Chapter 4

The walk back to Kate's wasn't as long as I'd thought it would be, since we took the shortcut to leave it. Luckily, no-one had seemed to notice the shattered window, so no unnecessary attention was called to the area.

Flynn interlaced his fingers and squatted down near the wall, clearly wanting me to climb up. "You first," was all he said.

"Such a gentleman," I joked, stepping onto his hands and reaching for the windowsill. I got a good hold on the window without stabbing myself on the broken glass, but there wasn't much of a place to put my foot. I tried to hoist myself up just using my arms, but I guess I was more tired than I thought. I propped my feet up against the wall, able to hold myself there, but couldn't manage to pull myself up. God, this is so embarrassing.

"You alright?" Flynn's hands grabbed my waist and helped push me up. His hands were warm…

I shook my head, trying to get back to the task at hand. "Yeah, sorry. Thanks," I used his strength to pull myself up and over the window ledge. I extended a hand to him, but he'd already climbed halfway through the window. Show off.

"I mean, if you wanted to hold my hand, you should have just asked," he joked, jumping down onto the floor. I pulled my hand back and turned on my heel.

"As if I'd want your blood all over me," I felt along the wall for a light switch. "I could have just unlocked the door for you, ya know." When we could see, I looked around, noticing how Kate her apartment was.

"What fun is that?" he asked, looking around as much as I was. We began looking thought the living room. "See anything interesting?" he asked after about ten minutes.

"Well, this boxed wine looks half-full. Things could get interesting," I joked, tapping the box with my foot. "Especially if the wine convinces us to dive into this entire bin of feather boas," I pulled a bright red boa out of a wooden crate against the wall and wrapped it around my neck. "How do I look?" I threw the end over my shoulder with pizzazz.

Flynn laughed warmly, shaking his head. "God, this place is so her." Just as quick as it had graced his face, his smile left. "I wish I'd had a chance to spend some time with her here."

I stopped my tomfoolery and stared across the room at him. "Wait, so you've never been here before?" He shook his head. "Did you not live in town or something?"

He shrugged. "Sure, that's a nice way of putting it," he looked towards the wall. "I didn't live in town because I'd found a great all-expenses-paid spot a few hours away."

"That's a bit far. Don't you work near the docks?" I asked, trying to remember our conversations from that morning and the night prior, not that we had talked about much other than Kate.

He looked down towards my feet. "Prison, Tanner. I was in prison," he turned to fidget with some of the trinkets on the shelf behind him. "After I got out, well… things were different."

"You know she'd never judge you for that," I walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

He nodded. "I know, but I judged myself. I got locked up before she went to college, and by the time I got out of the pen, she and Tanner were already a thing," his brows furrowed in irritation. "You've seen his family. They were awful enough to Kate already. Can you imagine if an ex-con had been in the picture?" his eyes looked so pained.

"I see your point," I hung my head, too.

"I didn't want to ruin that for her. She was so… happy," he looked up at a picture of her smiling on the shelf above the one his was fidgeting with.

"So you just stayed out of the picture?" I asked.

He turned to face me. "We still saw each other. Grabbed a beer occasionally, but I always kept my distance. After all, I'd never forgive myself if I got in the way of her new life."

"That must have been really hard for you," I said, thinking about what I'd do in that situation; if my little brother had been so happy that I was scared to ruin it.

He sucked his teeth. "Especially now… Now I'm wondering if all I did was leave her to the wolves."

"You couldn't have known. None of this is your fault," I reassured him.

He looked back up at the photograph. "Maybe not, but it sure feels that way," he said softly.

"I get it. It's hard not to feel guilty when something happens to someone you love," this time I was thinking about Kate. What had happened if I'd just called her more often? Would I have picked up on anything? Could I have noticed some hint that something was off? "Especially if you haven't been as present for them as you'd want to. Trust me, I know that first hand." I unwrapped the boa from my neck and around Flynn's. "But we can't let that get in the way of finding Kate."

He spat out a feather that landed in his mouth, still looking troubled, but less so. "Get this thing off me," he struggled, but I wouldn't let it go.

"Not until you smile," I tickled his cheek with the end.

