pictures of my child’s mother may soon be plastered everywhere?
Callie paces around my room and then into the bathroom. Out again, and then back in, and then—
“What the fuck is this, Rory?” In her hand, she holds the ovulation test box.
Chapter Twenty
Brock
I gape at the sight before me.
“What’s up there?” Donny yells.
“Nothing,” I say, completely flummoxed.
I slide the charcoal mask from my face.
Against my better judgment, I inhale.
The scent. It’s here, but it’s much fainter than I remember.
Dale hoists himself up next to me. “Oh my God.”
“It’s gone,” I say. “Whatever was here is gone.”
“You took your mask off.”
“Yeah. The smell. It’s here, but it’s faint.”
Dale removes his own mask and inhales. “Damn. You’re right. Whatever was here—if there was anything here—is gone. Which means…”
“That someone knows we’re onto them. Someone knows, and they’re covering their tracks.”
“We still have the bones,” Dale says. “The ones you and I found.”
“Those are old, though. Just bones. They’re not from any recent rotting flesh.”
“True.”
“Guys, what the hell’s going on up there?” Donny yells.
“Come on up, Don,” Dale says. “We need to check out every crevice.”
“Coming.” A few seconds later, Donny hoists himself up.
“You sure this place can handle all three of us? Our weight?” Donny asks.
“If my suspicions are correct,” Dale says, “this place held a lot more weight than us. And recently.”
I nod. “I think you’re probably right. Look over there.” I point to a place on the wall that’s a slightly different color. “Looks like someone got here before us.”
“Damn.” Dale shakes his head. “We shouldn’t have waited so long.”
“You’re right,” I say. “We fucked up.”
“You guys both need to give yourselves a break,” Donny says. “We’re dealing with so much more than just this. Dad’s shooting. The nurse who poisoned him.”
“True enough,” I say, “but we could’ve had these people. We could’ve had evidence. And now… Fuck it all.”
“We need to get some guys in here,” Dale says. “Professionals. People we can trust. Because the three of us just don’t know what we’re looking for.”
“I know what I’m looking for,” I say. “Look for blood. Look for anything that says… Hell, I don’t know.”
“That’s my point,” Dale says. “I agree with you. Let’s look around. Let’s shine our lights in every corner of this attic, and maybe we’ll get lucky. Maybe whoever took whatever was up here left something. A clue. But I’m betting they didn’t.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because if these people are who I think they are, they know what they’re doing. They know better than to leave evidence.”
“Fuck, Dale,” Donny says.
“That human-trafficking ring was brought down,” Dale says. “I know that. But that doesn’t mean other shit isn’t going on.”