by A. A. Dark
“I think the mom of the neighbor boy knows something. Did you pick up on that when we talked to her?”
A flash of the woman’s face had me nodding. “Yeah, maybe. She wasn’t too helpful. Could be that she doesn’t want to drag her kids into it. Maybe one of them saw or know who did it.”
“We ain’t getting shit.”
“Probably not,” I agreed. “You know how it is.”
“Yep.” His expression stayed hard as he stared out the window. I took a right, putting me on the road that would pass by ours. Keeping my speed down, I let the streets pass. When we approached the road, I slowed even more. Anna’s car was in the driveaway, and relief came once again.
“What’s that? Casey…turn. Turn.”
Diego flew forward as his finger pointed. I didn’t wait to see what he was talking about. The direction was in the area of Anna’s. Panic in his tone had me flipping on the brights as I gunned it around the turn. A dark silhouette jerked to a stop just outside the living room window. Its head whipped around to look right at us. Like a flash, the figure shot around the side of her house.
“Check on Anna!”
Tires squealed as I slammed to a stop. I had the car in park and my gun in my hand so fast, I barely felt myself push the door open and start sprinting. The motion light kicked on above the garage as I raced on the opposite side. Our backyard wasn’t very big. As it came into view, instinct kicked in, and I slid to a stop at sounds that weren’t quite registering.
Crack! Thud.
Something between a grunt and a groan came out strangled. Light bounced around me, and Diego was breathing hard as he brought the flashlight up to shine across the other side of the yard. Anna was holding a baseball bat, her bare foot on the person’s throat, and I saw the look in her eyes as her stare stayed on his face. The killer in her was present. I felt the other side of her in every inch of me.
“Jesus!” I rushed over, pulling her into my body as Diego kept his gun trained on the man. Slurred moans sounded as he tried to curl onto his side.
“One move and I’ll put a bullet in you. Don’t think I won’t. I don’t give a shit if you’re hurt or not.” Reaching forward, Diego ripped the black ski mask off the man’s face. Dark curls bounced at the force. Blood was smeared on the side of his head, and a large knot was beginning to form to the right of his eye.
“Was he trying to get back in? The bedroom window?” I took in the bat as she continued to stare at the stranger. No matter what I was saying, it wasn’t quite making sense. “Is that why—? I mean, what…?”
“I was already out here, Braden. He tried my window before he went around to the front. Luckily, I’d just gotten home and heard him attempting to open it.”
“Wait. Out here? You came out here to confront someone trying to break into our home?”
“My—”
My hand shot up while my head shook in shock. “Our home,” I forced out. “Did you at least call it in before you came out here? I didn’t get a call.”
Diego’s voice echoed in the background, but I heard nothing aside from the aggravated huff of air Anna let out.
“No. The man was going around the house. It was only a matter of time before he came back around. And I wanted to catch him. I figured if I called it in he might overhear.”
“So? Anna. What if he would have hurt you? What if…?” I stopped as Diego pulled the man to stand. Murderous rage had me stalking to the attempted burglar and fisting his black shirt. “What the fuck were you trying to do?”
More groaning. The man’s dark eyes rolled back, and he was wobbly in Diego’s hold.
“You better start talking, you piece of shit. What the fuck are you doing at my house?” I jerked against the shirt, bringing more awareness as I did. But all I got was laughing from a nearly unconscious man.
“Let’s take him to the car. We’ll get the answers at the station.”
Holstering my gun, I pulled Anna against me, wrapping my arm around her. We were barely to the front of the house before Boston flew from his fancy little sports car. There was a paleness to his panicked face as he rushed up. A face…that saw nothing but the woman who was mine.
“What happened? I saw the lights. Are you okay?”
My glare snapped to Anna before coming back to Boston.
“I’m fine,” she assured. “Just a prowler.”
“A prowler? A prowler?” Like a flip switched, Boston went from concerned to enraged. His head cocked to the side, and he began to walk in the direction of the man Diego was putting in the back seat of the cruiser. My hand shot out and an evil look made its way to me as Boston came to a stop. Slowly, he looked between my grip to my face. Back and forth. Back and forth. I couldn’t help but feel the need to reach for my gun. Diego mentioned something about him not being right. I related too much to his situation, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was missing a key piece because I was blinded by my emotions.
“What the hell are you doing here, Boston? Anna said she just got home. Why are you driving by?”
Releasing my grip, Anna’s name had him blinking and putting his attention back on her. Concern masked him once again, and he stepped closer to her.
“I can’t make sure she arrived home okay?” He dropped his voice, giving her a sad look. “I had to know. After going through those neighborhoods tonight, I couldn’t just let you leave without making sure you arrived safely. And I’m glad I came. That motherfucker in there,” he said, raising his voice and pointing to the back of the cruiser, “that’s no prowler. No way. He has Lucy, and I want you to make him tell me where she is.”
“You think—”
“I don’t think,” Boston exploded. “I know. The odds of something like this happening while Anna’s helping me look for Lucy are pretty much nonexistent. They’re low as fuck. Go make him tell you. Let me. Let me ask him.”
Again, that look. That hollow, evil I knew all too well.