He fought me for a minute, swatting at my hands, but eventually conceded. "Fine!" he let out a low laugh. "Geeze, you're too much like my sister," he looked up at me and I smiled, unwrapping the boa and throwing it back into its crate.

"That looks much better," I smirked before continuing to look around.

We spent another ten or so minutes looking around the living room, but I didn't even know what we were looking for. There wasn't anything really out of place.

"See any leads?" Flynn asked when we reached the same corner.

I shook my head. "Not really. Everything looks pretty orderly to me. Would she have even left a note in her own apartment?"

He sighed. "This just looks like… Kate's stuff. It all seems pretty normal," he began looking around the kitchen. "Hey," he picked up a picture frame from the counter.

"What is it?" I turned around, hoping he'd found something.

He held it up for me to see as I approached. "Isn't this the two of you?"

I took the picture from his hands and couldn't help but smile weakly. "This… this was from the first day we met. I'd just moved into my dorm." I could remember that day like it was last week. The more I looked at it, the more I found myself lost in the thought of seven years ago.

It was my second day in the dorms and I was perusing the internet on my bed. My new roommate was at her desk doing her makeup. She kept asking me questions about joining the student union, parties, and clubs and anything else she could think of. She talked a mile a minute. I'd only just finished unpacking and didn't really have any plans to go anywhere, which baffled her.

"Wait, when did you get here again?" she asked.

"Um, yesterday," I looked at my watch, not even thinking that much time had gone by.

She let out a loud gasp that was probably heard out in the hallway. "You got here a whole 24 hours ago and you haven't gone out yet?" she seemed outraged.

I looked around, hoping to avoid further confrontation. "Um, I mean… I went to the library with my mom when she dropped me off," I said. "And to the cafeteria."

She stared at me like I was some exhibit at a zoo, her mouth hanging open slightly. I saw her eyes dart to my side of the room, analyzing my bed, my neatly pinned posters, and the rows of books on my desk arranged by subject, author, and title.

"Tanner, you're officially my new project," she beamed.

I groaned at her enthusiasm. "Am I that bad? I know I can be a bit… reserved…"

"No!" she interrupted. "I didn't mean it that way. You're fine, great even. But college is all about trying new things, right? Coming out of your shell?"

"I mean, I guess," I shrugged.

"Which is why I think you could use someone like me in your life," her grin somehow got bigger and she began to bounce in her chair. She leaned over and flipped open her suitcase, which had been spilling out onto her side of the floor, and pulled out a feather boa. She draped it around her shoulders and started making witchy fingers at me. "I'm sensing a serious and cautious personality… a need for more spontaneity," she sounded like one of those fraudulent fortune tellers, "and a troubling preoccupation with Hogwarts sorting hat quizzes!"

I closed my laptop instantly. "Have you been looking at my browser history?" I was more than a bit frustrated.

"Why do you even bother taking them? You know you're going to be a Ravenclaw!" she avoided the question, which meant she had gone through my laptop.

I pushed it under my pillow, now feeling violated. "Is that so? Well, what about you?" I inquired, slightly curious, though I was pretty sure she'd say Gryffindor.

"I'm obviously a house elf," she said bluntly. My jaw hung open. Nobody had ever volunteered to be a house elf before. "But like, a hot house elf. Like, uncomfortably hot," she seemed surprised by her own creation. She held her hands up over her ears and wiggled them around seductively. I couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't long until we couldn't stop ourselves from rolling on the floor.

"You're ridiculous," I could feel a tear work its way down my face.

"Yeah, but you love it. Admit it!" she giggled.

"I'll plead the fifth," I wiped my face on my sleeve.

She snorted. "Fine, be that way. I don't need you to tell me what I already know: we're gonna have so much fun this year," she paused. "Starting with this party! Let's go!" she grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the room.

The party was at the Student Center. The building was covered in streamers, balloons, and confetti, making the place very not my style. The DJ was in the corner and the partygoers were everywhere, even dancing on the stairs.

"There are so many people here," I could barely hear myself over the loud thump of the music.

"Meh," Kate shrugged. "It's a bit tame for my taste, but it's a start." She dragged me down the stairs and into the fray. The song changed to one of the top 3 songs I recognized from the Top 40 that played on the radio on Sundays. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" she began dancing as we walked, pulling me into the middle of the room. She jumped up onto a table and extended a hand to me. "Care to join me?"

