CHAPTER 6

LIORA I found myself driving back to Black Hallow. If I am being honest with myself, I wasn’t entirely sure why. Part of me wanted to believe it was purely professional, that I was doing it for the job, for the author, for all the responsible reasons a person is supposed to have. But somewhere behind every excuse I could manufacture, was the truth: I wanted to find Evans again. That was the real reason, and no amount of professional justification was going to change it. The bar looked exactly the kind of place that had given up on making good first impressions a long time ago. A sign above the entrance buzzed and flickered like it was struggling to stay alive. Inside, the air was thick with the smell of old wood and stale drinks. I stepped in anyway. Behind the bar stood a young woman, dressed in a black mini skirt that stopped well above the knee, and her shirt, if it could be called that, left very little to the imagination, exposing most of her chest. Her makeup was dramatic with dark lines around her eyes and deep colours on her lips that would not have looked out of place on a movie set for a vampire film. She heard me approach and slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes travelling over me from head to toe, unhurried and unimpressed. They paused for a moment on my glasses, lingering there just a beat longer than everywhere else. Then, almost reluctantly, a small smile crept onto her lips . “How can we help you, nerdy?” I stopped walking. I have been called many things over the course of my life, but nerdy? That was a first. I stood there for a half second longer than I should have, before I pulled myself together and reached for my phone. “I am searching for someone,” I said, my voice coming out a little more uncertain than I had planned. I unlocked the screen and pulled up the photo. “I just want to know if you have seen this person before, or if you happen to know where he lives. Anything you can remember would be helpful.” She looked at me again with that same slow, measuring look and this time the smile faded entirely. “I don’t know who you are looking for,” she said flatly. I frowned. “I haven’t even shown you the picture yet.” “You don’t need to show me any picture, honey.” She drawled, already turning her attention to something else behind the bar. “I don’t snitch. That’s just not something I do.” Jesus Christ. “He’s my fiancé,” I blurted out in panic, my words tumbling out too fast as I hurriedly grabbed the ring hanging around my neck and held it up for her to see. “He went missing a while ago, and someone told me they saw him here. I’m just trying to find him.” For the first time since I walked in, she actually paused. Her eyes slowly lifted to my face from beneath her thick, dramatic lashes. The lashes were so heavy and overdone that I honestly wondered how she could even see properly through them. She studied me quietly for a few seconds, her expression unreadable, before finally speaking. “Let’s see what you’ve got.” I quickly unlocked my phone and pulled up the picture of Evans before handing it over to her with slightly trembling fingers. The second her eyes landed on the photo, her eyes narrowed, and she brought the phone closer to her face as if she needed a better look. My heart skipped. She knows him. I could tell. The reaction was too obvious to miss. “You’ve seen him, right?” I asked quickly, leaning forward in desperation. “You know who he is.” Instead of answering me immediately, she kept staring at the picture for a few more seconds, her eyes scanning every part of Evans’ face carefully. Then her head tilted slightly to the side. “Why is he looking so…” she started slowly before trailing off mid-sentence. My brows pulled together in confusion. “So what?” A low chuckle escaped her lips as she finally lowered the phone and handed it back to me. “Clean,” she muttered. “Innocent.” The words made absolutely no sense to me. I frowned deeply as I took my phone back from her. “I don’t understand what that means.” She only shrugged lazily like she found my confusion amusing. “Have you seen him or not?” I asked again. “Please. You clearly recognize him.” Instead of replying, she slowly reached beneath the table beside her and pulled out a cigarette pack. She tapped one cigarette out, slipped it between her lips, then lit it up. A second later, smoke filled the space between us. “You said he’s your fiancé, right?” she drawled lazily as she exhaled smoke directly in my direction. I nodded immediately, almost bouncing on my feet from desperation and nervousness. “Yes. He’s my fiancé,” I said quickly. “We were supposed to get married sometime last year, but… something happened.” That was the simplest way to describe the disaster my life had turned into after Evans death. She said nothing after that. Instead, she just stared at me. Silently. Unblinking. The kind of stare that slowly crawled beneath your skin and made you uncomfortable. At first, I tried to stay calm, convincing myself she was simply thinking. But as the silence stretched on longer and longer, I slowly got irritated. My fingers tightened around my phone. “Well?” I finally asked through clenched teeth, forcing a strained smile onto my face. “Do