When There Is Nothing Left But Love

“Yeah.” “Got it. I’ll do it immediately, so don’t panic.”

After hanging up the phone, I picked up my bag. “You’re heading out?” asked John.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No, I mean— it would be better to wait for updates from them instead of going about and looking aimlessly for new leads.”

“Aimlessly?” I shot back.

Probably thinking that I was acting too hostile to provoke any further, he shut up and threw his hands up in surrender.

I left the hotel without another word, and Emery texted me several addresses in W City where she thought Kristina might be.

I wasn’t familiar with the city at all, so I had no choice but to hail a taxi and go to each address one by one.

After visiting each location, Jared called, telling me to visit the suburbs we’d went to yesterday.

It started raining again while on the drive there, the taxi slowing to a stop by the roadside with seemingly no one around for miles.

“Miss, are you sure that this is where your friend told you to go? It’s way too desolate out here! Maybe you should give them a call and double-check the address,” the driver suggested kindly.

My attention turned to what seemed like an abandoned factory a short distance away from where the car had stopped. Hesitating, I told the driver, “Could you wait for a moment while I make a phone call?”

I pulled out my phone and dialled Jared’s number.

“Where are you, Scarlett?”

you ask me to

on in. I’ve found

her, then why didn’t you bring

Silence.

“You could also choose to not come

are you trying to do, Jared?” My eyebrows knitted

out through the phone, and he reiterated, “If you choose to not come over, I can’t guarantee if you’ll ever get to see her

A threat.

Jared, exactly? Even after so many years, I can’t tell if

that’s stupid. People’s moralities

Whatever.

of the car, but the driver

on your way back.” In response, the driver gave me

idea what Jared might have in

followed to the factory was littered

but I didn’t feel scared because I’d

as I stepped foot within the factory, I spotted Jared standing

the balls to

goes on inside his head? What does

at him, less fearful than I thought I’d be. If anything, I was curious and

chair, leaning back and crossing one leg over another in a casual manner. “You’re

I supposed to

an eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to ask about

“Okay. Where’s Summer?”

his eyes. “Aren’t you