I looked around the room nervously. "I suppose it's too late to pretend I don't know you," I sighed, taking her hand. "Everyone saw us come in together."

"That's right! You were doomed from the second we walked through that door," she giggled, dancing against me. I didn't have a lot of rhythm, but I enjoyed the music, so I did the best I could. "That's what I'm talking about! Show me those Ravenclaw moves, Tanner!" She grabbed my hands and began twisting me back and forth and spinning herself under my arm. I smiled. This was fairly enjoyable.

Soon, a guy jumped up next to us and started dancing with Kate. She got really into it, so I figured it was my cue to leave. I slid my way through the crowd, trying hard to get through unnoticed. Finally, I made it to the quad. The air was so refreshing and the sound of the night began to take over the sounds of the party. I couldn't help but think about the dorm calling my name. I was just about to go back when a voice cut through the crickets.

"Tanner, there you are! Wait up!" Kate called out to me, running down the path. "Why did you leave?" she looked sad.

I shrugged. "You seemed… busy… and I didn't want to get in the way of your 'fun night out'."

"Busy?" she asked, genuinely shocked. "What, with ye olde lord of the dance?"

"I mean, you seemed pretty into it," I slid my hands into my pockets.

She grinned widely. "Oh, come on. We both know I'm way out of his league. Besides, I would never ditch you like that," she linked her arm with mine and beamed up at me.

I frowned. "Sorry for running out like that. I didn't mean to ruin your night. It's just not my scene," I said as we started walking.

"You didn't. In fact, your timing was perfect," she seemed way too giddy. I looked down at her. "It gave me just the out I needed. Now we can follow up on the invite I just snagged us to an exclusive suite party," she held up two paper tickets that looked like they'd previously been in someone's pocket, with the corners bent and a few creases down the middle.

"Wow," my jaw dropped. "You're good," I chuckled.

"That's what they tell me," she slid one ticket into her bra and held the other out to me. "You're in, right?"

I thought about it for a moment. I wanted to go back to the room, but her smile was the brightest thing I had ever seen, even in the dark, and the thought of it going away made my chest hurt. "You know what, sure," I snatched the ticket from her hand and slid it into my shirt pocket.

She bounced on my arm. "Yay! Partners in crime!" she giggled. "Oh!" she stopped. "We should commemorate this moment with a selfie!" she pulled her phone out of her pocket and clicked onto her camera.

"What moment would that be?" I asked, smiling at her childlike charm.

"The moment we became best friends, obviously," she tried to angle her phone so we were both in the frame, but I was nearly a foot taller than her, and she was having issues. I squatted down and she threw her arm around me, grinning wider than the moon above us. I smiled, unable to do anything else. The flash went off and she spun the phone around to see the image she'd just taken. "Oh I love this," she squealed. "But listen," she looked up at me with a serious face. "We need a code word if we're going to be besties. For the times when we really do lose track of each other and need saving."

"What, incase secret government spies are tapping our lines?" I joked.

She laughed. "Kind of. It's incase some jerkface is looking over our shoulders," she said, all of this making perfect sense in her world. "Wait, I think I've got it. Magelo," she sang.

"Magelo?" I asked, not sure what it meant or where it came from.

"It's from my favorite book when I was little, called Maria Red and the Pirate Prince," she explained. "She was this banker's daughter who had all these adventures, and ended up marrying, like, the most handsome prince," her eyes got big.

I smirked. "The most handsome, huh?"

She nodded. "Trust me. On the scale of childhood crushes, this guy came in just above the fox from Robin Hood."

"Oh, that is handsome," I mused with her, clearly thinking she was silly for having a crush on a cartoon character.

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Maria had this magic word she would say whenever she was in trouble."

"Lemme guess, Magelo?"

"See? Such a Ravenclaw," she teased.

"Tanner, you still with me?" Flynn waved his hand in front of my face. I looked up at him, but looked away when I felt the tear run down my cheek.

"Yeah, sorry," I wiped at my face with my hand. "Just got lost in thought there for a minute," I held the photo out for him to take from me. He set it gently back on the counter.

