by A. M. Myers
“Thank God!” she exclaims, dumping her stuff on her desk before slipping behind the curtain that hides things like our microwave, fridge, and coffee maker.
“Late night?”
She steps back into the office with a grin on her face that completely gives her away as she leans back against the door frame and lifts the steaming mug of coffee to her lips. “Yeah… I saw this commercial for a dating site last night and decided to sign up.”
“And that’s why you have that stupid grin on your face?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. A blush creeps up her cheeks and I shake my head. “Oh my God, you already met a guy, didn’t you?”
She nods. “Yeah, I did. God, Pipes. He’s just…” She struggles to find an adequate word and finally just clenches her fist in front of her as she makes a noise of frustration.
“Yeah?” I ask, forcing a smile to my face as I try to ignore the pang in my chest. It’s certainly not Eden’s fault that my life has turned out this way and I’m not going to do anything to bring down her stellar mood. Even if I have been in a funk since I realized how much having a baby was going to cost me.
“Oh, by the way…” Eden says and I glance up at her. “I was thinking about your baby issue…”
Sometimes, I swear this girl can read my mind. I nod and take another sip of my coffee. “And?”
“And I really think you should just find a guy, tell him you’re on the pill, have some meaningless fun, and when you get pregnant, you can just break things off.”
I scrunch my nose up. “That’s… dishonest and also a really good way to end up with an STD, Edie.”
“I know,” she sighs, her body deflating. “I’ve just been trying to come up with any other options for you. I still think you should try signing up for this site I found last night. You never know, babe. You could meet your soul mate.”
Turning back to my computer, my chest aches something fierce at her words. I’ve already met my damn soul mate and I fucked it all up. God, I wish I could go back to that day and make a different choice. Shaking my head, I push the thoughts from my mind and turn back to her.
“I’m not looking for a soul mate. I already had one of those.”
“Who says you just get one?” she asks and I have to stop my body from recoiling as I imagine another man filling Wyatt’s place. It’s… just not possible.
“Me.”
“But you could finally be happy again, babe.”
I shake my head. “I just don’t see it happening. Wyatt was… is still…”
She shakes her head as she sets her cup of coffee down on her desk and grabs her phone. “Forget about him. You have to see this guy I was talking to last night. I’m telling you, he’s the complete package and oh so very yummy. Wouldn’t that be better than being alone and miserable?”
I roll my eyes as she rolls her chair across the hardwood floor to my desk and thrusts her phone in my face. I scoop it up and glance down at the screen, sucking in a breath as my stomach flips and a fist grips my heart and squeezes. My head spins and each breath I take rings in my ears.
“Eden,” I breathe, my voice barely audible as a couple tears slip down my cheeks. I glance up at her and her eyes widen as she reaches for me.
“What is it?”
I glance back down at the screen. “It’s Wyatt.”
“Yeah, I know his name,” she says, rolling her eyes at me like I’m the world’s biggest idiot. “I can read.”
I shake my head. “No, Edie… that’s my Wyatt.”
“What?” she hisses, grabbing her phone and looking at his photo before looking back up at me as my heart thunders out of control in my chest. He looks even better than the last time I saw him… God, how long has it been? Four years ago? I shake my head again, unable to believe it hasn’t been longer. Each day without him feels like an eternity and I have carried this gnawing ache around with me since the moment I walked away from him.
My mind drifts back to the first time I met him after I went to live with my Aunt Myra. I was in a bad place then, walking around in a fog of pain and fear and then he was there, shining through the darkness like a beacon. He became my savior, my best friend, and the absolute love of my life.
“Piper?” Eden whispers and I glance up. Her look of concern grabs my attention and I look down at my lap only to realize that I’m trembling as more memories from my childhood come rushing back. There was once, just after I moved in with Aunt Myra, that Wyatt took me down to the pond behind our houses to go swimming. Back then, I was afraid of everything, even my own damn shadow, so when he jumped off the dock without me, I stood there frozen and shaking as I stared down at the calm water beneath me, fear gripping my heart. Wyatt circled back around to see where I was and when he saw me standing up on that dock, he raced back to me and held my hand as we jumped in together. That’s always the way it was between us - I was scared of everything and he was my white knight - but that’s always where our biggest problem lied. When he deployed, I didn’t know how to just exist without him and…
Shaking my head, I push the memories of those days from my mind as I glance up at Eden again. “Please, Edie. Please don’t go out with him.”
“Of course I’m not going to go out with him,” she snaps, looking all sorts of offended as she sets her phone on my desk. “What the hell kind of friend do you think I am? This isn’t just some high school fling that you dated years ago. This is your Wyatt…”
Her words trail off as a slow smile stretches across her face.
“What the hell is that look? I don’t like that look.”
Her grin widens as she grabs her phone again. “I was just thinking… what if I message him again and set up a date…”
“Eden!” I scream, betrayal ripping through me as I stare at her with wide eyes but she just giggles.
“But instead of me, you’ll show up.”
I shake my head as she continues grinning at me like this is the best damn plan in the world. “What? That’s insane!”