“Boston.” Anna placed her hand on his bicep, instantly calming him. “Come inside and have coffee with me. Let Braden do his job. If that man knows anything about Lucy, Braden will get it out of him.”
Sirens sounded in the distance, and I knew Diego had called in backup. I let out a deep breath, nodding.
“If he has Lucy, you can bet your ass I’ll get it out of him. Right now, though, everyone needs to calm. We’ll get this straightened out and figure out what’s going on. And, Anna…coffee would be really great right now.”
“Coming right up.”
My appreciative grin was met with one in return. Boston seemed apprehensive about going inside, but followed Anna, even stepping in closer as they approached the entrance. Jealousy ignited, and I tried my best to push it away as I walked around to where Diego was standing. The man was coming to. An angry expression had his lips tight as he stared ahead.
“Name.” It wasn’t a question. I placed one of my hands on the top of the cruiser as I leaned in.
“Fuck you.”
“Name.”
“Fuck. You.”
“All right. You want to play these games. I’ve got two missing girls you could easily fit the profile for taking. I hope you’re ready to call downtown your home, Mr. Fuck You. You’re going to be there for quite some time.”
The man’s mouth opened, then closed. Fear registered, quickly erased by something more. Confidence. It began to pour from him in waves as he threw me a smile.
“You don’t have shit. I’ll be out before the sun rises.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
Lowering, I scanned the man’s face, seeing him suddenly completely different. What went from a possible peeping tom turned into something more. The dead girl’s body flashed before me. He wasn’t denying the girls. Quite the opposite.
My eyes cut to Diego as I stood, shutting the door. Officers were already pulling in when I turned to my partner.
“Did you hear that?”
“Sure did. You think that’s our gu
y? You think he was after Anna?”
My head shook as a dismissal, but I didn’t know. Why was he here? She didn’t fit the age the other girls were, or even have green eyes, but did that even matter?
“I don’t know. Let’s cover our bases just in case. He needs medical attention. We’ll go from there.”
Diego nodded as he walked to the approaching officer to explain. I headed back to the front door, hearing the coffee maker brewing as I entered. Boston was at the dining room table with his hands interlaced. I dismissed him as I made my way to Anna.
“He isn’t giving his name.” Lowering my voice, I met her stare dead-on. “I mentioned the missing girls to try to get him to cooperate.”
“And?”
“Could be nothing, but…he didn’t deny it. Said he’d be out by the morning. That we didn’t have anything.”
Brown eyes widened as her gaze shot to the window, then back to me.
“It could be him then? Braden…”
“I’ll do what I can. If he has the girls, I’ll get them back. But it could be nothing.”
“It could be everything.”
Boston shifted in the chair, craning his neck to hear us better, but I kept my voice down.
“Not a word to him, Anna. Even if this is our guy, him looking for you doesn’t sound like he has a victim waiting at home. You know?”
Hesitantly, she nodded.
“Good girl. I’m going to get Diego and I some coffee and we’re going to take care of business. I’ll let you know when I have more news. For you,” I quickly corrected. “Not for your job or him.”
“I know that.” I stepped back, but Anna grabbed my suit jacket, pulling me back in. Our eyes held each other’s, and I wanted so badly to kiss her. Something was changing between us, I could feel it. “Braden…I have to ask something of you. And I don’t want you to be mad at me.”
“Careful, Anna. Don’t ask me something you know I can’t do.”
“I know, but technically you wouldn’t be doing anything. I just need an address when you get his name. That’s all.”
“An address? Have you lost your mind?”
“I know how these things work. If he is out by morning, we’ll never know what’s inside his home. Boston and I—”
“Absolutely not,” I snapped.
“Okay, you’re right. He doesn’t need to be there or see anything. But me…I can go. I can check out his place and make sure the girls aren’t there. No one will ever know. And if they are there, I’m a concerned neighbor who heard screaming from inside. We can nail his ass, Braden. He can be stopped before he takes another girl.”
Fire poured from the confliction within. “You know I can’t let you do that. Not because…Anna, someone else may be there. Maybe he’s not doing this alone. I don’t want you getting hurt. I can’t.”
“Braden. If he gets out like he says, those girls are as good as dead. He will kill them. Think about me. Think about when No One had me. What if you had arrested him before—”
“Don’t you dare,” I said, pulling her into my arms. Tightly, I held, clenching my jaw through all the emotions. “It’s not fair that you keep doing this to me.”
“Let me help them.” Anna’s head tilted back, and I couldn’t stop my fingers from pushing through the blonde length as I cradled the back of her head. My lips brushed against hers, soft, barely existent, despite our contact being electrifying. “Please,” she begged in a breathless whisper. “Please.”
Kissing her again, her grip tightened on the back of my neck. Right and wrong waged a war, but her words were like a branding iron to the broken man inside: Think about me. Think about when No One had me. What if you had arrested him before— Before what? Before she was raped? Beaten? Before he cut off her finger and killed our child by circumstance?