"From everything I've heard, you two were quite the pair," he said, looking at our smiling faces.

I tried to hide a sniff as I composed myself. "Yeah, we were inseparable. She forced me out of my high school nerd phase," I laughed, but it was short lived. "At least until graduation," I stared down at the photo with him. "We promised we'd stay in touch, but… I don't know… I guess life just got in the way. First, we stopped making time to call each other, then we stopped texting. This past year, we barely talked at all."

Flynn looked up at me. "That's how life goes though, right? People drifting in and out of each other's lives?"

"Sure. I just never thought it would happen to us."

He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Well, when we find her, you two can start over. You'll see, you'll pick things up right where you left off." I smiled back at him. Now he was being the supportive one.

"You're a good brother," I grinned.

He blushed a bit, which definitely caught my attention. It was adorable. He gestured towards Kate's bedroom door. "Um, we should… uh… Do you wanna look around the bedroom?" Adorable. "Full disclosure, this feels super weird. I spent a lifetime steering way clear of my little sister's room… Especially after the 'face drawn on her fist make-out' incident when she was 13. That was… it's seared on my memory," he shivered at the thought.

I laughed harder than I probably should have. "Yeah, maybe we'll find something in there, since we haven't found anything out here."

"That's why I'm willing to brave it," he took a deep breath. "But, um, could you go first? And if you find anything I really would not want to see, as her brother I mean," he swallowed hard, the red coming back to his face.

I patted his back. "Relax. Back in college, she was always very discreet with her sex toys," I lied just to tease him.

He put his hands over his ears. "I'm not hearing this," he closed his eyes tightly.

"And I'm sure she outgrew that naked self-portrait phase," I added, loving this.

"Dear god, make it stop," he pretended to scratch at his eyes.

I laughed through my nose. "I'm just teasing you. Come on," I turned him around and pushed him towards the door. This must have been like a horror film for him.

We stepped into the room, nothing looking out of place upon first glance. Her bed was made, clothes folded, jewelry put away.

"Um, are we absolutely sure this is Kate's place?" he looked around. "I'm not sure she's ever lived here."

"What were you expecting?" I asked.

"Her room was always a pit when she was a kid," he explained, but I knew all too well what he meant. "Once, my mom forced her o clean the entire thing, and she found a shriveled-up bologna sandwich under a pile of two year old magazines."

I shivered at the thought. "Yeah, she started out that way in college… until I made it very clear that was not how our room was gonna be," I said.

"How in the world did you manage that?" he asked, impressed.

"I may or may not have threatened to burn any and all clothing that lived on the floor for more than a day," I began. "And also may or may not have used one particular pink crop top to drive home that I don't make empty threats."

His jaw dropped. "Damn, that's cold," he smirked.

I stared at him very seriously. "Tough love, Flynn. Tough love." We looked around the room for the smallest detail. I opened the closet and was shocked at what I saw. "Oh my god," I gasped. There were only a few things inside, a few shirts, a nightgown, and a single pair of jeans… "When did Kate go all Marie Kondo?"

"I don't know what that means," Flynn stood beside me.

"It's not important. I just meant… she used to have a lot more stuff. Where's all the stuff?" I asked, looking again in case I was hallucinating the first time.

"I think she kept most of her things at Tanner's," he looked at me for a second. "Second Tanner's," he corrected, making me smile a bit. "She spent more time there. The apartment was more of a getaway."

"From what?" I closed the closet.

"From Tanner," he scowled, the dark look on his face keeping me from asking for further details, lest some serious shit were to hit the fan.

I turned to leave, but a glint caught my eye. Something shiny. "What's that?" I looked closer to where it came from. A teddy bear was sitting on the shelf behind the door.

"It's a teddy bear? Is there something I'm missing?" he asked, not sure what I was looking for.

"Well, duh, but there's something up with its eye," I flipped open my pocket knife and wedged the eye out of place. It dangled forward, hanging by the wires leading back into its head.

"What the hell?" Flynn asked angrily, now seeing what I saw.

I flipped my knife shut and put it back in my pocket. "It's a hidden camera. Someone's been spaying on Kate," I pointed out.

"Wait, wait, you're telling me they make spy teddy bears?" he took it from my hands to better inspect it.

