CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

With clear heads and fresh eyes, they went back at it the next morning, trying to find a connection to one of their students and perhaps another from a different school.

The offices for Gray Wolf Security were next to the tattoo shop. Since it was Saturday, it was busier than usual, with everyone from teachers and lawyers to bikers and strippers begging for a tattoo from the best shop in the south.

"Damn, maybe Callan needs to expand," said Tailor.

"We talked about it a few days ago," said Matthew. "He's running out of room for an additional tattoo artist and needs one desperately. I'm thinking we'll bump out the south wall and add some much-needed space for him."

"It's a good idea, Pops," said Alec. "Let us know how we can help. What about the businesses? Gwen's shop, the salon and spa, the bike shop, the café. Are they all experiencing growth?"

"Yep," he nodded. "Gwen's place is easy. We can build a third floor. The spa doesn't want to expand right now. Keegan, Winter, and Ramey want to keep it exclusive and difficult to get into. It allows them to increase their prices and use some pretty high-end products. I say good for them."

"I agree," smiled Gaspar. "And the bike shop and café?"

"Bike shop, we need to make a standalone building. In fact, if we did that, we could use the space for Callan and kill two birds with one stone. The café, well, that could be triple the size. But then it's not a café, it's a restaurant."

"Well, we're behind whatever you decide to do, Pops," said Miller. "You've been the genius behind all these businesses. We'll follow you."

"Hello! Is anyone here?" called a voice. Ghost stood and walked to the front of the office. He was about to say that they were closed when he recognized the familiar face.

"Nell! What are you doing here? I mean, you're always welcome here, but is everything okay?" Nine and Ian walked out to see the young woman, concerned that there was a problem.

"No. No, I mean, I don't think anything is wrong. I tried calling Sor, but he didn't answer. I wondered if he was here."

"No, hun. He's out on a job. Are you sure you're okay?" asked Ian.

"I think so. It's just that I've been catching sight of someone in the field just before the private driveway. I don't think they're coming up the drive, but still, it feels odd."

"That does feel odd," said Ian. "We'll have the team check all the cameras and be sure everything is okay. Any signs of someone tampering with the locks, taking things from the property?"

"No. Nothing like that. At least, I don't think so. I'm sorry, this is silly. I'm being silly, aren't I?"

"You're not being silly. You're being cautious, and that's smart. This is why we wanted you to take a cottage here. If you're closer to us, we can be sure that you're safe all the time."

"I know, but that seems extreme. Besides, I've come to really enjoy that silly cabin of Sor's," she smiled. "It's warm and quiet, and I've been getting some great work done out there."

"Alright," nodded Nine. "We'll have the boys check all the cameras and maybe come out and do some recon. See if there are tracks or anything."

"I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Don't bother Sor with this. He's got enough on his mind."

"Why don't you take one of the dogs with you?" said Nine.

"Maybe. I'll think on it. Thank you, guys. I'm sure I'm just being silly. Have a great weekend." She waved, leaving the office, and headed back out to her car. The three men looked at one another, then behind them at all the faces staring down the hallway.

"I did not like that one bit," said Ian.

"Me either. Get the tech boys out there to check on the cameras and everything. Maybe we set up some extra alarms."

The door opened again, but this time it was Victoria.

"We're just full of visitors today," smiled Ian. "Hi, hun. How are you?"

"I'm good," she smiled. "Mama Irene sent food for you from the café. I have it in boxes on the cart outside the door."

Ian, Nine, and the others grabbed all the boxes, bringing them into the conference room. They passed around the sandwiches, treats, homemade potato chips, huge pitchers of iced tea, and the required salad.

Victoria walked around the room, reading the phobias and fears of the wall. There were so many it was overwhelming. She stopped, tapping a finger on one, and then looked at another, reaching with her other hand and tapping a finger. Moving along the wall, she tapped again, then again, and again.

Nine nudged Ghost, who nudged Gaspar, then Ian. They all turned, watching her genius work.

"Victoria, is everything okay, honey?" asked Gaspar.

"Yes, sir. Something about this one is familiar to me."

"The initials?" he asked.

"Yes. I feel as though I've seen it before, but I don't remember where. It's not really legible, which is partly what caught my eye. I mean, if you look at the rest of these, they wrote their initials in print. This one is in a crazy script."

Bull walked closer to the paper, staring at it.

"She's right. I can make out the other initials, but not this one. We need to figure out the initials of all these kids. Where is the class roster?"

"Here," said Mary, handing him a copy.

"Give it to me," said Victoria. "You guys eat, and I can figure out pretty quickly who this one is."

Not questioning her genius, they gave her the list and then sat down to eat their lunch. Moving methodically from one phobia to the next, she crossed off the names as she discovered them on the wall. When she was done, she walked backwards, verifying what she thought she'd found.

"Victoria?" said Mary, looking at the young woman. She turned to Mary with shock on her face.

"It can't be. I mean, I would have never guessed."

"Who is it?" asked Noah.

"This one. This is the one."

They all stared at the highlighted name, Mary and Noah the most shocked of them all.

"Holy shit."