“No,” she insists, shaking her head as she grabs my arm. “Hear me out. For years, I’ve heard about this incredible, epic love you and Wyatt had…”
“And?” I growl, cutting her off. “It didn’t matter in the end, did it?”
“Those were extenuating circumstances, Pip-Squeak! That’s what I’m saying. I’m willing to bet that if your love was as strong as you claim then he never got over you either.”
I shake my head, unable to take my eyes off of her. Oh, God, she’s finally lost it. “I… that’s… No way, Eden. I saw him… He was happy… He was moving on with his life.”
“You saw him for all of what? Five minutes? And besides, that was four damn years ago. You have no idea what’s really going on in his life.”
“But,” I utter, motioning to her phone. “To just ambush him like that… I mean, what the hell would I even say?”
She grins. “Hey, Wyatt. Wanna have a baby?”
“Oh my God, you’ve officially lost your mind if you think this is a good idea!” I yell, rolling my eyes and ripping myself out of my chair as I grab my coffee mug and slip behind the curtain. Grabbing the pot out of the machine, I pour myself another cup as her idea starts to nag at me.
No, it’s absolutely insane.
I can’t.
But the thought of seeing Wyatt again after all these years, it makes my heart race and my stomach flutter with the good kind of nerves.
“Just listen,” she says as I walk back into the office, holding her hands up in front of her like I have a loaded weapon in my hands. I glance down at the hot cup of coffee in my hand and shrug. I suppose it would do in a pinch. “I know, right now it sounds crazy and admittedly, it is a little out there but what if you don’t? What if we just let this go and you spend the rest of your life alone, with no babies and wondering what would have happened if you had just gotten the courage to meet him?”
“Stop making sense,” I mutter, bringing the cup of coffee to my lips as her words bounce around in my
head. Eden grins.
“I can’t. Come on, you know it’s a good idea.”
I pin her with a glare. “It’s an idea, I’ll give it that but I haven’t said a word to him in over ten years, Edie…There is no way in hell he’s still hung up on me.”
“Then answer me this, why hasn’t he signed the divorce papers in the four years since you sent them to him?”
I freeze with the coffee cup halfway to my lips, flabbergasted that her crazy plan is sounding better and better the more she talks.
Could it really be possible?
Could he still have feelings for me?
Shaking my head, I blow out a breath.
No, that’s too much to hope for.
“What did you guys talk about last night?” I ask her and she unlocks her phone before handing it to me with a smirk.
“Read it for yourself.”
Setting my coffee down on the desk, I take her phone and take a deep breath as I start reading through their messages. The first few messages are standard getting to know you questions but when I get further down, my hands start to shake.
WyattL23:
Are you looking for something casual or more?
WyattL23:
Also, sorry if that’s too forward.
I’ve had a couple bad dates and don’t want to
make the same mistake again.
EdiePB09:
No, it’s fine. :)
I guess I’m open to either.
It’s got to feel right, you know?
What about you?
WyattL23:
Yeah, I do know.
I’m ready to settle down and start a family.
Are you opposed to the idea?
EdiePB09:
Not at all ;)
“You sent him winky faces, Edie?” I hiss as jealousy burns through my chest. She holds her hands up in surrender as she shakes her head.
“I didn’t know!”
Dropping my head, I release a breath and take another deep breath as I try to calm myself down. It’s not Eden’s fault, I know that but seeing it and knowing that he’s been talking to other girls kills me which is bullshit since I don’t have a claim to him anymore but my stupid, irrational heart doesn’t give a damn. Wyatt is mine and he always will be.
“Did you read the messages, Piper? He’s looking for the same thing you are. You have to give this a shot.”
I lift my head, meet her eyes, and sigh. “It’s crazy, Eden. He’s going to be…”
“Pissed?” she supplies and I nod. “Maybe at first but I really think I’m on to something here. I mean, why not sign the papers if he truly wanted to be done with you?”
“I don’t know. Why didn’t he ever come looking for me if he wanted to keep me?” I ask and she scoffs.
“Oh, that’s an easy one. His damn pride. Plus, the pain and betrayal was fresh.”
The word betrayal rings in my ears and I suck in a breath as my heart seizes in my chest. “Oh, God… he thinks I cheated on him! He’s never going to forgive me.”
“Maybe,” Eden says, her voice softer than before. “It’s time to tell him the truth.”
“I don’t know,” I whisper, shaking my head and she leans forward, grabbing her phone out of my hand.
“Well, I do.” She starts typing out a message and my eyes widen as I lunge for the phone but she dodges me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She bolts out of her chair and runs into the studio, calling out over her shoulder, “Pushing you out of your comfort zone!”
“Eden!” I scream as I run after her, my stomach flipping as I imagine seeing him again. “Please don’t do this!”
She skids to a stop and turns to face me. “You really don’t want me to?”
“I really don’t,” I assure her, shaking my head as my heart thunders in my chest. There is so much crap between Wyatt and me at this point that I don’t even know what I would say to him. What could I say? I lied to him and betrayed him and Wyatt is not the type of man to forgive so easily.
