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"Stillstanding," he agreed, his voice thick with emotion. "Together."
"Always."Fiona's pulse thrummed in her ears as she leaned in closer, their breathsmingling in the small space between them. And then, finally, their lips met – atentative, almost reverent brush of skin against skin.
It wasa kiss born from the fires of shared trauma. As Jake's arms encircled herwaist, pulling her tight against him, Fiona felt the last remnants of her fearand unease begin to dissolve. In their place bloomed a fierce, unyieldingdetermination – a promise that they would face whatever horrors lay aheadtogether.
"Jake,"she murmured when they finally broke apart, her chest heaving with the force ofher emotions. "Thank you."
"Forwhat?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Forbeing there. For fighting alongside me." She hesitated, then added,"For never giving up on me."
"Never,"he vowed, the intensity of his gaze leaving her breathless. "I'll alwaysbe here, Red. No matter what."
And asthe night deepened around them, Fiona knew that she could face whateverdarkness lay ahead, so long as Jake was by her side.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
It wasover, and Jake couldn't be more grateful. But he also knew the work was nowherenear done, not for them.
Thelate afternoon sun cast long shadows across Fiona's living room floor,illuminating the dust motes that danced around the trio gathered near thewindow. Jake studied Marcus closely as they spoke, his eyes never leaving theman who claimed to have information about Fiona's sister.
"See,"Marcus said, wringing his hands, "I came here a few days ago looking foryou, Fiona. I had some... information."
"Information?"Fiona asked, her voice strained with emotion, but her eyes were sharp andfocused. "What kind of information?"
Jakewatched as Marcus took a deep breath before continuing. His body language wasopen and nervous rather than shifty or guarded. He seemed genuine enough, butJake still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
"Alright,"Marcus began, "so I told this old coworker of mine from the fast foodplace where I used to work about my memory of Damien—the guy I saw withMarissa. The thing is, my coworker says he knew Damien personally. And, uh...his real name isn't Damien Blackwood. It's Daniel Grove."
"DanielGrove?" Fiona repeated, her hands clenching into fists at her sides, adetermined fire igniting in her eyes.
"Okay,so why did your coworker know this guy?" Jake interjected, trying to gaugeMarcus' sincerity. It was hard to tell if the man was simply telling them whatthey wanted to hear or if he truly believed what he was saying.
"Um,I'm not sure," Marcus admitted, shifting uncomfortably under Jake'sintense scrutiny. "He didn't really go into detail, but he seemed prettycertain about it."
Jakewatched as Fiona's gaze bore into Marcus, searching for any signs of deception.For a moment, there was only silence in the room, broken by the distant hum ofcity traffic outside.
"Marcus,can you tell us anything else?" Fiona asked, her voice low and steady.
"Uh,no," Marcus stammered, wiping the sweat from his brow. "That's allI've got."
"Marcus,"Jake said, his voice steady, "Who is this old coworker? Why should webelieve him?"
"Look,he asked me to keep his name out of it, but I swear the information is legit. Itrust him," Marcus replied, his eyes pleading for understanding.
Fiona'sgaze flicked between the two men, assessing and calculating. Finally, shenodded. "Thank you, Marcus. We appreciate your help."
Heoffered her a small, hesitant smile before leaving the apartment, the doorclicking shut behind him. The room seemed to close in around them, theafternoon sunlight casting long shadows on the floor.
"Jake,we have to look into this," Fiona said, determination etching herfeatures. "We can't ignore a lead like this."
"Ofcourse not," he agreed, running a hand through his hair. "It'sjust... are we sure we can trust this Marcus guy? He seems sincere,but..."
"Somethingfeels off?" Fiona finished for him, her brow furrowing. "I know, butwe have to follow every lead we can. I owe it to Joslyn."
"Right,"Jake murmured, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared out the window. Hecouldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't adding up, but he knew Fionawas right. They had to pursue any and all leads, no matter how tenuous theyseemed.
"Okay,"he said, turning back to face Fiona. "Let's do some research on thisDaniel Grove character. See what we can find."
