The moment Adam stepped out the door, Spencer let out a slow breath and almost banged his head against the table in sheer relief. He had been tense the entire time, waiting for his brother to leave. But of all the things Adam could have questioned, he hadn't expected him to ask about Melanie. If it had been anyone else, he could have easily sidestepped the question with a half-truth or a casual excuse. But Adam? His questions had been direct, out of the blue, and impossible to dismiss without raising suspicion.
His mother, sensing his distress, quickly patted his arm, her voice low but urgent. "Spencer, have you gotten in touch with that Mr. Grif yet? Did he tell you what happened that night? Where is Melanie?"
Spencer lifted his head slowly, his expression troubled, his eyes unfocused. He swallowed before shaking his head. "He's not answering my calls." His voice was quiet, almost hollow. "I've even sent a few people to look for him, but it's useless." He hesitated before adding, "I fear that he..."
But he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
Ever since he had woken up the morning after that night, a sick feeling had lodged itself deep in his stomach. He had barely been able to think about anything other than Melanie and what could have happened to her. She had simply vanished after the meeting, leaving no trace. He had racked his brain, gone over the events again and again, trying to make sense of it.
According to Hallie, it had been Mr. Grif who sent everyone back. But when Spencer had asked if she had seen Melanie, Hallie had hesitated before admitting that she couldn't remember. No one could. Everyone had been too drunk, too plastered to recall much of anything.
That alone made his unease sharpen into something close to panic.
A heavy weight settled in his stomach, pressing down like a stone.
Melanie had warned him. She had told him that Grif had bad intentions, and he—like a fool—had assured her that he would protect her. That as long as he was there, nothing would happen to her. He had been so confident, so certain that his presence alone would be enough to keep Grif in check.
Who would have thought the crafty old man would find another way? That he would get Spencer drunk, render him completely useless, and then—
Spencer shuddered. His hands clenched into fists on the table. The realization was almost suffocating. And now, Melanie was gone.
He stood up. He would have to look for her and save her.
Spencer had barely taken a step when Hallie spoke up in an indifferent voice, "Even if you do find her, she has been with that man for three nights now. What do you think you are going to do? Anyway, she is not going to be in a proper state of mind to understand things. By looking for her and rescuing her, you will make your own future difficult.
Spencer froze. His breath stilled as a slow, simmering anger rose within him. Turning sharply, he fixed her with a glare so cold that Hallie instinctively straightened. "Even if you don't like Melanie, there's no need to wish harm upon her Hallie. She is not my enemy."
Hallie blinked, caught off guard by the sudden reprimand. Her jaw tightened. Spencer had never taken this tone in the last three years with her. But now, he was looking at her like this because of Melanie. Could it be that now that he was back, he was attracted to Melanie again? But she decided to not say anything for now and simple defended herself, "I wasn't wishing harm upon her. I was just..."
Spencer glared at her and a flicker of guilt crossed her face before she quickly dropped her gaze. "I didn't mean it like that," she muttered. "I was just saying... never mind." She exhaled, rubbing a hand over her arm before looking back up at him. "I'm sorry, alright? That was thoughtless of me."
Spencer didn't respond, his mind focused on the current problem of finding Melanie but Hallie pressed on. "Look, I'll help you find her." She hesitated before adding, "But you need to make sure everything is in place for tonight."
Spencer's expression darkened, but she continued before he could protest. "We both know Melanie isn't needed there, so it'll be fine. You focus on that, and I'll see what I can find out. But you need to keep your promise to me, Spency. Tonight has to be it."
Spencer didn't like the idea of waiting—of doing anything except searching for Melanie himself—but Hallie had a point. Tonight was too important to be left in chaos.
Grinding his teeth, he finally gave a short nod. "Fine." His voice was clipped, unwilling. "But if you find anything—anything at all—you call me immediately."
Hallie nodded quickly. "Of course."
Spencer exhaled heavily, running a hand through his hair. The thought of leaving this in someone else's hands didn't sit well with him, but right now, he didn't have a choice. He had to keep things in place for tonight.
Also, as he walked out, he reminded himself, in a way, it would be a good thing that Melanie did not return tonight or ever for that matter. It would uncomplicate a lot of things... But of course, he would never tarnish his image by speaking out loud something like this.