We were silent for a few moments. Adam came back into the room and handed a ss of water to his sister. She took it gratefully and drained most of it with one gulp.


    “Russell and Kelly were headed for the same college,” she said in a miserable tone. “Only an hour away from here, and they would always promise me that they would visit home on the weekends.” Her voice shook, and she averted her eyes to her cold tea.


    Ava and I shared a look, sympathy for the grieving mother flowed between us.


    “Chloe.” Ava murmured with anger in her eyes.


    I knew that her thoughts had gone in the same direction as mine. This was all Chloe’s fault. Russell and Kelly had a great future ahead of them, and Chloe ruined it all with her wicked games. She killed Russell and ruined Kelly’s life by driving the poor girl crazy.


    I looked at Alexander, who was gazing at Russell’s mother withpassion. An electric shock went through me when I realized that without Alexander’s protection, I could have ended up like Kelly or Russell since Chloe seemed to have it out for me. Gratefulness for the man beside me filled my heart until it felt like it was going to burst.


    As if Alexander could sense my distress, he put a warm arm around the back of my chair, subtly drawing me closer to his side. As soon as I felt the warmth from his body, I rxed into him. I was d that I had told him toe with us today. Even though he sometimes pissed me off, I couldn’t deny that I always felt safer when he was by my side.


    As Sarah wiped her eyes, she looked curiously at Alexander and me.


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    When her eyes fell to his arm around the back of my chair, a small smile crossed her face.


    I wanted to tell her that Alexander and I weren’t together, but I didn’t want to ruin the small amount offort that this knowledge seemed to bring her.


    “At least my Russell died protecting the girl he loved,” Sarah said, her voice shaking as fresh tears fell down her face. “I know that if given the choice, he would make the same decision again.”


    Adam put a gentle hand on his sister’s arm. “Let me tell the rest,” he offered, since he had noticed that Sarah’s hands were shaking and her mouth was trembling as if talking about her son was breaking her from the inside out.


    She nodded and leaned back in her chair.


    “Sarah found out that thest phone call that Russell received before he went missing was from Kelly’s phone….” Adam’s hands clenched into tight fists on top of the table. “That was after Chloe had taken Kelly to her house and did unspeakable things to her.”


    I nodded, bile rising to my throat as I remembered Kelly’s horrible story about what Chloe put her through.


    “Even though other students at the school told the police that Chloe was bullying Russell and Kelly, the police took Chloe’s word that she had merely taken Kelly shopping that day and that the two were friends,” Adam said, his jaw clenching. “Then, the police released her without investigating Chloe further.”


    “No doubt the Windsor’s money and influence swayed the police,” Ava said through gritted teeth.


    “Exactly,” Adam replied and nodded at my friend. “Soon, the school’s


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    surveince video of Chloe basically dragging Kelly away disappeared like the incident had never urred.”


    “After Russell’s disappearance, my sister held out hope that Chloe was just keeping Russell hostage in one of the Windsor’s many properties,” Adam said. “Sarah trailed Chloe to New York, and she tried to get into the properties a few times by pretending to be there to interview as a maid, but she was always turned away.”


    “Can you believe that the Windsor’s had the audacity to call the police on me?” Sarah said. She was no longer crying. Her green eyes were burning with rage. “The police told me that I needed to let it rest.<i>” </i>She scoffed and crossed her arms. “As if I could just easily forget about the fact that my son was missing.”


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