you know him or not?” Her expression barely changed. “What’s his name?” she asked before taking another drag from her cigarette. “Ev_” Last night… those men didn’t call him Evans. What did they call him again? My heartbeat quickened instantly. The woman slowly arched one perfectly shaped brow at my hesitation. “What?” she asked dryly. “You don’t know the name of your own fiancé?” Heat rushed to my face. “No, that’s not_” I stopped myself quickly, nervously licking my lips as I leaned closer across the counter. The sudden movement made her jerk backward slightly, glaring at me like I had invaded her personal space. “Back home, we know him as Evans,” I explained hurriedly. “But here… people were calling him something else.” I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, desperately trying to remember. Ricky? Raven? Rave? Shit. Why is my brain failing me now of all times? The more I tried to remember, the worse it got. “f*****g hell,” I muttered under my breath in frustration. Her expression slowly turned amused as she watched me struggle. I exhaled sharply before giving up entirely and pushing my phone slightly closer to her again. “Just look at the picture and tell me if you know him.” She rolled her eyes dramatically before lazily flicking ash from the tip of her cigarette. “Well, I already looked at the picture,” she replied flatly. “And I don’t recognize him.” I narrowed my eyes at her instantly. “You’re lying.” She let out a mocking scoff, shaking her head slowly like I had just insulted her. “So now you’re going to tell me who I know and who I don’t know?” she asked sarcastically. Before I could respond, she took another long drag from her cigarette and deliberately puffed the smoke straight into my face. “I don’t know the dude in that picture,” she continued coldly. “And I sure as hell don’t know anyone called Evans.” Liar. She was lying through her teeth, and we both knew it. I had seen the recognition in her eyes the second she looked at his picture. Frustrated, I dragged a shaky hand down my face just to stop myself from snapping. “Please,” I pleaded again. “You have to help me.” “No,” she replied flatly. “I really don’t have to.” Her expression hardened as she leaned back into the chair behind her. “And it’s painfully obvious you’re not from this town,” she added with a snort. “So here’s my advice to you.” She pointed lazily at my phone with the cigarette between her fingers. “Stick that phone up your ass and walk the f**k away.” The harshness of her words stunned me for a second. Still, I refused to give up. “Pl_” “Get out,” she snapped, cutting me off before I could finish. “Or I’ll get the boys to throw you out myself.” The warning in her tone told me she wasn’t bluffing. My jaw tightened painfully. For a few seconds, I simply stood there, staring at her while anger, humiliation, and helplessness, then without another word, I grabbed my purse from the counter, turned around, and stormed out of the diner. I yanked my car door open harder than necessary and slid into the driver’s seat with an irritated groan. I was already late to meet my author, so for now, I’ll meet with her. But after that, I am going to dedicate every second of my time to finding Evans. Because he is here. I know he is. That waitress had confirmed it without even realizing it. The look on her face when she saw his picture had said more than her words ever could. Evans was in this town. And if I had to search every single street, every bar, every diner, and every damn house one by one just to find him, then that is exactly what I am going to do. Turning on the car, I quickly typed the author’s address into the GPS. The screen immediately lit up with directions, and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, preparing to drive away. But before I could pull out onto the road, my phone suddenly vibrated against the passenger seat. Ms. Chloe. I stared at the screen for a second before letting out a long, exhausted sigh. Forcing myself to answer, I lifted the phone to my ear. “Hello?” “Get your ass back to the office,” she hissed immediately. I could already picture the irritated look on her face. “The author reached out a few minutes ago and promised to stop by the office tomorrow instead.” I closed my eyes briefly in frustration. Seriously? After all this driving around? “Okay, ma’am,” I muttered tiredly. The second the call ended, I cancelled the GPS route with an irritated tap before reversing the car back onto the road and heading toward town again. A few minutes into the drive, my phone chimed again. I frowned slightly before glancing down at the notification. Mr. Hampson. Of course. My therapist. I already knew what the message was about before opening it. YOU’VE MISSED YOUR SESSION AGAIN, AND THAT’S THE SIXTH TIME. I WILL BE INFORMING YOUR PARENTS OF THIS DEVELOPMENT. I scoffed loudly under my breath. Unbelievable. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel before eventually pulling over to the side of the road with a frustrated sigh. Resting one hand against my forehead, I quickly typed out a response. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT. I AM ON MY WAY NOW. WE’LL KEEP IT BRIEF THOUGH. I NEED TO BE AT THE OFFICE.