Secrets We Keep (Thistle Cove 1)

Ozzy nods, and Finn breathes a sigh of relief. This has to be hard on him, seeing his girlfriend so exposed.

I scan through the photos and try to keep my eyes from bugging out. They’re graphic—photos of her breasts, pinching her nipples, touching herself between her legs. I flip through them quickly, feeling a little queasy seeing my former best friend like this. I’m about to close it out when something catches my eye.

“Look at this one,” I say to Finn, letting him look at the last photo. “She’s not wearing the Claddagh charm.”

It’s less risqué, but still sexy. She’s leaning forward, with her mouth half open. It’s obvious she’s not wearing clothes, or at least a shirt. Her neck is bare. The caption says, “Can’t wait to see you.”

“No,” Finn says, looking quickly away, “she’s not.”

“Ozzy, can you tell when that picture was taken?”

This could help develop a timeline. If it was after she went missing, then Rose may still be out there…if it was before, then it means she may have lost the charm before that night.

He clicks his tongue while he looks and pauses. “It’s time stamped the day before school started.”

“Which means she possibly wasn’t wearing it when she went missing.”

But when? Wouldn’t Finn notice?

“Did she send that photo to anyone?”

“Yeah,” he says, sliding his finger over the screen. “About three months ago, she started exclusively talking to someone that goes by the handle Big D.”

“Typical,” Ezra mutters.

“Right? He agreed to her financial demands. Once they met in person, it seems like their interactions on the app weren’t that frequent. They probably texted, or called directly. But she did occasionally send him things via the app. Dates. Times. It was probably easier not to get caught. She sent that photo without the charm the night before she vanished.”

“Anything else?” I ask.

“No, that was their last communication.” He frowns. “Actually, it looks like her account was deactivated around then, too.”

“What do we know about the guy?” Finn asks. “What does his profile say.”

“Not much. I can only see what he’s made public.”

The image is just a standard bare chest selfie taken in a dresser mirror or something. He’s fit—muscular body, ripped abs. He’s in boxer briefs, clearly to accentuate the bulge underneath the tight fabric. At the bottom of the picture is clutter on the dresser top. The blurry glint of jewelry, possibly a watch.

“So what we do know is that Rose communicated with this guy at least twenty-four hours before she disappeared. We know the charm was missing before then.” I look at Finn. “Do you remember the last time you saw it?”

He shakes his head.

I think back to the night at the pool. Two days prior. I search my memory, but I can’t remember if she was wearing it or not.

“We still need to figure out who this guy is,” Ozzy says, leaning back on the couch.

“I think maybe I have an idea,” I say, lifting the bag off the floor. “I’ll be back.”

In the bathroom, I change quickly, putting on the bathing suit similar to one Rose wore all summer at the pool. I found it on clearance at the end of summer sale. Then I pull on the wig, tucking my blonde hair underneath, and combing it into the gentle waves Rose preferred. The final touch is clasping the sliver chain around my neck and the Claddagh charm I ordered online. My heart flutters, knowing the guys are not going to like this idea but we’re out of options.

I open the door and it takes a moment for the boys to look up at me, but when they do, all three freeze, jaws dropped. I feel their eyes sweep over me, starting with the wig, then the bikini.

“Jesus Christ,” Ezra mutters, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Wha-wha—what are you doing?” Ozzy asks, when he’s finally able to speak.

“There’s one way to lure this guy back out. We just need a little bait, and we know exactly what this guy likes.”

“By you pretending to be Rose?” Ezra asks. “Bad idea.”