by Lucy Smoke
“Well, considering Josh walked out of his rehab facility without discharging himself, I’d say that there’s still something not adding up,” he pointed out. He was right, but what was it? I felt like there was something big missing. Something I should see clearly.
“There’s no use getting so worked up now,” Marv said. “I didn’t bring you up here to rattle you. We’re just going over what we know. Think of the clues as the pieces to a puzzle—once you get the outer ones lined up and connected, you just need to fill the rest in.”
“That’s just the thing,” I said, standing and pulling my hands away. “None of it makes much sense to me right now.”
“Come on, sit back down.” Marv stood and patted the bed. I sighed but did as he asked while he moved towards my desk to pull out a sheet of paper and a pen from my drawer. “Alright, so let’s start out with what we know then.”
“Okay,” I said. “Well, we know that both Josh and Erika are missing.”
“Yes,” Marv said, scribbling it down. “What else?”
“We know that Josh was not discharged, and he left of his own free will. So, he hasn’t been kidnapped.”
Marv shook his head. “We don’t know that for sure.”
I frowned. “But how can you say that? Didn’t Texas and Grayson watch the videos? He did leave without anyone forcing him.”
“There are a lot of ways to force someone that don’t necessarily involve a gun to the back of the head.”
“Like coercion?” I asked.
“In a manner of speaking.” Marv scribbled something else down before turning back to me. “We did mention that Josh might have left because someone had kidnapped Erika to hold over him.”
“Sort of,” I conceded, “but then she wouldn’t have known she was leaving, which she clearly did.”
“Ah, but that’s assuming that the two are mutually exclusive.”
I stared at him as my temples throbbed. “Huh?”
Marv smiled patiently before writing something else down and then lifted the paper for me to see. It was a somewhat crude drawing of a puzzle with a bunch of missing middle pieces and blank outer pieces. In one corner, Marv had written “Caruso #1 missing” and in another space alongside it, he had written, “Erika missing.” Further to the side, another piece read “Erika takes prearranged break.”
Biting my lip, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Okay, so what if Josh was forced to leave then? It wasn’t because Erika was in trouble, because she already knew she was leaving. What if they planned on leaving together?” I asked.
Marv tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Do you think they eloped?”
Scrunching up my nose, I shook my head. “All this mess just to elope?” It was ridiculous. “No, it’s been weeks. They would have been back by now if they eloped.”
“Ah, and Caruso Number One doesn’t have any money left.” Marv took the paper back and leaned over the desk to fit that little tidbit of information into another space of the puzzle.
I watched him work as I thought. “Something triggered this,” I finally said.
“Hmmm?” Marv looked up. “Do you have an idea?” he asked.
“Not exactly.” I worried my bottom lip. “It’s just that Erika was acting a little strange when we went to that dance club in Charleston. She’s always been a loyal girlfriend before, but she wanted to drink and talk to guys while we were there.”
“Do you think she and Caruso Number One broke up?”
“If they did, she didn’t say anything about it.” And she would have, right? We were best friends. She told me everything. While I could no longer really do that with her because of Iris, it shouldn’t have had any effect on how she talked about her relationships which was, after all, one of her favorite subjects.
“I know Texas and Grayson have been working more on the case between classes,” Marv said. “Maybe they came up with something.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “You know, I never really understood that,” I said. “Taking classes, I mean. I get that we need to fit in to ask questions, but just one of us could have done it, right?”
Marv shrugged. “If we all have classes then it keeps people from asking too many questions when we’re on campus talking to them. And the more of us trying to feel out information, the higher chance we have of actually getting something useful.”
“Okay, then what about my dorm room?” I gestured around.
He tilted his head to the side, those tornado gray eyes staring at me once more. “Do you not like it?”
I huffed. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just asking why I was the only one who had to be in the dorms.”