"It's a nanny cam," I explained. "They're pretty standard. The video is sent to a private server, so you can see what happens while you're away."

He gripped it tightly, about ready to decapitate the bear. "So you're saying some pervert has been watching my sister in her bedroom through this thing?"

"Seems that way," I said, not happy about it either.

"But, who gave it to her?" he asked.

"Maybe an ex," I guessed. "He might have given it to her as a gift without telling her about the camera. Some creeps do that kind of thing."

"Creeps who will get a serious beatdown if I ever find out where they live," he growled. I took the bear back from him and put it back on its shelf, completely unnerved with what we'd just found.

As we walked back into the living room, I took one more look around. "I guess we should get going," I suggested hopelessly.

"One last look, just to be sure," he said. I nodded and we split up again to search the room. "Hey, I think I found something," he called to me as he looked underneath the TV cabinet. He reached under and pulled out a metal lockbox. "It's got a password on it," he groaned as he tried to open it.

"Well, it is a lockbox," I said, not helping his temper.

"Yeah, yeah, point taken," he rolled his eyes. "It's got a keypad. Do you think she has some sort of code hidden around here?"

I extended my hand and he passed me the box. "Let me take a crack at it," I thought for a moment. Magelo probably. I typed it in and the latched popped open. "Ha! I was right!" I cheered at my small victory.

"Woah, nice. What was it?" he asked.

"Magelo," I said simply.

"Wait, the magic word from that book she liked?" he looked shocked. I was surprised he wouldn't have guessed it. It is her favorite book. "I read that book to her at lease a hundred times." He shook his head. "Anyway, enough with my sister's literary tastes, let's see what's in this box," he leaned in close to me as I lifted the top.

"It's her diary," I said, putting the box down on the table and picking it up.

"Maybe there's something in there that will help us find her!" he tried to take it, but I held it close to me. "What are you doing?" he asked angrily.

"You said to not let you see things that a brother shouldn't see. That includes this," I said simply. He hesitated for a second. "I'll read it and let you know if anything stands out," I suggested, sort of. He nodded. I opened the book and flipped through a few pages, looking for dates. "Here's one from right after Tanner proposed," I ran my fingers along the words. "'I can't believe this is really happening. Tanner is my prince, and I'm his Maria'," I read.

Flynn scowled. "Got that one wrong, sis."

I flipped through a few more pages. "Swooning over Tanner, blah blah blah, prince, blah blah blah… oh, here," I stopped on an entry from just a few months ago. "This one looks different. 'I'm not sure I really know Tanner anymore… or if I ever truly did… I feel so alone. I don't have anyone to talk to. I miss my friends.'"

Flynn started twitching, clearly not doing well with knowing this had been going on for months. I stopped, trying to give him time to control himself. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Keep reading," he said when he noticed me watching him.

I scanned through some more pages. "Here's one from a few days ago," I pointed to it. "'I think I've been in denial about this for a while now, but I have to face the truth. Tanner is cheating on me'?" I finished, slack jawed.

"That son of a bitch," Flynn clenched his fists and his jaw. He looked like he'd murder someone if I didn't keep an eye on him.

"There's more," I looked at him, wondering if he could handle it. He nodded. "'I think he's been meeting her on his yacht. I'm going to go there tonight to look for proof. I need to know… even if it breaks my heart.'" I looked up at Flynn. "Do you think she was right? Was Tanner cheating on her?" but as soon as I asked, it all made sense. Of course he was.

"I'm going to kill him," he started, his face twitching with rage. "I am going to kill. Him."

"Flynn," I tried to meet his eyes, but he stared straight through me. He turned towards the front door and I took every muscle in my body to keep him from leaving yet. "Flynn, wait," I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling him back. "We have to think this through. You can't just go hit the guy," I tried to get some reason into him.

He stopped struggling, but his body was still shaking, every inch of him tense. "Are you coming with me or not?"

"Are you going to actually kill him?" I asked.

He hesitated. "No, I won't do that, but… I need to know the truth," he finally gave in and stopped fighting me. "Come with me to the yacht. If you're there, maybe you can stop me from beating his face in," he said, sounding almost like a suggestion, but coming across more like an ultimatum. "If he's not there, we can look for the proof Kate was trying to find."

