Page 46 of Never the Same

Chapter Sixteen

Reed

The kitchen was too damn quiet. Just me, the boiling water for pasta, and the faint crackle of the stove as I heated the sauce.

I grunted at the silence and grabbed my portable Bose speaker, pairing it with my phone as a new notification popped up on my work cell. A group text.

Ryder: I called in a favor to the Costas to see if they have anyone they trust in Italy to check with the staff at Hollis’s hotel. Constantine was already in Italy with his family, so he’s personally heading to the hotel tomorrow morning.

We’d relied on help from the billionaire family a few times before. I was relieved they could be of service now. Not only were they rich and connected, but they were also former operators themselves.

Ryder: Constantine’s checking in with his contacts there. Enemies, too. If anyone there knows anything, they’ll tell him.

Me: Good. What about X-Man?

We had orders from above not to mention Tristan’s name via text or over the phone, not even through encrypted messages, so we’d settled on an unoriginal code name.

Ryder: Hard to ask Constantine about X-Man when I’m not allowed to talk or text his name.

Shit. Jet lag was messing with me. Or I was just off because the woman I’d been telling myself I hated the last four months was in my shower.

Alex: You talk to the secretary yet about pulling in FFS on this too?

Falcon Falls Security had helped us on cases before, and they had direct ties to not only Secretary Chandler but also the president himself.

Ryder: FFS is already aware of what’s happening since Trevor reached out to his cousin about when she was taken and lost her memories. Falcon is ready to join if they get the greenlight from Chandler.

At least we had a few more heavy hitters in the world of special operations on our side. Both Falcon Falls and the Costas also worked with a secret organization known as The League that battled criminals on that side of the globe.

The Irishman that was pretty much in charge of The League fortunately had a private jet in London and had lent it to us today so we could make a rushed exit without too much pushback from Hollis’s family. We’d also brought him up to speed on the situation, and if he heard any chatter tied to our op, he’d let us know.

If we were going to go up against one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the world—Hollis’s own flesh and blood—in a race to get to the truth, we needed all the help we could get.

Me: And for now, what do you want me to do?

Ryder: Just keep an eye on her. Keep her comfortable.

Yeah, she was comfortably naked in my bedroom.

Trevor: Your wife coming to church in the morning? Eden and Chase are asking.

Ryder: Yeah. Could you keep an eye on her while Alex & I work some leads at Reed’s?

Trevor: Of course.

I set aside my work phone, trying to remember what I’d been about to do before the group text. A strange twinge of fear shot through me that I was becoming forgetful. No, this wasn’t some sign I’d be like my dad one day, dammit.

I shook my head, guilt hitting me for having that concern when Hollis had lost her entire life overnight.

Music. Right. I opened Spotify on my personal phone. Audrey had confirmed Hollis had no allergies and liked Italian—which made sense, because I’d never met anyone in the world who didn’t love it—but I hadn’t thought to ask what kind of music she preferred. I guess we’ll figure that part out together.

I hit shuffle on my repeat-worthy playlist as a solo text from Ryder popped up on my personal line. He was checking on me since I’d unburdened half my issues on him thirty minutes ago.

Me: I’m fine. Worry about her, not me.

Me: And before you remind me, I’m being as nice as possible, so relax there, too.

I ignored his incoming response and went for a beer, needing something to take the edge off. The last thing in the world I wanted to think about right now was my father, or the possibility there was even a remote chance Hollis had been trying to help him.