Marv tapped his chin with the pen. “Well, one, because in a dorm setting, you can get closer to get more information. Two, you’re not just in any dorm—you’re in Erika’s old dorm. A lot of the girls living here probably take summer classes, right? It would make sense to put you here in case you came across any information.”
“So, I’m just here in case?”
“In the dorm? Sure. Here, working the mission? You’re here because you have a personal stake in it, and because we trust your ability and judgment. You know Erika the best. That’s an advantage that we need right now.”
"Then, is Grayson here because he knows Josh best?"
Marv looked away. "Grayson is here because Knix and Alex said he could be. He would have been here either way. They want him to work with us rather than against us."
I shot him a disapproving look. "Do you really think Grayson would work against us on this?"
"Who fucking knows what he's thinking," Marv said. Before I could reply, the sound of keys jingling in the hall preceded the opening of the door. Lizzie's short crop of highlighter pink hair came into view. When she caught a glimpse of Marv, a smile spread across her face and I rolled my eyes.
Here we go again, I thought.
"Hi," Lizzie said, dumping her stuff on her bedspread before marching over and shoving out her hand. "Who are you?" Her eyes slid my way. I shook my head, but she ignored me. "The boyfriend?"
Marv had just reached back for her hand when she said the word "boyfriend" and he froze as they clasped palms. Then, with an utterly straight face, he nodded to her as he shook her hand. "My name's Marv," he said, "and not yet, but hopefully."
I slapped his shoulder before I even realized that I had moved. Staring down at my own hand in shock, my eyes shot up to meet Marv's amused gaze. "I'm not taking it back," I said quickly.
He chuckled, releasing Lizzie's hand. Lizzie laughed, backing towards her bed. "Well, I'm just glad I didn't walk in on you two having sex," she said. "That happened with my roommate last year."
My cheeks flamed red and I shook my head sharply. "That's not going to happen." When Marv looked at me curiously, I stumbled to explain. "I mean, you wouldn't walk in on...that."
Lizzie shrugged. "Well, if you ever wanna do it, just hang a sock on the doorknob. That's like the universal signal for getting it on or something."
Could my blush get any hotter? Yes, yes it could. And it did.
"Okay, well, we should probably be going," I said, shoving Marv towards the door, grabbing my phone and keys on the way. "I'll see you later." I pushed Marv out into the hallway and shut the door behind me before grabbing his hand as we headed for the exit. Marv looked behind himself, chuckling.
"Not. A. Word," I warned, but that seemed to only make him laugh harder.
"What's the problem?" Marv asked as we stepped outside. I groaned. "I didn't lie."
Ignoring him, I released his hand and strode across the street, heading in the direction of the duplex. Marv jogged to catch up with my stomping gait. "Why are you so upset?" he asked.
I glared at him for a brief second before turning my face forward again. "It's embarrassing," I said. But more than that... "It makes me feel like a bad person."
Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell that Marv was shocked. I sighed. I should have known he wouldn't understand. Marv snagged m
y hand and brought me to a stop on the sidewalk, before pulling me to the side as a guy on a bicycle flew past us. "You are not a bad person, Sunshine," he replied with a stern expression. "Why would you even think that?"
I stared up at him. "Because," I started, "I feel like that's what you guys are waiting for—a decision. You want me to make a choice between you, and I don't know that I can. You and Bellamy and Knix and Texas have been friends for years. If I choose any one of you then how do you think the others are going to feel? How would you feel if when we saw them next, I said that I wanted to date Knix?"
His jaw clenched, his eyes turning fiery and molten. "Is that what you want?" he asked slowly.
I shook my head. "I'm not making a decision right now," I huffed. "I'm asking if, hypothetically, I did choose one of the others and it wasn't you, how would you feel?"
Marv blew out a breath. "Well, yeah, I wouldn't like it."
I nodded. "Would you ever be able to work with me and whoever I choose and not get jealous?"
"I..." He trailed off, looking at me as if searching for the answer I wanted. That was the problem, though—the answer I wanted, neither of us had. "I'd have to get over it?" He formed the statement as though it was a question and grimaced as though he didn't like the thought.
