by Katie Reus
The door was yanked open so she held out the phone for the agent to see. He was silent as the video continued, zooming out to show Adeline’s signature sparkly sneakers and the day’s newspaper. So she had been alive at least this morning. Which was something.
Serenity wiped her damp palms on her pants as the phone buzzed again. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Find your friend before she dies of starvation. Not a pretty way to go.
Bile rose in Serenity’s throat as the video ended.
“Do you know the identity of the caller?” the agent asked, taking the Tracfone from her. Clearly Amy had picked up on her conversation.
She quickly relayed everything and he simply nodded. “Smart thinking, calling Amy. She picked your phone up from the road. She should be here in—” The burner phone dinged in his hands. A text.
Go look behind the little swing set. The one with the blue-colored baby swings.
The agent looked around, weapon up. It was too cold for parents to be here with their kids so at least the place was deserted. Serenity’s breath was visible in the air, little wisps of smoke curling up against the gray background of the park and sky.
“Amy’s almost here,” he said, glancing down at his phone once.
Serenity looked over her shoulder when she heard the sound of tires rolling over gravel. It was Amy, her partner in the passenger seat.
The two of them jumped out together, practically in unison as if they’d choreographed it.
“It was smart to call me,” Amy said as she approached, her weapon also drawn.
“I didn’t know if I should follow the instructions or not, but I did.” For all she knew she could’ve made herself a target. Her stomach was twisted up in vicious knots as she thought about what Adeline must be going through.
“We’ll talk about that later—I don’t want you going off without us again, even if you knew we were following you.”
Her partner Frank had already broken off from them and had disappeared into the woods surrounding the park.
The other agent held out the phone to Amy so she could read.
After she looked at the screen, she glanced around, weapon still up. “I don’t like any of this.”
Yeah, no shit. A chill snaked down Serenity’s spine as she looked at the trees surrounding the park. Green still dotted some of them but they were mostly bare as they rustled in the wind. She followed after Amy, her heart pounding a staccato beat in her chest.
By the time they reached the swing set, Frank and two more agents she hadn’t even known were here filtered out of the woods nearby like freaking ghosts.
“No sign of anyone,” one of the agents said. “But I found this,” the woman continued, holding up a small camera. “It was secured to one of the trees. Gonna bag it for the techs.”
Amy tucked her weapon away as they all began searching around the swing set area.
“There.” Serenity pointed to a piece of plastic peeking out of the sand by one of the poles.
Amy moved closer and gingerly pulled it out. “It’s another bracelet and…a photograph.” She slid gloves on, then opened the bag. “It looks like you.”
When she held out the Polaroid to Serenity, she felt all the blood leave her face as she stared at the picture of her sister asleep in their dorm room. It was from the night they’d been taken.
“Not me,” she rasped out. “Savannah. I think it’s from…that night.” Her throat constricted as she forced the words out. “She’s wearing the same pajamas from that night.”
Frowning, Amy flipped the Polaroid over and let out a curse. “It’s dated the day you guys were taken.”
Someone had taken a picture of them the night they’d been taken. A shudder snaked through her, revulsion settling in her gut. She’d always known that but she’d never understood how it had happened. Obviously they’d been drugged but—
“Excuse me,” she blurted, turning away and promptly throwing up.
Chapter 16
“Thank you again for picking up Harper,” Serenity said, collapsing onto the couch opposite Lucas.
“You don’t ever have to thank me. Are you going to tell me what happened?” Lucas had been surprisingly patient, waiting until she’d gotten Harper bathed and in bed before asking questions.
He definitely deserved an answer. She quickly ran through everything that had happened that afternoon. Thankfully Amy had called Lucas’s brother and told him that someone would need to pick Harper up from school—because she’d been thinking clearly. And Lincoln had of course called Lucas, who’d stepped up once again. He knew that Adeline had been kidnapped—everyone did—and that this afternoon something had happened related to it, but he didn’t have any other details.
Lucas’s expression was tight by the time she finished about the Polaroid. “Someone close to you had to have drugged you back then.”
“I know. And Amy agrees as well. We always thought he had a partner.” She’d already told him as much earlier, so he didn’t look surprised. “But there was no way to prove it. And I never saw anyone. But someone got Savannah and me from our dorm rooms. Or had access to our food and drinks. So they’re looking into anyone who was at school with us then and anyone in my life now. Not that they actually have to be in my life, but it’s a starting point.”
She rubbed a hand over her face.
“I explained a little bit to Harper about why you’re staying here. No real details, I just let her know that the sheriff and FBI want to make sure we’re safe and that’s why you’re going to be hanging out for a while. Which, you don’t actually need to since the FBI—”
His expression darkened as he went into full-on protective mode. “Just stop. I’m not going anywhere.”
She was silent for a long moment, watching him. She desperately wanted him to stay. Felt safe with him here. But not if there were strings or expectations attached. “Even if I never offer you anything other than friendship?”
He nodded. “Even then. I’m not here because I want something. I’m here because I want to be and because you need the support. You don’t owe me shit for this, Serenity.”