I let him go. "Fine, but no hitting anyone." He nodded. When we got outside, I was going to try to call a cab, but Flynn directed me around the side of the apartment building to his motorcycle. "Ah, I knew you had a motorcycle," I smiled.

"That okay?" he asked.

"Absolutely," I beamed.

He tossed me the spare helmet. "Great. Ever ridden one before?"

"Not as a passenger," I admitted. My dad had a thing for motorcycles when I was a kid.

He smiled widely, which was nice to see after he'd been that angry. "Just hang on tight. You'll be fine," he mounted his bike and patted the seat behind him. I climbed on and put my hands on his waist. He gunned the engine, but before he kicked off he said, "I said tight," with a devilish smile. I wrapped my arms around him, now officially worried for my well-being.

It didn't take us long to get down to the marina, with Flynn zipping round traffic and down side streets. The festival had died down, leaving tired banners that seemed to have fallen asleep on the job. Empty fold out chairs littered the piers, surrounded by even more plastic cups and paper plates. What a mess. Flynn slowed town, weaving around the chairs and giving me a chance to look out onto the water. How was it that the shore looks so much better here than on the coast back home? He slowed the bike to a stop just outside of the exclusive boat docking area, where only the rich could tie their yachts and party rigs. The only thing, other than the law, that stood between us and Tanner's boat was a tall rod-iron gate with a big lock on it. The bars were too close for grown men to squeeze through, and there weren't any footholds to try to climb over it.

"Great, now what?" I asked, getting off the bike and holding the helmet under my arm. Without missing a beat, Flynn put his helmet on the seat of the bike and pulled a small leather pouch from his pocket. He walked over to the gate and began picking the lock. "Okay, so more breaking and entering," I looked down at him, a bit shocked that he knew how to do that.

"You have a problem with it?" he asked over his shoulder as he ran the file inside of the lock's mechanism.

I leaned on my hip. "No, but…," I paused, and he looked up at me, "why didn't you just do that back at Kate's place if you had it on you?" I looked quizzically down at him. He turned quickly back to the lock, completely silent. He hadn't thought about it. I snickered, watching him adjust the pick as needed to trick the tumblers. "So, since you don't want to answer that, mind answering something else? What did you get locked up for, if you don't mind me asking?" I crossed my arms, the thought just crossing my mind again that he had in fact just gotten out of the slammer.

"Not breaking and entering, if that's what you're asking," he said, still staring intently at the lock.

"Well, obviously, or you wouldn't have even thought about breaking the window," I tried not to laugh this time.

He glared back at me. "It was felony grand theft auto," he said, halfway sounding like he was proud of it, but halfway sounding like it was the worst decision of his life.

"So, what, you stole some biker gang's Harley and got busted going 90 in a 45?" I guessed, assuming I was wrong.

He rolled his eyes. "I was eighteen. This asshole keyed my car," he furrowed his brows and had to take his hands off the lock for a moment because they were shaking. "So I jacked his as payback. I was never going to keep it, but the cops pulled me over before I got the chance to return it, and of course, the honorable judge decided to throw the book at me."

"Really? But you were just a kid," I objected, knowing good and well that 18 was 'tried as an adult' age, but some judges are nicer than others.

"Yeah, but it was Bryce Sterling's car."

"Oh," I said, completely straight faced. "I just gained a whole new level of respect for you."

He rolled his eyes and began fiddling with the lock again. "Daddy Sterling told his dear friend to make me an example… next thing you know, I lose the next six years of my life."

I scoffed. "Six years for a teenager jacking a car… that's ridiculous."

"Well, we both know life ain't fair, right?" he chewed at his cheek while he made the final adjustments, releasing the lock. "Bingo!" he whispered loudly. He pushed through the gate and led the way to Tanner's yacht. We stayed in the shadows, hoping to not be seen if anyone was still there.

"Now I get why you hate the Sterlings so much," I whispered behind him. "It must have been a shock to come home to your sister engaged to one of them."