"That's it then?" I asked. "You and two others would have to just 'get over it'? Am I that easy to 'get over'?"
"That's not what I meant," he replied, his brows lowering to form a crevice between them. "I mean that we'd just have to accept your decision."
"And if you couldn't?" My heart hammered in my chest. "I don't know if I could get over it if you were choosing between me and one other girl much less three or four."
"So, what then?" he asked, frustration clear in his tone. "You want me to just choose you and these hypothetical girls?"
I flinched. That wasn't what I was saying. I was just trying to make a point and show him how difficult this was for me. It wasn't as easy as he and the guys seemed to think it was. They seemed to think that I could just spend time with all of them and then Bam! I'd have a decision made. But then I thought about it. If Marv had to choose between me and other girls, what would I do? Would I just give up and walk away because he hadn't chosen me right off the bat? Or would I do something else?
"Maybe," I began, "maybe I'd be okay if you had me." I swallowed roughly. "And if you couldn't choose, at least I'd know that I, at least, had some part of you." I pulled away from him and his shocked expression and turned back down the path. "But that's never going to happen, so let's just go."
Chapter 8
The moment I saw the dark SUV in the driveway, I knew Knix and Bellamy were here. Despite my conversation with Marv, and the thoughts on choosing between the guys pulling my mood down, I couldn't contain my excitement. I raced up the steps and into the house, leaping on the first person I saw, which just so happened to be Bellamy.
“Bellamy!" I squeezed my arms around his neck as his wide palms hooked under my thighs and lifted me against his chest.
Chuckling, he nuzzled into the side of my neck. "I missed you too, Sweetheart."
"What about me?" Knix asked, coming around the corner from the hallway. The moment Bellamy released me and let me slide down his front, I attacked Knix as well.
"I missed you too!" Knix laughed and lifted me up in much the same fashion as Bellamy. Knix, however, was much taller and I scrunched my head down, trying not to hit the ceiling. "I tried calling you guys, but it went straight to voicemail." There was a question in my tone despite the statement and, when Knix finally put me down, Bellamy shot me an apologetic look. Marv stood to the side, a frown on his face.
"We left our phones in Charleston," Knix said, “and got new ones for the trip.”
"Why?" I asked.
Bellamy and Knix shot each other an enigmatic look. "Does it have something to do with Iris?" a new voice asked. All eyes turned towards the doorway at our back, where Texas and Grayson stood side by side. Marv didn't say anything, but if his rigid features were anything to go by, then he was obviously displeased by Grayson's question.
Knix frowned. "Not exactly, but we've been doing some research on our own. There's been some questionable activity with the rehabilitation facility that your brother was checked into."
Grayson stepped forward, expression clouded with frustration and maybe even a little anger. Texas followed, almost as if he was standing by to watch what he would do, ready to step in if necessary. "What kind of questionable activity?" Grayson demanded.
"Maybe we should all take a seat?" Bellamy suggested.
Grayson scowled but didn't say anything more as we all moved into the living room and took our seats. Knix stayed standing while Bellamy sidled up next to me, and Texas plopped down on the floor between my legs. I smiled back at him and slid my hands into his hair, finger-combing the strands when he tilted his face up to grin at me. Knix stood at the front of the room and crossed his arms. Whenever he got into his team lead role, he seemed to appear larger—more imposing, if that was possible.
"The Greenwood Rehabilitation Center is owned by a corporation that, for all intents and purposes, specializes in the healthcare industry," he started.
"For all intents and purposes?" Grayson asked. Marv shot him a look that was obviously meant to shut him up, but Grayson didn't see it and I released Texas' hair, reaching over and touching Marv's arm to stop him from saying anything.
