by Jill Sanders
“I know, but I promised—”
“I don’t give a fuck who you promised,” the employee said. “Later.” He marched past the guy and headed straight for her.
“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice a little irritated.
“Oh!” She faked surprise. “Yes, I’m sorry. I know nothing about this sort of thing.” She stood up and held two hammers up as she ran her eyes over him as if she was interested. “Which one should I get for hanging pictures?” She slowly licked her lips as the guy behind them disappeared down the aisle. “This one has this hooky thing.” She ran her fingertips over the shaft of the hammer and inwardly smiled as the guy swallowed hard with attraction. His eyes ran over her quickly, taking all of her in. “If I make a mistake, I can just… use this to pull it out, right?”
The employee swayed, and she noticed his instant discomfort. She tilted her head a little to hide the disgust she felt.
“Right,” he finally said, instantly dropping his irritation and smiling back at her. He tried to charm her next, which made her even more sure that he was a scum ball. “I could always… come over and help you hang whatever it is.” He leaned against the shelves behind her, getting closer to her.
She noticed everything about him, the nametag that said Jim that was pinned to his worn work shirt, his faded black jeans, and his dirty work boots. Everything down to the fact that his teeth had nicotine stains on them, and his fingernails had dirt and grime under them. However, his eyes were clear and white, which told her that he probably wasn’t a user himself, at least not at the moment.
She smiled. “That would be great, but…” She sighed and did a little pout. “I don’t think my boyfriend would like that.”
She watched the guy tense, his eyes change, grow darker as his mouth twisted into a smile that made her back up a step. He reached out and gripped her arm. It took all her willpower not to jerk away and punch him.
“Then again, we have been fighting a lot lately,” she added smoothly, her eyes returning to his.
“Oh?” he asked, “Who’s your boyfriend?” He moved closer and she could smell the cigarettes on his clothes and breath.
“Brian, Brian Laster,” she answered with a slight pout.
The man made a face and jerked back, dropping her arm. She couldn’t tell if he knew Brian, but upon hearing his name, his entire attitude changed again.
“We’re staying until after the holidays.” She continued to pout. “He’s visiting his family, but I’m so bored.” She sighed and slumped her shoulders slightly. “There’s nothing fun to do around here.”
As if he’d recovered, he moved a little closer. “There is, if you know the right people.” His hand came up to her arm and started rubbing where he’d gripped it earlier, moving dangerously close to the side of her breast. She wanted to pull away but needed to keep up the facade.
“What kind of fun?” she asked, keeping the hammers between their bodies.
His eyes moved to her lips and then to her breasts. “The usual kind.”
“I was hoping for… something more,” she whined softly.
His eyes narrowed with suspicion, telling her that she’d crossed the line too soon.
“So, which one should I get?” She held up the hammers when he looked at her in question.
“The Eastwing,” he answered. “The blue one,” he added when she glanced down at them.
“Thank you.” She tossed the blue hammer into her cart and dropped the other one back into the bucket. She glanced over her shoulder. “See you around…” She squinted at his nametag like she hadn’t noticed it earlier. “Jim,”
He glanced down and laughed. “Jonah. The boss is too cheap to buy us new nametags.”
She smiled. “Right, Jonah suits you better,” she purred.
“What’s your name?” he called after her.
She glanced back at him again. “Mia,” she said easily. “See you around, Jonah.”
“See ya,” he said as she left him standing at the end of the aisle.
To maintain her cover, she bought everything she’d tossed into her cart and loaded it into the backseat of the SUV.
Feeling totally disgusted at herself, she drove two blocks towards the Spot and wondered if Brian was still inside.
Parking down the street, she sent a text to him.
-You want me to join you? I’m outside.
It took several minutes before he replied. She didn’t mind, she sat there and watched her wiper blades clear the fresh snow from the windshield. The entire town was quiet, as if everyone was either busy in the middle of the day or in hiding. Still, it was nice watching the Christmas lights twinkle in the wet snow.
-No, I won’t be long. Going to see who else I can score from. I can walk home.
-Okay, see you there.
Her heart did a little flip as she read the last word. Home. Leaning her head back again, she allowed herself to daydream.
Her mind conjured up images of Brian coming home after a long day’s work. She would have spent the day with their children, then she’d have dinner on the stove and a fire in the fireplace. He’d come in, wrap his arms around her and their kids…
There was a loud knock on her window, causing her to jump.
Glancing over, she rolled the window down, and pasted on a smile.
“Hi, Jonah,” she said, trying to hide the concern in her tone.
“Hey, thinking of going in?” He nodded towards the strip club.
She turned her head to glance over to the club just as his fist connected with her temple, sending her into the darkness.
Chapter 18
Brian was having shit luck. Sure, he’d scored outside of Granger’s, but after that, it appeared that Gary’s murder had spooked everyone enough that they were all staying home.
Less than half an hour after walking into the Spot, he stepped outside. Mia had texted him a few minutes earlier and now he was wishing he’d asked her to wait and drive him home.
