Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(101)

I swallowed, knowing he felt the movement. I needed to tell him about Vincent, about the threats, about everything. I just couldn’t find the words.

“I know today had to bring up Nova,” Dex said softly.

He wasn’t wrong there. It was that, too. It was everything. It felt like the whole world was bearing down on me.

Pain streaked across his face, and something else…fear maybe? “I have something else we can try.”

“What?” I straightened instantly, but Dex didn’t lose his contact with my throat.

“I have a friend who has a podcast. It covers cold cases. She’s in the middle of one right now, but she’ll do a high-level overview of other cases each week. Open up a tip line in case someone has information but has been too scared to come forward.”

“Yes.” He hadn’t even asked a question, but I was answering anyway. “The more eyes and ears, the better.” I’d tried reaching out to a few podcasts over the past year, but none of them had bitten on covering Nova’s case.

Dex’s mouth thinned. “It could piss the unsub off. I talked to a profiler friend of mine, and Anson said it could make them so mad they’ll lash out and make a mistake.”

My heart beat a little faster. He meant I could be at risk. That whoever was messing with me could take it further. “I have to try,” I whispered.

“Okay,” Dex rasped, his thumb stroking my pulse point again. “I’ll call.”





I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them tightly as Dex set his laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch. “I can’t believe she wanted to talk now. Isn’t that a little fast?”

Nerves churned in my belly. I hated going back there. Hated revisiting everything. But Nova was worth it. Every time.

“Ridley said it was actually perfect timing. She’s waiting for an open records request to come through,” Dex explained.

I froze. “Wait. Ridley? As in Ridley Sawyer? As in the Sounds Like Serial podcast?” I squeaked.

Dex’s brows rose. “You’ve heard of it?”

“Anyone who’s ever listened to a single true crime podcast has probably heard of it. They’ve got millions of downloads and nearly as many followers.”

Dex’s lips twitched. “A little bit of a fangirl?”

My cheeks heated. “I followed a case she did a few years ago. Missing teenager in Minnesota.”

Dex sobered. “I remember that one.”

It hadn’t had a happy ending, but Ridley had brought the family closure.

“How do you know her?” I asked.

Dex’s mouth twisted into a grin. “I heard the podcast. Could tell she was doing it to help people, not to make a buck. So I offered my services.”

My jaw dropped. “You hack for her.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny.”

I shook my head. “Hacker with a heart of gold.”

“Don’t ruin my rep,” Dex muttered.

An alert sounded, and then a woman filled the screen. She was stunning, her blond hair piled high in a messy bun that somehow managed to look artful and chic. She wore a yoga top with crisscrossed straps that revealed tanned skin and toned arms.

Her eyes lit, and a huge smile split her face. “Dex.”

“Hey, Rids. It’s good to see you,” Dex greeted. The familiarity had a niggle of something eating at me.

“You, too. It’s been way too long. You need to come over to Shady Cove now that you’re back in NorCal.”

“Are you even home?” Dex challenged.

Ridley’s berry lips twitched. “Not at the moment, but I will be soon.”

“Damn soon,” a deep voice said as a man with dark hair and scruff dipped into the screen. He slid a mug with a tea tag hanging out in front of Ridley and kissed the top of her head.

Ridley looked up at him, and her whole face transformed as if he were her sun, moon, and stars all at once. “Thanks, Law Man.” She tugged him to her for a quick kiss.

The hard lines of his face softened the barest amount. “Give ’em hell, Chaos.”

And then he was gone, sliding out of what I could tell was some sort of van.

Ridley turned to me, her cheeks flushed. “Sorry about that. And for not introducing myself. I’m Ridley.”

“Hi,” I squeaked. “I’m Brae.”

Dex chuckled low, and I elbowed him hard in the stomach.

“It’s nice to meet you, Brae.” Ridley’s expression sobered. “I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. I’ll do whatever I can to help. I’ll record a breakdown of the case after I’ve finished going through all the materials Dex sent over, but I always think it helps to hear from the missing’s loved ones. It makes people want to help.”

My mouth went dry, but I managed a nod. “That makes sense.”

Dex took my hand, his fingers sliding through mine. Ridley didn’t miss the movement. A soft smile curved her mouth, but she didn’t say anything.

“If there’s anything more you need, just let us know,” Dex offered.

“Will do.” Ridley reached for her mouse, moving it around and seeming to do things to her computer. “Brae, will you say something so I can test levels?”