“If you see anyone, hear anyone—”
Anna pulled me back down, meeting my lips hungrily. Sickness swarmed through my stomach. Tighter, I held, never wanting to let her go. Fuck if I could do what was right. What was right, anyway? My judgement was off. Everything suddenly felt as if it were spinning. The only good thing was the moment I was in. Anna was here with me, alive, and in my arms. Our conversation wasn’t what I wanted, but I had her. It was more than I dreamed of when I’d thought she was dead.
“Thank you. I promise I’ll be careful.”
“You better be. If something doesn’t feel right, you get the fuck away and call me. Do you understand?”
Anna nodded, pulling down even more on my jacket as she bit her bottom lip. A groan almost left me, but I caught it as I glanced at Boston. He was still at the table, staring down at his joined hands. The same anger was there, but so was a mix of sadness and confusion. He was thinking—plotting something. What it was, I wasn’t sure, but after tonight, I was sure as hell going to keep a close eye on him.
Chapter 21
Anna
Spending almost every hour of the day with Boston for the last few days was starting to show. I sipped my coffee from one side of the table, watching as he mirrored my actions. Drink for drink—narrowing eyes for narrowing eyes—grin for grin. We studied each other, staying silent, but not regarding our expressions. It was almost a game the way one of us acted and the other followed suit.
Boston crinkled his nose, took a drink, and I followed. My eyes went to my phone for the millionth time since Braden left, and Boston glanced across the room, returning his gaze to me. Not a word left him. Whether he knew what was going on, I didn’t know. I stayed true to my promise to Braden and had no intention of telling Boston about the suspicions.
“I’m okay now. It’s late, and I have work in a few hours. I think you can go back to your hotel and get some sleep if you want.”
“Nope. I’m good.”
“I’m not. I’m tired.”
Another twist of his lips, and I was a fool to repeat it. It had him smiling, which, in turn, had me smiling.
“Are you asking me to leave? I really don’t want to go.”
“And I really should be worried about this obsession thing you have going on.” I paused. “Oddly, I’m not. But I do need you to go for a few hours.”
A wince. “I like your house. The hotel is so…suffocating. It’s just…can’t I just…”
“Boston.”
“Please. Pretty Please. I’m begging you.”
“B—”
“Please.”
“Jesus. Fine. You can watch TV or sleep on the couch. Under no circumstances can you come into my room and watch me sleep. None.”
“No?”
At my eyebrows lifting, a big smile stretched across his face. Even though his happiness was evident, I knew the smile wasn’t his real one. Not like he’d have if I were Lucy and he were genuinely happy. Would I ever see that smile? I sort of liked having Boston around. Even if he was glued to my side, we connected on so many levels. And I could talk to him about anything. Everything. And he was the same. He spoke of the men he had killed—tortured—because of their backgrounds. They’d beaten women, and he couldn’t allow that to happen. He had told me every detail he could remember about his past.
Was I shocked at who he really was? No. I was fascinated. Aroused even. Not for him, but for the picture I conjured of him committing the act. Never had I spoken about such an intimate topic with anyone, and I was starting to see the appeal of it. In its own way, it was healing. Like a weight being lifted. In other ways, it left my own killer with a friend.
“TV. No watching you sleep. Got it.”
“Good. I’ll be out for a few hours. If Braden returns…” Shit. He would never understand why I was sleeping and allowing Boston to hang out at my house unattended. Should I tell him? No. I couldn’t do that. Besides, I promised Boston I wouldn’t tell his secret, just as he promised he’d keep mine.
“If Braden comes back, I’ll tell him I convinced you to let me stay. I really am worried that bastard will show up. In a way, I hope he fucking does. I want Lucy. I want to go
home,” he said, his voice cracking. “I miss my life. I miss her. I…”
Tears clouded his eyes, and he was on the edge of some cliff. The longer time went by, the worse he became. I met him halfway, wrapping my arms around him as he crushed me into his body. My feet left the floor like they always did when we embraced, and all I could do was hold on as I tried to show my support.
“My brain keeps fucking saying this isn’t happening. It’s not real, Anna. It can’t be. After everything I did to get Lucy…after how close and safe I’ve kept her…it doesn’t make sense. She should have been the hardest person in the world to take. This is all my fault. I failed her. I fucking failed to protect her, and if something happens—”
“No,” I said softly. “You did what you could. There was no way you could keep your eyes on her every moment of the day. No one could do that.”
Tighter, he hugged, sniffling, before putting my feet back on the ground.
“I used to think the person I had to protect her against the most was myself. I was wrong.”
“We’re going to find her. At any time, things could change. Do you understand me? Every second is a second she could escape. Be rescued. We’ll just keep looking until we find her.”
“Thank you, Anna. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the both of us. I don’t know what I would do without you. Probably be in jail. I’m not counting it out if I don’t get her back soon. When we’re not looking, I can feel myself getting closer and closer to taking this into my own hands.”
“You can’t do that. Being behind bars will not bring her home any faster. If anything, it puts you two farther away.”
“I know.”
“Okay, good. I’m here if it starts to become too much. You know this. No matter what it is, I’m here for you.” He nodded, and I grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze before I stepped back. Boston headed toward the living room at my gesture while I stopped at the hall closet, taking him out a pillow and blanket.
“In case you get tired. The remote’s over there if you want to see what’s on.”
