⸻ ❛𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐈 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐎𝐒!❜
Rory Hargrove is obsessed to uncover the truth behind Barbara Holland's disappearance, while facing her brother's enemy and buried secrets from...
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STEVE OPENED THE CAR DOOR AND into the driver's seat with a weary sigh. He rolled down the windows, craving fresh air in his lungs. Despite the clear sky and bright sun, the autumn wind bit through his skin. Fall weather was unpredictable — sometimes warm, sometimes bitterly cold.
He adjusted the collar of his blue leather jacket over his black polo shirt and tossed his sunglasses onto the passenger seat. The morning had been a string of dead ends—he'd spoken to cabin owners, farmers, and even stopped by a tavern where hunters from the Hawkins woods often gathered. Nothing. No one had seen or heard anything unusual that night. Rory had vanished without a trace.
Earlier, he'd called some people from his Halloween party. Carol was the only one who mentioned seeing Rory rush out of his house and down the street, though she hadn't noticed where she went. But it was enough—Rory had entered the woods on her own.
He could've gone to school to question more people, but what was the point? His mind was elsewhere. Time was precious, and he had bigger priorities than sitting through lectures. Even if he had shown up, it would have been pointless—his thoughts would've been consumed by what could be happening to Aurora right now.
His anxious train of thought broke when he spotted a flash of red hair catching the sunlight, gliding down the pavement on a skateboard. Great. Rory's little sister. Was she investigating on her own too?
Steve pushed open the car door and stepped onto the street, waving. "Hey, you!" He moved toward the center of the road. "Your name is Max, right?" He vaguely recalled conversations with Dustin, his brows furrowing as he planted a hand on his hip.
Max slowed to a stop beside him, effortlessly shifting her weight on the board.
"What do you want?" Boredom was written all over her face. Steve hesitated for a second. She didn't share DNA with the Hargroves, but she had the same piercing blue eyes—sharp enough to dissect and judge a person in seconds. They all carried that same undercurrent of anger, that same reluctance to trust.
"I was just wondering if there was any news about your sister." He squinted slightly, the sun glaring off the asphalt."
No, there isn't. She didn't come home after the party on Halloween night, which was at your house by the way." He noticed a hint of judgment in her feminine voice, like a warning. Damn, was she intimidating.
"Yes, I know, that's why I'm worried." Even the relentless girl was capable of making him feel more guilty. "Do you know if your brother has any leads on her yet?" So far, Steve hadn't told anyone what he'd found in the woods— the boots and the earring.