She liked that he didn’t pretend not to understand what she meant. She’d never hinted that she wanted to offer more than friendship anyway, but she knew how he felt about her. Or at least a little bit. She had no idea if he wanted a future or just a hookup, though the way he was acting, she was fairly certain he didn’t want the latter. He was acting as if she was precious to him, as if she mattered.
Even if she didn’t owe Lucas an explanation, she was going to explain to him why she didn’t want a relationship. He deserved it. “After what happened with Black, I met Olsen not too long after.”
Lucas slightly straightened at the change in topic.
She continued, wanting to get all of this out at once. “He was a good man. Or at least not a terrible one. We had enough chemistry and… I didn’t realize it at the time, but he liked being a knight in shining armor. He liked the thought of rescuing me. And to be honest, I didn’t want to live anywhere near here back then. I wanted to run away from everything, to escape my past. And he was being sent on an international deployment. When he asked me to marry him, I said yes to escape. My mom had just died too and… I can see everything clearly now, but I was running away. And with his constant deployments, he was the perfect escape route.”
Lucas nodded in understanding. Of course—of all people he would understand, considering he’d been deployed as well.
Since he didn’t audibly respond, just listened attentively, she kept going. “Near the end of our marriage things weren’t so great. They weren’t awful or anything, just… I wasn’t able to go with him on the last few deployments, and when he came back from them things between us were strained each time. While he’d been gone, I’d been spreading my wings a little, making friends, joining different clubs. Not to mention I’d been in charge of paying the bills and taking care of things around the house, and all the parenting duties. When he got back the last ti
me, I wasn’t ready to relinquish control of those things anymore. I did, eventually, to keep the peace.
“But it was a sign of issues we were already having. As time passed, and being on my own so much with Harper, I needed someone to look out for me less and less. I wasn’t that damsel in distress he needed to save, and I now realize he almost resented me for it. Maybe that’s too much of a jump, but our marriage had started to fracture. Then when he was killed in an ambush, I discovered he had a bunch of online gambling debts. It was like I didn’t know him at all. He’d dipped into our savings, something I also hadn’t realized. And that’s definitely on me. I never checked our finances except to pay the bills, and he was gone so much. I let him handle all the big stuff like car insurance and homeowner’s insurance…”
She paused, drew a deep breath.
“Our finances weren’t a complete mess, but they weren’t great. And when he died, I realized how little I knew about the state of our affairs. I didn’t even have passwords to some things. I literally just let him take over my life and didn’t question things like my retirement accounts or…anything. It was so, so foolish and I never want to do that again.” Now she had a firm grasp on everything. Never again would she let anyone take over her finances and life.
Lucas was silent for a long moment, watching her. “I’m sorry about your marriage. I truly am. And for the record, I’m not looking to save you. I don’t think you need saving. You are one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. I like you, Serenity. I like you a lot. I just want to be with you. And I want to help keep you safe.”
His words warmed her from the inside out. “I don’t know if I can ever be what you want.” She deeply cared for Lucas too, but she wasn’t sure she was willing to ever open her heart up to someone again. She’d gotten burned last time, and looking back, she’d never had that epic kind of love with her husband. She’d liked and respected him and she’d been grateful for the escape he’d afforded her. She’d truly been a mess back then. But becoming a mother had changed her inside, given her back her steel spine.
Lucas had started to respond when her phone rang. Glancing at it she immediately picked it up when she saw that it was Amy. “Have you found her?” she asked upon answering.
A long sigh. “No. I just wanted to let you know that we’ve reviewed the phone and videos texted to you. All the metadata has been stripped from it, which sucks, but we did find out where the burner phones were purchased—a gas station a couple towns over. Which lends credence to the idea of whoever doing this being a local here. Unfortunately they paid cash and there are no working security cameras at that place. Which was probably intentional on their part.”
Her hope quickly crashed and burned as Amy laid out all the details. “So this person is somewhat intelligent,” she muttered.
“Yes,” Amy said. “But we have a lot of resources and we are using all of them to find whoever this is. We will find them.”
Yeah, but how long would that take? “Thank you for calling. I appreciate it.” Because Amy didn’t have to.
“I’ll keep you updated on anything that I’m able to. You already know that we’ve got someone stationed outside your house tonight, so get some sleep.”
“I will. Thank you.”
“No news?” Lucas asked after Serenity wrapped up her conversation with Amy.
“Nothing good.” She quickly relayed everything to him before standing. The news that they weren’t closer to finding Adeline sucked the rest of her energy out of her. “I’m going to head to bed.” Not that she would be able to sleep. Again.
For a moment it appeared as if he might protest, but then he nodded. “I’ll be up for a while if you want to talk or anything.”
The “or anything” made her pause, but she simply nodded and headed to her room. She knew she needed sleep if she was going to be any use to anyone, but she wasn’t sure she would manage to get any.
Not with her friend missing and a monster out there gunning for her.
Chapter 17
Lucas was keyed up, unable to sleep for a multitude of reasons. He stared at the ceiling for another few seconds and finally got out of bed. Normally when he had trouble sleeping, he read for a while then usually crashed. Or if he’d had a nightmare, he tried writing therapy. Though as the years stretched out since leaving the military, he slept better and better. Time and distance were healing all unto themselves. For him at least. He knew that not everyone fared the same.