The cold air bit his skin, and even through his jeans and jacket he felt the chill as he walked the almost six blocks towards the house. By the time he walked up onto the front porch, he was freezing and wishing for a night in front of the fireplace, making love to Mia.
Using his key, he let himself in the front door and instantly knew that he was alone.
Pulling out his cell phone, he called Mia. His call went directly to voice mail.
He sent her a text.
-Where are you?
He waited five minutes without a reply, then he called her again. Pulling out a cold sandwich for lunch, he ate it, waiting for her call or text.
Two hours later, he called Tom.
“Hey,” Tom answered on the second ring. “I don’t have anything—”
“Have you heard from Mia?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.
“No, not since she left the Moose,” Tom answered. “What’s up?”
“She texted me two hours ago. We were supposed to meet back here, but she’s not answering her phone or text.”
“I can drive around town and see if I see the car?”
“Pick me up first. I’ll go with you.”
“It wouldn’t do you any good to been seen riding around in a police cruiser,” Tom suggested.
“Damn.” He hadn’t thought of that. His only concern had been to find Mia. “Fine, I’ll call—”
“Tyler’s here,” Tom suggested. “He was dropping off some paperwork about some items that went missing at the school. I can send him your way.”
“Thanks.” He hung up and pulled on his coat and boots again. When Tyler drove up, he was standing on the curb waiting for him.
“Hey, where do you want to start?” Tyler asked.
“The Spot. She was parked out front waiting for me while I…”—he shook his head— “was working.”
“Right.” Tyler glanced at him and started towards the club. “I still can’t get over it. You.” He chuckled. “DEA.” He shook his head as he pulle
d down the street the Spot was on.
“She’s not here.” He practically growled it.
“You’ve tried calling…” The look he gave Tyler shut him up. “Right, then where to next?”
“I saw her outside of Granger’s.”
“You want to go backward?” Tyler asked.
“It’s all I can think of.”
“Okay.” He shrugged and threw the car into gear.
“She was parked here.” He motioned to the spot. “We had breakfast at the Moose, then put on a little show…”—he glanced over to Tyler— “and I stormed out. I walked over here, bought a bag of pills from Charlie,”
“Charlie.” Tyler frowned. “Harman?”
“Yeah. I was going to have them tested…” He pulled the pills from his pocket.
“Charlie’s right there.” Tyler pointed towards the front doors. The guy was standing out front smoking a cigarette, looking like he was waiting for someone.
Before he could think, Brian jumped out of the car and stormed across the parking lot.
“Hey, man, no refunds.” Charlie held up his hands.
“No, man.” Brian realized he had to play it cool. “I’m looking for my woman.”
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. “Who’s that? The sexy brunette I’ve seen you around town with?”
“Mia,” he said with a chuckle. “Yeah, she was supposed to pick me up,” he lied easily. “Now she’s missing.”
“Damn.” Charlie chuckled. “Can’t even keep your woman.” He shook his head. “I saw her flirting with Jonah earlier.”
“Jonah?” Brian frowned.
“Right, he came into town a few months back. He works over there.” He nodded to Granger’s. “Stockroom mostly.”
Brian stormed towards the doors as Charlie called after him.
“If you punch him, give him one for me. That guy’s a real ass.”
Brian found the back storeroom empty and by the time he found Frank, the store manager, his temper and fear for Mia had tripled.
“Where’s Jonah?” he asked, interrupting the man’s conversation with a customer.
“Brian.” Frank smiled. “I’ll be with you—”
“Now,” Brian broke in. “Sorry, Mrs. Baily, but this is important.”
“Sure thing, Brian.” The older woman moved off down the aisle.
“Where’s Jonah?” he asked Frank again.
“He clocked off early. Said he wasn’t feeling well. That kid just got back from a week’s vacation. Probably caught something while he was gone,” Frank answered.
“Where does he live?”
“Now, Brian, I can’t tell—”
“Now. This is life or death,” he growled out, moving closer.
Frank glanced over and saw Tyler standing behind Brian. Tyler nodded quickly, and Frank blurted out.
“He’s renting the apartment above the old bakery.”
Both Brian and Tyler took off quickly. Since he was too hyped up to just ride, he yelled, “I’ll drive.” He reached for the keys, but Tyler jerked them back.
“Nope, this is Kristen’s car. She’ll kill me if you scratch it.” Tyler jumped in behind the wheel.
He didn’t want to waste time and argue, so he held on as Tyler rushed across town towards the old bakery.
They came up empty-handed when Jonah’s landlord told them that he was still at work.
“Damn.” He hit the front door of Jonah’s apartment.
“Guess we continue to drive around.” Tyler pulled out his phone.
“Who are you calling?” Brian asked.
“Twilight bark,” Tyler said, sending off a text.
“What?” Brian shook his head, not understanding.
“Sorry.” Tyler chuckled. “The kids love 101 Dalmatians.” He sighed. “I’m bringing in the family. We’ll drive around until we find Mia or Jonah.” He showed him the screen.
-We’ll find her.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve searched for someone,” Tyler reminded him.
