Page 146 of Ash and Poison

His jaw clenched. “Why?”

She shook her head, cutting him off. “I knew why you came. I-I’m the one who sent you Riley’s letter. I thought Dr. T was using her for his experiments…”

Silence.

“You should have told me.”

Becca shook her head. “I wanted to...”

“You knew Millie, didn’t you?” I asked, and she nodded.

Her fingers trembled as she adjusted her scrub. “Yes.” She inhaled sharply, her voice barely above a whisper. “She’s my brother’s daughter. I didn’t know what was happening to Riley. I-I’m sorry.” Becca wiped her tears. “I was scared and I didn’t know what to do. I was scared they would hurt Millie… I can’t lose her.”

“We have to tell Vincent,” I said.

He exhaled sharply and nodded.

I jogged toward Jimmy’s room, my heart hammering. Asher and Layne were right behind me.

Deputy Clark stepped in front of the door, blocking my way. “You can’t go in.”

I shoved past him, ignoring his protests. “Vincent, Millie is missing. You have to find her.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s gone,” Asher said.

“Jonah is gone too,” Layne said.

Vincent’s eyes darted between us. “Jonah, again?”

I held his stare with a wince. “I—we think it’s Jonah. The one… who killed Riley and…”

Vincent crossed his arms. “You’re telling me my brother has something to do with this?”

I nodded.

“Do you have proof?”

“We don’t have time for proof, Vincent. If Millie’s still alive, we need to act now,” I said. “Even if it isn’t Jonah, we have to find her.”

Vincent hesitated for half a second too long.

Asher stepped closer with a growl. His eyes were dark as he grabbed Vincent by his shirt.

“You swore to protect people, didn’t you? So do your damn job and find her. NOW.”

Vincent pushed him away with a snarl.

“Now he speaks.”

“Fuck you, Vincent. You failed to protect Riley. At least—”

Vincent’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening. “I had no obligation to protect Riley. And you have no right to blame me, you hypocritical bastard. You ran away as soon as you could. I wasn’t the only one who abandoned her.”

Asher flinched.

Vincent exhaled sharply. “You… you’re all insane. Fucking mad,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Clark, call the fire department. Get their Search and Rescue team mobilized immediately. Notify Dunn, and get everyone to coordinate with the fire department. I want every available officer, firefighter, and volunteer to search the perimeter. Check the woods, the riverbanks, the back roads—anywhere someone could be hiding or keeping a hostage.”