But being under Serenity’s roof right now wasn’t helping him sleep. Not to mention he missed Daisy. She sometimes slept at the foot of his bed, but usually she curled right up next to his leg, making sure at least her head or one paw made contact. When he’d gotten her, he’d sworn he would never have a dog sleep in his bed but she’d made the decision for him. Because once she’d finally figured out how to jump up on the bed he hadn’t been able to kick her out. Saying no to those big brown eyes? Not possible.
He quietly made his way to the kitchen, careful not to disturb anyone, and to his surprise he found Serenity sitting at the table, mug in hand. Maybe he’d heard her in his subconscious and woken up.
“Hey,” he murmured, stepping inside. It was normal and weird at the same time to be here with her. “How long have you been up?”
“Only about fifteen minutes. I’m about to head back to bed. I just couldn’t sleep. I keep thinking about…” Sighing, she took a sip of what he guessed was hot tea.
Yeah, he could see the faint circles under her eyes. He poured some water for himself and leaned against the counter. “They’re going to catch whoever is doing this.”
She nodded, but he could tell she didn’t believe him. Not that he blamed her. This had to be a nightmare for her—to move here after what she’d already been put through, settle in, start a business and then…this.
“I have a question, and if you say no it’s okay. I was wondering if you would mind if I brought Daisy over here? She’s fine at my mom’s but I miss her and—”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Of course. I’m just sorry I didn’t think of it earlier. I love that sweet girl.”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind. Harper loves Daisy too, so this should be a good distraction for her,” he added. He hoped she was for Serenity too. Daisy was like that; she seemed to know when you needed comforting.
Serenity’s mouth pulled up in a ghost of a smile. “She’ll be in heaven with Daisy here. In fact, you might lose her to Harper,” she said, teasingly.
Daisy already adored Harper so he kinda figured she might bunk in Harper’s room if Serenity allowed it. Which was fine with him.
“We lost our dog before we moved here,” she continued.
His surprise must have shown on his face.
She nodded. “Yeah, I don’t talk about her because it hurts. She was a rescue dog, a Maltese mix I got when I was pregnant with Harper. Her name was Dolly—after Dolly Parton. And I swear she knew I was pregnant before I did. She was tiny, but a fierce, protective little thing. Then when Harper was born, she was protective of her. She had heart issues, which is part of the reason she ended up at the kennel in the first place. She saved me as much as I saved her.” There was a wealth of love and sadness in her voice.
Layers. This woman had so many of them. “Daisy saved me too,” he said quietly, admitting to her what he’d never told anyone else. But it was true. Therapy had obviously helped, but Daisy? She’d been a huge help too. “Dogs are good for the soul.” They were experts at unconditional love.
“I agree wholeheartedly. Bring her over as soon as you want.” She stood then, finishing the rest of her tea. “I’m going to try and get some sleep. I don’t even want to open tomorrow but the Feds think it’s a good idea.”
“Yeah, Lincoln said the same thing. It’s better to have you there where the cameras are anyway.”
“That’s what Amy said.”
Lucas knew the Feds hoped they might catch the killer on camera. Even if it would be monumentally stupid for
whoever had killed Mrs. Rose to go in there, sometimes there was no logic to crazy. “They are going to catch whoever did this,” he said again, wanting to emphasize what he truly believed. And until then, he was going to keep Serenity safe. She was his to protect, no matter what. He didn’t care if they weren’t together—if they might never be. He would do anything to keep her safe. He just hated that her friend Adeline had been taken. He might not know her well but she didn’t deserve this. No one did.
She gave him one of those soft, sweet smiles and set her mug in the sink. “I know you don’t want any more thanks from me, but I’m going to keep thanking you. Even with a Fed watching the house, I still feel better knowing you’re here.”
That was high praise indeed. He simply nodded and drank his water, however. He didn’t want her thanks. He just wanted her, always. Forever. She’d been through so much, and knowing that she hadn’t had a great marriage, damn. She deserved the world. She deserved a man who worshiped her, not someone with a savior complex.
After she left, he remained in the kitchen, trying to get his head on straight. All he wanted was to protect her and keep her safe. He hadn’t been lying before—he truly did think she was the strongest woman he’d ever met. She’d survived hell and gone on to have a life, to become a mom and run her own business. She was independent, an occasional smartass, and fiercely protective of her daughter. He respected the hell out of all of that.
He downed his water and made his way back to the guest bedroom.
To his surprise, he found Serenity stepping out of Harper’s room.
“I keep checking on her,” Serenity whispered, shutting the door with a soft click. “It’s like a compulsion. I think it’s why I can’t sleep.”
“Do you have one of those baby monitor things?”
“Yeah. From when she was a baby. I guess I could put it in her room. I thought about just sleeping in her room, but I’m worried that’ll make her realize how afraid I am.” She ran her fingers through her dark hair. “Using the monitor would probably help me sleep a lot better.” She stepped closer to him, clearly meaning to pass by as she made her way to her bedroom.