Knix sighed, ignoring the subtleties going on in front of him and focusing his gaze on Grayson. "The corporation appears to only have a select few actual physical locations—Greenwood Rehab being one of them—while according to their social media, website, marketing, etcetera, they have a far reach. They don't. They used to have a much farther reach before another corporation bought them out. The current head of Greenwood Rehab, Bernard Holding, was introduced just after the buy-out."
"So, he's the new corporation's go-to man?" Marv leaned forward as Knix nodded. Grayson eyed Marv with barely suppressed irritation.
"It appears so."
I shook my head. "I don't understand—what does Josh's rehab facility being owned by a new corporation have to do with anything?"
It was Bellamy who answered. "Because the new corporation is H. B. Holdings, and H. B. Holdings is a dummy corporation for drug running."
"What?" My face wasn't the only one that paled. Grayson stood abruptly and looked at the rest of us, shock and dawning horror crossing over his face.
"I put my drug addict of a brother in the hands of drug runners?"
I stood, sliding around Texas and moved towards Grayson, but he backed away, halting my movement with raised palms. His hands trembled as they dropped back down to his sides and he shook his head, but the horror and guilt on his face never left.
"Grayson, it's not your fault. How could you have known?" I assured him. Inside, my mind was chaos. My best friend was missing. Josh was missing. And now dummy corporations and drug dealers were in the mix? God, I didn't know how this could get any worse.
"Grayson, calm down," Knix urged with a soft tone. "We still don't know if the fact that the facility is run by H. B. Holdings and Josh and Erika's disappearance have any connection."
"No connection? How could it not? They're probably in there, selling drugs to addicts! I toured this fucking facility. I paid for it out of pocket. They probably automatically assumed that Josh was just another rich guy with a problem. He's the perfect target." Grayson's voice became louder and louder the more panicked he got. "Fuck!" He turned and slammed his fist into the wall. "How can you say it's not my fucking fault? I'm the one that put him in there."
Even Marv seemed to reserve some sympathy for Grayson as he unleashed.
"Let's just calm down," Bellamy said. "There's more."
Grayson's shoulders trembled with emotion. He rarely seemed to ever let anything get to him. It was hard seeing him so upset. But with Bellamy's words, his arm dropped away from the wall and he rubbed his hand roughly down his
face and retook his seat, avoiding looking at the rest of us. Texas reached up for my hand and tugged me back. Even as I sat back down, however, I kept my gaze on Grayson. Knix waited until everyone was resettled before dropping the ball.
"We left our phones back in Charleston because Bellamy and I are going undercover in the Greenwood facility," he said.
My eyes widened. "How are you doing that?"
They exchanged looks before Bellamy spoke up. "The facility allows outside contractors to come in for things like artistic therapy," he answered. It didn't surprise me much when he continued. "I'll be going in as one of those contractors as an assistant teacher for art therapy.”
"You're planning on asking around and trying to find any evidence of them selling to the residents," Texas said. Though it wasn’t a question, Bellamy still nodded.
"What about what Texas and Grayson found?" Marv asked before looking to me. "Harlow actually discovered something when she met with Erika's advisor today."
All eyes turned to me. Once, I might have shrunk down, but I had been with these guys long enough that I was comfortable sitting forward and meeting their gazes. "Erika planned on taking a break from the university," I relay. "She knew she'd be leaving." And, that, I still didn’t understand.
Knix frowned but nodded my way. “Good work. We’re getting more information at least.”
“When do you and Bellamy start?” Texas asked, leaning forward. “Do you think I could get in as a security or IT guy?”
“Not this time,” Marv said. “They would recognize you as one of the detectives that looked at the video footage.”
“Dang it.” Texas slumped back against my legs again before tipping his head back to look up at me. “At least I get to stay here with you, Spider Princess.”
I rolled my eyes before reaching forward to tousle his hair. “In your dreams.”
He grinned wickedly. “You’re right. In fact, that makes me tired right now.” He stood abruptly and lifted me from the couch. I squealed as he swung me around in his arms. “Let’s go to bed and make those dreams come true,” he suggested with a laugh.