Page 25 of Silent Sin

Lorena turned away from the guy, making sure that her face couldn’t be seen in the light. She walked back down the alley, not going near the front of the building. She had stolen a car, which meant that she had to park a couple of blocks away.

Her options were limited in what she could do next.

Lorena could have hitchhiked her way out of the city, heading west. After all, Jacob had given her strict instructions on how to kill Sylvie Deering if their plan deteriorated, but Lorena had acted on instinct. Nothing had gone as planned, and he would have told her to lay low for a month or two.

Lorena didn’t want to go against Jacob’s wishes, but it wasn’t like she had a choice. It wasn’t her fault that Brooklyn Sloane had made this a game of cat and mouse. Lorena sure as hell wasn’t the mouse, either.

She couldn’t leave.

There were still ways to reach Brook, and Lorena wouldn't stop until Jacob's sister was caught in a death trap.

Chapter Twelve

Theo Neville

February 2024

Saturday — 5:22 am

The sterile scent of antiseptic was strong, and the sharp odor brought back unwanted memories that Theo could do without right now. His own time in the hospital after the injury to his right eye had been life-altering. Even though he wouldn’t change the course his life had taken afterward, there were times that it was still hard to swallow that his dream of being a federal agent had been cut short.

The ICU nurses’ station was positioned in the center of the double hallways. There was an air of quiet efficiency as nurses and doctors conferred over charts and medications. There was even an unspoken rhythm between the staff as they each kept track of their patient’s vitals and recorded every detail into computers that were stationed strategically inside the rooms and some even on dull grey trays with wheels.

As Theo approached Sylvie’s room, the federal agent stationed at the door merely nodded his greeting. It was the same man who had been posted Thursday night when Theo had driven back to the hospital. The agent stepped aside without a word, his gaze traveling down the hallway toward the elevator bank.

“I thought you could use a pick me up,” Theo said softly as he walked over to where Bit had set up a small working area. There were now three laptops positioned on the windowsill, along with the one in Bit’s lap. He quickly set it aside for the bag of fast food and a can of his favorite energy drink. “Any change?”

Bit had called Theo around four hours ago with an update. Sylvie had regained consciousness for a while, and she had even had the wherewithal to pepper Bit with numerous questions. Theo closed the distance to her bedside, taking in her pallid features. The numerous tubes and wires didn’t help paint an optimistic picture. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

“Not really.” Bit dug into the bag as if he hadn’t had food in days. Theo knew that to be false, especially since Bit’s sister had been texting Theo with regular updates. “There was talk about moving Little T out of ICU, but one of the cardiac specialists won’t sign off on the transfer yet. He wants to monitor her for another twenty-four hours.”

They both fell quiet, more so because Bit was practically inhaling the large container of fries. Theo wouldn’t be able to get back to the hospital until sometime later tonight. He and Detective Beeson were in the process of setting up a grid to make the hunt for Lorena Dobbs more efficient.

With several officers from other jurisdictions joining in the search, it would benefit everyone to have a system. Once those arrangements were in place, Theo would join in the search.

“Big T?”

Theo could hear in Bit’s voice what he wanted to discuss. Brook’s actions were a sore subject, and the conversation could be shelved for a later time. Unfortunately, Bit was able to get his question out before Theo could stop him.

“I don’t think Boss has gone far.”

“Why do say that?” Theo asked cautiously as he remained focused on Sylvie.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on all her devices,” Bit said around a large bite of food. Theo glanced over his shoulder to make sure he had heard the statement correctly, because it wasn’t easy for him to distinguish the mumbled words. “They are all offline, but for about ten seconds, her tablet was turned on at the coffee shop across from the condominium. Speaking hypothetically, I most likely would have accessed the café’s security camera after such a momentous discovery.”

“And what do you think you would have found on the footage?” Theo inquired, keeping in a role that wouldn’t give anyone a reason to make a valid threat against Bit’s freedom. Theo and Brook had often spoken about the numerous scopes aimed at them from different angles. One of them had come true and landed Sylvie in the hospital fighting for her life. “Hypothetically, of course.”

“No trace of her.”

Theo had already turned his attention back toward Sylvie. There was no reason to continue the conversation if Bit hadn’t been able to locate Brook. Theo would have given anything to remain at Sylvie’s side until she was officially released from the ICU, but he didn’t have that luxury…not if they all wanted to avoid another attack.

“Graham has been at the office helping comb through Lorena Dobbs’ initial case file. He’s attempting to piece together anything that might help us understand her motive for helping Jacob.” Theo walked over to where the three laptops were lined up on the wide windowsill. Bit didn’t have to worry about any of them overheating with the cold seeping through the glass pane. “No sign of Dobbs?”

“No.” Bit tossed the empty fry container back in the bag before focusing on what was left of his bacon cheeseburger. Theo didn’t miss the way Bit checked on Sylvie every five seconds, though. “It’s winter, so it’s easy to wear a hood that covers most of her face. I’ve pinpointed the puffer jacket that Dobbs was wearing after you told me about her stopping by the condominium. It’s white and has a matching hood lined with black faux fur. Unfortunately, it’s not the same jacket that she had when leaving Sylvie’s apartment.”

Theo’s phone vibrated in his coat pocket. He had to remove his gloves to reach his cell phone. Glancing at the screen, he recognized the number. The call could only mean one thing.

“Bit, pull up the security feeds for the condominium,” Theo directed before answering the call. Theo had made certain they had the owner’s permission yesterday for just this purpose. Thankfully, there was no hypothetical scenario to insert in this situation. “Neville.”