MasukNATHANIELSlowly, Betty turns to me, her eyes widening.“Is that them?”I hesitate for just a second, then quickly move toward the phone and unlock it.Unknown number. My stomach knots.“Welcome to New York, Mr. Blackwell. As you can see, we have your cousin. If you want to see him alive again, come to this location. Alone. I do not need to remind you what happens if you don’t.”A location pin follows beneath it.I stare at the message for two full seconds before lifting my head toward Betty. She is already standing right in front of me, breathing so hard I can hear it.“It’s them,” I mutter, as I turn the screen toward her.Her lips part, her eyes moving across the text.“Oh my God!”She grabs the phone from my hand and walks toward the far end of the suite, reading the message over and over again like if she stares at it long enough, the words will somehow rearrange themselves into something less horrifying.I watch panic slowly consume her from across the room as her breathing grow
NATHANIEL.I have been watching her spiral for the last thirty minutes, and I am quickly realizing there is no right way to calm a woman who thinks the man she loves might be bleeding somewhere in this city while we stand here doing nothing.Every attempt I make only seems to make things worse.The first time, she looked at me like she wanted to stab me with the lamp sitting beside the bed.The second time, she waved her hand in my direction and told me to get the hell away from her.So I did.I’ve kept my distance and let her pace across the hotel suite while I sit at the edge of the bed watching helplessly, hoping she would eventually exhaust herself enough for us to have an actual conversation without yelling, accusations, or one of us saying something unforgivable.Though judging by the way she keeps dragging both hands through her hair every few seconds, I am beginning to think that hope might have been a little too ambitious.This is exactly what I had been trying to avoid ever
BETTYNathaniel is sitting at the far end of the back seat, his body angled toward the window while his hand remains wrapped around his phone so tightly that his knuckles are beginning to pale beneath the strain.He looks trapped somewhere deep inside his own head. And it has been that way since I woke up from my nap on the plane.The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was warmth. Which immediately confused me because I distinctly remember freezing before I fell asleep.Then I noticed the pillow tucked carefully beneath my head, and the fleece blanket covering me from my chest down to my legs.I sat up so fast my neck almost protested.“What in the...” I whispered to myself, blinking against the dim cabin lights because for a second, I genuinely wondered whether I somehow did all that in my sleep.Then I remembered the laptop that had been balanced on my lap before I drifted off, and my eyes darted around the cabin immediately until I spotted it resting beside me instead.Clo
NATHANIELThe cabin is quiet now except for the engines humming beneath us and the occasional shift of turbulence against the walls.I stare out through the oval window beside me, watching nothing except darkness stretching endlessly beyond the plane.New York is almost beneath us now.And despite everything happening tonight, despite Rhys missing and the growing feeling in my gut that something is terribly wrong, my eyes keep drifting toward the exact thing I have been trying hardest not to look at.Betty.At some point during the flight, exhaustion must have finally dragged her under because her head rests awkwardly against the window while strands of dark hair spill across the seat around her like ink spreading over silk.Her laptop is balanced on her thighs, tilting dangerously every few seconds whenever the plane shifts slightly, and from the way she has not even noticed, she must be sleeping deeply.I watch her quietly for a moment longer than I probably should.The warm cabin l
BETTYThe private airport is quieter than I expected.No crowded terminals. No screaming children dragging suitcases behind exhausted parents. No long lines or rushed announcements echoing through giant halls.Just polished floors, expensive cars parked beneath dim golden lights, and a silence so clean it almost makes everything happening feel unreal.My taxi rolls to a slow stop near the entrance, and for a moment, I simply sit there with both hands wrapped tightly around my bag while the engine hums.My chest feels tight. A memory from the last time I stood inside an airport comes rushing in. Rhys, beside me excited about our trip to Mexico.This was before Nathaniel texted me that Grace had been hurt. And everything after that became chaos.And now here I am again. Back at the airport, except this time, Rhys isn’t here. Because he is missing.The realization settles heavily inside my chest as I stare through the back window toward the private jet waiting several feet away.Its slee
NATHANIELI can already tell the thoughts that are sitting inside her head right now.Who is she? Why didn’t he mention her? Why does he look comfortable sitting there? Is she the reason he has disappeared?She doesn’t scroll any further. She simply lowers the phone slowly before tossing it onto the armchair behind me like suddenly touching it has become unbearable.And without a single word, she turns around and walks back to the couch she was sitting on earlier and grabs her phone.Then, she begins walking towards the door, and without thinking, my hand grabs her wrist just as she is about to pass me, and I pull her gently but firmly enough to stop her.“Betty, wait…”She spins halfway toward me, startled by the contact, and yanks her hand away like I am contagious, making her stumble backward slightly.“That photo doesn’t mean anything.”The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, and the second they do, confusion hits me hard because what the fuck?Am I seriously standing her
BETTYWe step out of the car into the cool night air to stretch our legs, both of us needing a moment to recover after that ridiculous make-out session.The sky above us is clear, scattered with stars, and for the first time all evening, the world feels quiet.I stretch myself along the hood of Rhy
NATHANIELThe phone buzzes in my pocket just as I reach the front doors of the mansion.I hesitate, my hand lingering on the handle while the vibration continues against my thigh, steady and insistent.I consider ignoring it entirely because the last thing I want right now is a conversation I don’t
NATHANIELChris chuckles beside me. “Don’t mind him. He’s had a few too many.”Daphne nods in agreement.I take the second shot, and this time I fail entirely at hiding the burn, which earns laughter from all of them. I should have probably just stayed home.“Anyway,” Chris says, settling back, “it’
NATHANIELGlasses meet one another constantly throughout the hall, the sound carrying above polite conversation and carefully measured laughter between guests.Most of the faces surrounding me remain unfamiliar, even though they stand on my family’s estate, their comfort obvious.Amanda’s family an