"That's one way of looking at it," he replied, "but honestly, serving time was the best thing that ever happened to me. It taught me how the world worked." His expression was almost robotic. "You can't trust people and you can't expect kindness. The only person you can rely on is yourself," he looked back at me as we slowed down in the shadow of a large boat. "I mean, look at this situation with Kate. The only way that asshole is gonna pay is if I make him," he looked angry again. It was such a bad look on him…

"You know, not everyone is a jerk," I said, taking a step closer to him. "I think I'm a pretty nice guy, and you don't seem like you'd abandon anyone in a crisis. I trust you, and I want you to know you can trust me."

"Yeah?" he asked. When I nodded, his hard expression melted into the concerned, kindhearted guy I'd been seeing this weekend. "That means a lot to me… but I wont put you in danger. If shit hits the fan, you have to get out of here." Before I could tell him to go shove it, I jumped and spun around at the sound of footsteps coming towards us. "Crap! The guard!" he whispered, looking for a place to duck behind.

We both jumped behind a pylon, our thoughts on the same wavelength, but I knew we both couldn't fit there… but there wasn't any time to argue. His eyes met mine, about to object, but I put my hand over his mouth. "Shh," I shushed, looking over my shoulder at the guard until he came closer. We were in a pretty dark shadow and we were both wearing dark clothes, so I was hoping he'd keep on walking. I could feel his breath on my fingers… The guard stood just under the lamp light, his shadow getting lost in the darkness not a foot from my head. I slumped down and prayed that we wouldn't get spotted. My heart was beating so loud, I swore the guard could hear it. I took slower breaths, trying to become one with the shadow. A flashlight pointed in our direction and I could feel Flynn slouch down as much as I was. C'mon, c'mon, keep walking. While I was trying to calm myself down, I couldn't help but notice the smell of leather and a hint of body spray… mixed with exhaust… I looked out of the corner of my eye and suddenly realized how close Flynn and I were. His nose was practically touching my cheek. I turned my head just a little and caught his eyes. They seemed to almost glow in the dark. I took my hand off of his mouth, not realizing it was still there, and mouthed a 'sorry'. I heard the footsteps get closer, feeling the boards creek with every step. He was right behind us. After a few more seconds, he turned away and began walking back down towards the gate. "Holy shit," I whispered, letting out a long breath when I thought the guard was far enough away.

"That's a bit close," Flynn smirked. I looked down and realized I'd grabbed his arm and our legs were practically intertwined. I blushed and pulled away from him, hoisting myself to my feet. He did the same and continued walking like nothing had happened. "C'mon. The yacht's down this way," he stuffed his hands in his pockets and strolled casually. I followed him once I got my thoughts in order. We went down a ramp, passing some sailboats, until we came to the yacht at the end of the pier. Of course it would be the last one on the row.

I looked the boat over. It was pretty big for a yacht, and the Sterlings had made sure to keep it in top shape to stand out from the other boats. I followed the maroon stripe around the edge until my eyes found the name: Ulysses. It was written in bold letters on the side. "Seriously? That's what he chose to name his yacht?" I asked, thinking about the irony.

"Even though Ulysses is known for getting lost at sea," Flynn joked, making me a bit giddy that he knew the name, but then reality smacked me in the face.

"He also cheated on his wife a lot…," the thought slipped out. Ulysses. "Oh my god," I put my hand to my face. Flynn turned to see what I was looking at, but it was a memory. "The first night I was here, Kate gave me a note that just said 'Ulysses'. I think this is what she wanted me to find."

Flynn gave a half smile. "Then let's not keep her waiting any longer," he tilted his head towards the ramp onto the boat. I nodded and jogged over to him, following him onto the ship. We crept across the moonlit deck towards the door to the lounge area. "It's unlocked," he said over his shoulder before opening it and walking in. I followed him. The inside was too dark to see. We both felt along the walls for a light. Before the lights came on, the boat rocked a bit and moonlight showed the silhouette of a man in a chair across the room.

"Someone's here," I whispered under my breath just as Flynn found the switch. I looked over his shoulder across the room and regretted it instantly. I felt sick to my stomach.

Tanner was slouched in the chair, blood staining his suit and dripping from his fingers onto the floor. His throat was slit from ear to ear. "We should call-," I started, but my stomach lurched.

"It's too late for that," Flynn said. "He's already dead."