Unwanted Blood (Harper) novel Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The camera shifted to a safe. The one Everly had left behind. It was already open. Inside was nothing but a USB drive. I couldn’t help wondering what was in it.

Before I could ask, Marcus continued.

“But there’s a problem. It’s encrypted. I’ve tried every variation I can think of. Nothing works.”

“Decrypt it for me, and I disappear forever. You’ll never see me again.”

“Or the people around you will start having accidents. One by one.”

My blood went cold. I handed the phone to Ryder without a word.

He watched the video. his jaw went rigid. The muscle in his cheek jumped during the footage.

He handed the phone back.

“We need to call Colton,” he said. “Now. We’re not handling this over text.”

I looked at the screen. My thumbs moved.

“What do I get if I open it?”

Marcus: “The truth about your mother.”

I stared at those words. Ryder was already dialing.

–

Colton arrived twenty-eight minutes later. When he appeared, His hair was wet from the rain outside, his jacket was unzipped, and he was carrying a laptop under one arm.

The second he stepped inside, he looked at me.

“You can’t make a deal with him,” he said. “It’s a trap.”

“I know it’s a trap,” My voice was calm. “I’m not stupid.”

I set the phone down on the counter and looked at both of them.

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Chapter 35

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“But if that file really can help me know something about my mother… I want to know. Not for you. Not for the Wilsons.” I paused. “For me. I’ve spent sixteen years being told I’m the daughter of a rapist. Sixteen years being called a curse. If there’s even a chance the truth is different… I need to know.”

Silence fell over the apartment. The refrigerator hummed. Rain tapped against the window.

Ryder was the first to speak. “If you go,” he said quietly, “I go with you.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I go alone. You stay in the shadows. Tracking. Listening. But you show yourselves. Not unless I call.”

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