Chapter 77

The files in my hands felt like hot, smoldering coals. I had to get the information to Evelyn. The trek back to the Harkness Manor seemed to take forever on foot, but I didn’t want to ruin the evidence by shifting and having to carry it in my mouth.

Sunlight filtered through the canopy, giving the forest a soft golden hue. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry, I would have enjoyed stopping at the river for a swim. It was a nice reprieve from the storms that had come through here. Monsoon season was nearly over.

It pained me a bit to think I wouldn’t get a chance to snuggle into Cillian’s chest and listen to the rain with him anytime soon. But it would be one of those things that we’d look forward to and savor the moments when they did come.

I exhaled as Harkness Manor came into view. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if Cillian was back, but as I probed my mind for him, I deflated. He wasn’t there. I wanted to tell him everything Holden found out, but I would have to wait. The only per