“No.” He felt his chest tighten. But it was the first time Brian had a stake in the hunt.
He was surprised how big the small town felt in the next couple hours. They combed every street, every building that was open or empty.
Having not found their rental car, he was beginning to worry that she’d driven into a ditch somewhere. He’d seen plenty of articles about people getting in car crashes and not being found until the spring.
Tyler let him borrow a work truck so he could search some of the side roads himself.
He was surprised at how organized the McGowans were. They separated the town and the surrounding areas into quadrants and coordinated by a group text message, each person reporting in every half hour as they searched.
By nightfall, he was beginning to wonder if she’d stumbled upon the leader of the drug ring and they had her. Worry kept surfacing, making him doubt everything he saw or thought about their relationship.
At one point, he even convinced himself that she’d left Haven and returned home. Especially considering the very public fight they’d had just had earlier that morning. Even though it had been fake, he could tell that it had affected her.
Shit. What was he going to do without her? Why hadn’t he had the balls to tell her how he felt?
What would he do if they didn’t find her or, worse, if they did and she’d just wanted to get away from him?
Could he bear to lose her? Why hadn’t he told her that he loved her? If they found her, he promised himself that it would be the first thing he said to her. Please, let them find her, he thought as more snow began to fall.
He’d thought about the caves, but Trent had promised him that it had been one of the first places they’d checked.
Mia’s words came back to him, the night they had climbed the hill and looked inside. “How did Kristen stay warm in the cave?”
Was she warm? Was she locked up someplace cold?
God, he couldn’t imagine her freezing, shivering in the dark somewhere.
He banged his fists against the steering wheel as he drove towards the old train station. He’d seen a pair of tire tracks turn off the main road and had decided to follow them.
He was just about to give up hope, believing that the tire tracks were heading into town instead of out, when he noticed a dark figure walking through the snow on the road towards him.
The high beams of the truck hit her full force and he noticed that every inch of her was covered in bright red blood. Her face was paler than the snow surrounding her, and her dark hair looked jet black as her wide eyes stared straight into the bright lights.
Her shirt was ripped down the front, fully exposing her breasts to the night air, and he saw red.
The truck skidded on the slushy snow as he slammed on the brakes. He jumped out and gathered her in his arms, telling her over and over again that he loved her, that he was sorry, that he should have been there for her.
Her knees gave out and he lifted her into his arms, still telling her how he felt as he cried over her and blood soaked through his own clothes.
“Are you hurt?” He felt her body go completely limp in his arms and looked down into her eyes.
“Brian?” He could tell instantly that she was in shock.
“Babe, what happened to you?” Her entire body shook and when he touched her face, he could tell she was frozen.
He carried her to the passenger side of the truck and set her down. Finding a large wool blanket in the back seat, he wrapped it around her and flipped on the truck’s heater full blast.
“Are you hurt?” he asked her again.
She glanced down at her hands and that’s when he realized she was holding a bloody blue hammer.
Just then his cell phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered Tyler’s call. There was so much blood on his hands, it took him a few swipes to answer it. His hands were shaking so bad that he had to take a few deep breaths before he could speak.
“I
found her,” he said immediately. “She’s on the road to the old train station, just off Sunset Road. Send an ambulance and… Tom better be here,” he added after seeing a chunk of hair and scalp dangling from the claw part of the hammer Mia still held in her hands.
Without waiting for a reply, he hung up and tossed his phone in the seat next to her, not caring that blood was being splattered all over the inside of Tyler’s truck.
“Baby, are you hurt?” he asked, gently peeling the hammer from her fingers and setting it on the floor.
“No,” she said, her voice sounding distant. “I… he… was going to rape me. He said everyone would think you did it. Because we fought.” Her eyes turned to his. “I killed him.”
“Good girl,” He sighed and rested his forehead on hers. “Where?”
Her eyes moved to where he’d found her. “That way.” She shivered. “Jonah.” She closed her eyes. “I… flirted with him. He was the supplier. That boy you were talking with…”
“Charlie?”
She nodded once. “Jonah was his supplier. I… overheard them talking, then he approached me and…” She shut her eyes again. “It was my fault. I flirted with him, then when he…” She shivered, and he doubted it had anything to do with the cold. “I blew him off, just to get out of there. I was sitting outside of the Spot. I sent you a text… He was there, then he…” She reached up with her blood-soaked hand and touched the side of her head.
To his horror, he watched a fresh trail of blood ooze out of a large gash near her temple.
Pulling her hand away, he searched the truck for something to stop the bleeding. In the end, he ripped off his own T-shirt and held it to her temple. The fact that she didn’t even wince with pain assured him that she was in full shock.
As he applied pressure to the cut on her temple, she continued to tell the story of how she’d woken up in the backseat of the SUV.
“He was there, he’d ripped my shirt and was… then he pulled off my jeans.” She shook again. “He had his fingers…”
“Don’t baby,” he cried out, wrapping his arm around her as tears flowed down his face. He couldn’t take it. If he wasn’t pretty sure the man was dead, he’d grab the hammer and finish the job himself.