“Okay… on one condition.”
I take a deep breath, trying to get my nerves under control. “What?”
“You let me find you a different cute guy and set up a date.”
“Eden…” I say, shaking my head and she holds her phone up, arching a brow in challenge as a smile tugs at her lips.
“It’s either that or I set up a date for you with Wyatt.”
Turning, I march back into the office and sink into my chair, trying to ignore the ultimatum she just threw down at my feet.
“Which one is it going to be?”
“How about neither?” I growl, moving the mouse to wake up my computer as she stands behind me. In the reflection on the screen, I watch her as she crosses her arms over her chest and fixes me with a look.
“You have to pick one. I’m not going to stand by and watch you waste your life away and not going after what you want because you’re too damn scared.”
I spin around to face her and level a glare in her direction, opening my mouth to fire back a retort but she holds her hand up to stop me.
“Save it. We both know that’s the real reason you don’t want to make a decision and what kind of friend would I be if I allowed you to wallow in your fear?”
“A good one,” I grumble, glancing away from her.
“Uh, no. A terrible one. So, pick your poison, Pippy. Am I messaging Wyatt? Or are we looking for a new guy for you?”
Turning back to her, I sigh. There is no way in hell she’s going to let me off the hook, this I’m sure of so it’s better to just get it over with. “Let’s look at guys, I guess.”
“Excellent,” she chirps with a grin as she grabs her chair and pulls it closer to mine so I can see her phone’s screen as she starts flicking through photos of men on the site. My stomach rolls as the possibility of going on a date with one of them crashes down on me.
Oh, God, I’m going to be sick…
Chapter Seven
Wyatt
What the hell am I missing here?
Slapping the file in my hand down on the table in front of me, I release a groan and lean back in my chair as I scrub my hand along my jaw, the two day old stubble scratching my palm. In an effort to relax, I close my eyes and blow out a breath. The frustration slowly seeps out of my body and I take another breath before opening my eyes again and leaning forward to skim Dina’s file. I don’t know why I keep hoping that each time I read it, something will click for me and it will crack the whole case wide open because, at this point, I am losing faith that it’s ever going to happen. The thing is, there’s just too many options for who could be behind the deaths of these three girls and virtually no evidence besides our business cards at each scene.
Maybe Kodiak is right.
Maybe I’m just being paranoid and seeing things that aren’t really there but I just can’t shake this feeling - the gnawing sensation deep in my gut that is screaming at me to pay attention to what is obviously right in front of my face. But if that were true, I would have seen something by now, right? I would have found something to back up my theory. I read through Rodriguez’s notes and grit my teeth when I get to the part about Dina clutching our business card as she died, almost like she was desperately trying to call us for help.
I just wish we could have been there for her.
With a sigh, I flip to the next page in her file and study the autopsy report again for the tenth time today. She had blunt force trauma to the head which is to be expected since they couldn’t find any brain activity when she was rushed to the hospital but she had defensive wounds all over her body as well. Whoever attacked her, she gave them hell and she didn’t go down without a fight. Of course there was no DNA found under her fingernails that could make this case real simple but she also had five broken ribs and a lot of internal bleeding. Reading over the information, I can see how we jumped to the conclusion we did with her husband’s history but when you add in the other g
irls, it doesn’t make sense anymore. Unless…
Holy shit.
What if Mitch is behind all of this? After he killed Dina, he could have continued killing girls we helped in an act of revenge for our role in helping her escape his abuse.
Jesus Christ…
It actually makes a whole lot of fucking sense and I can honestly say it’s the first viable lead I’ve come up with since I started digging into this. Besides, it takes a hell of a lot of rage to beat someone to death - something Mitch has in spades. The last time we ran into him, he punched Storm in the face and Chance had to pull a gun on him to get him to back down. I’m sure that hurt his pride quite a bit and to a man like Mitch, it’s enough to make him feel justified in his actions. Grabbing Laney’s file off of the table, I flip it open and turn to her autopsy report, hoping that maybe I’m onto something.
Fuck.
It’s a completely different MO.
In Laney’s case, it looks like her attacker surprised her and she didn’t have time to defend herself before the killer sank a knife into her chest. Why would Mitch change the way he was doing things? To throw us off his track? Or maybe I’m not onto anything at all. Shaking my head, I toss the file down and look up toward the stairs as my mind races with possibilities. If I’m going to truly pursue Mitch as a suspect, I need more information on him.
Nodding, I gather up the files and head upstairs, dropping them off in my room before I walk down to the end of the hall where Streak’s lair is. Streak is our resident tech expert so if anyone is going to dig up information on Mitch for me, it’s him.
“What?” he calls after I knock on the door and I open it. He flicks an annoyed glance over his shoulder before turning back to his computer screens. “I didn’t say come in, asshole.”
I shrug as I step into the room and close the door behind me. “Get over it, buttercup. I have a question for you.”
“Buttercup,” he mutters, shaking his head before he turns to face me and crosses his arms over his chest. “What’s your question?”
