Page 150 of What Comes Around

There was a brief silence, then, “What’s the date on those?”

I checked and told her.

More typing. Faster this time.

“Wait,” Amy said. “That’s the same night Knox was seen with that actress. Remember? It was all over the gossip sites for a week.”

My thoughts aligned instantly.

“He,” I said slowly, staring at the message. “That’s Knox.”

“Has to be,” Amy replied.

“And the ‘package’…”

The word hung there between us.

“Like a condom?” Amy said.

“That would be insane.”

A beat.

“Your psycho sister would totally do it.”

I exhaled quietly, my gaze still fixed on the screen. “But the DNA test said it wasn’t his.”

“Elena did say she messed up,” Amy said. “Maybe she grabbed the wrong… sample.”

I grimaced, my brain unhelpfully filling in the details.

“So she planned it,” Amy said. “It just backfired.”

I glanced toward the hallway, toward the bedroom where Knox was still asleep.

“Seems so…”

“What do you want to do?” she asked.

“Nothing yet,” I said quietly. “Let her keep talking.”

Amy let out a soft breath, already on the same page. “Alright. I’ll keep digging.”

“Send me everything you find.”

“Always.”

I ended the call and stood there for a moment, the phone still in my hand, letting it all settle. Apple had come up with something insane and still managed to fail. That didn’t make it better. If anything, it made it worse. There was no telling what she might try next.

I slipped the phone back into the drawer and closed it quietly, then turned and walked back toward the bedroom.

Knox hadn’t moved. He was still on his side, half buried in the pillows, his breathing slow and even, completely unaware of everything that had just shifted.

For a second, I just stood there, watching him.

He had no idea how close he’d come to being tied to her.

I crossed the room and sat carefully on the edge of the mattress, trying not to disturb him.