Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“True, true,” Tia said. “Although that would be twisted as fuck if he lent us this place to like watch us or something.”
Jess clapped her hands and stood up. “Uh-uh, this is where I call it a night. I’m sorry, but I’m way too big of a scaredy-cat, and I don’t want to have to sleep with the light on.” She turned to Noah, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I love you, Noah. You’re like my little brother, and as the honorary big sis, I refuse to let anyone hurt you. I think all of us here can say that. So don’t stress out too much, okay? We’re going to figure it out.”
Noah sucked in a deep breath. He managed a smile, although I saw a quiver in his lips. Tia stood, grabbing Jess’s hand in hers. “Let me go tuck Jess in. If you guys are still out here plotting and theorizing, then I’ll come back and join.”
The two disappeared to their room upstairs. The sound of the door shutting and the shower starting filtered down into the now silent living room. We were all tossing around our own theories while Eric looked through some kind of database on his phone, likely given to him by the connections he still had in the police department.
But nothing was coming to me. I couldn’t put the pieces together, and that made me angry and frustrated, like I was banging my head against a brick wall over and over again. All the while, Noah was suffering, and our lives were both threatened. How the hell did we get here? And why? Why couldn’t my time with Noah just be smooth sailing? Instead, it was like we were steering a rickety sailboat into the Bermuda Triangle while there was a category five hurricane ripping through it.
That was when Tristan said, “Hmm, hold up, I think I’ve got something,” and threw a life raft directly toward us, giving me hope that maybe we could make it out of this storm in one piece.
25
NOAH BARNES
All eyes turned to Tristan. My heart raced, unsure of what to expect but my hope growing alongside Tristan’s widening smile.
“I was able to dig into this text a little bit. Turns out it was sent through a burner app, so someone can get assigned a random number and have the message sent without linking it to themselves.”
“Is there any way to see who sent the text, then?” I asked, my mouth as dry as the pot of dirt holding a variety of succulents on the coffee table.
“All I can see is that someone scheduled the text. There’s two time stamps attached to it. One when it was written and saved and the other when it was sent.” Tristan looked closer at the phone. “Wait, actually, there is something here… It was sent from somewhere in Georgia.”
“Great, that really narrows things down.” I couldn’t keep the sarcastic bite out of my disappointed comment.
“Sorry, Noah, I wish I could give something more solid.”
I shook my head, rubbing my face. “It’s not your fault. You did more than I’ve been able to do, so thank you.”
Tristan leaned over and nudged me with his shoulder, handing back my phone. “Come on. How ’bout we all get in the hot tub and talk about it some more with fresh beers and a nice view?”
That actually didn’t sound too bad. “Let’s do that. But no more talking about—this.” I wagged my phone in the air from the tips of my fingers as if it were infected with something. “Not tonight. I want to try to have at least some fun, and I don’t want to drag you guys down.”
“You aren’t dragging us down, baby,” Jake said, his gaze pinning me to the couch from across the table. He had his legs spread and planted firmly on the ground, his hands hanging loosely between them, his lips cocked into a half smirk. This was the first time he’d used a pet name with me in front of my friends, and it sent a quiver shooting straight down to my core.
God, he was so damn sexy. Even when the conversation swirled around stalkers and threats, he still somehow managed to cut through the fear and anxiety with a smoldering look.
“Ready to get wet?” he asked.
Tristan scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Okay, you two need to stop. Not in front of Eric.”
“What? What did I do?” Eric asked, leaning over to look at Tristan with an arched brow.
“I just know you’re a little relationship deficient right now. I don’t want you to pass out or anything.”
That got a laugh out of us. “Being single is not the same as an iron deficiency,” Eric tried to clear up.
“Yeah, but for your dramatic ass, it might as well be,” Tristan shot back, standing up and taking his book with him up the stairs to his room.