“You’re ignoring me, Hanna. And I don’t like it. This is your last chance to meet me at the pier, tonight at nine p.m. Don’t be late.” Ethan read aloud.
Riley leaned forward to get a better look at the note. The writing was neat, with perfect spelling and punctuation.
“What’s the date of that entry?” He nodded to the journal. The date was written at the top right-hand corner of the page. “June twenty-sixth,” she whispered. The words fell from her mouth with the weight of an anvil. Her fingers curled around the edges of the book. “She went missing on June twenty-eighth.”
“I think we have our guy.” His jaw worked beneath the light shadow that grew. Nausea swelled in her stomach. She set the book down and tunneled her hand through her hair, her elbow rested on her knee.
“This is awful, Ethan. How on earth are we going to tie the notes to anyone? Hanna didn’t even have a suspicion and if she did, she didn’t write it down.”
“There are still more entries, right?”
She nodded. “I remember noticing that the last few entries were written in the last week. That’s a lot for her.”
“There could still be information that we haven’t read yet.” His hand smoothed up and down her back. She swallowed and picked the book up again.
A car pulled into the driveway. “The pizza is here.” Ethan stood and greeted the delivery driver at the steps.
Riley picked up the book. There were two entries left. The first one told of where she had found the note, pressed to the windshield of her car after work. She turned to the final entry, dated the day before Hanna had disappeared.
I’m getting scared. I always feel like someone is watching me now and I jump at every sound, especially when I’m home alone. Last night, a blocked number called my phone. They didn’t speak, but sat on the line. I hung up. I’m going to go to the police station tomorrow, but I’m scared. Everyone in this town talks… what will he do if he finds out I went to the police?
It could literally be anyone. My mind keeps racing with possibilities, but all that’s doing is making me crazy. Brian, Riley’s ex-boyfriend, moved back recently. I ran into him the other day. He was polite, but this was the first time I had seen him in years. I feel like it’s someone I know, someone I see often. He seems so close to me all the time.
I forgot to tell Riley about this during our last phone call. We’re supposed to chat again on Sunday, so I will tell her then. Maybe she’ll be able to help me figure this out.
She closed her eyes. Tears welled behind her closed lids, but she blinked them back before they could spill. Not now. With the journal pressed tightly against her stomach, she followed Ethan into the house. The scent of cheesy pizza wafted to her nose and tingled her taste buds despite the pit of nausea that settled in her chest.
“I ordered a salad too, I hope you’re hungry.”
Riley forced a smile and accepted a plate from his outstretched hand. “Thanks, I’m starving.”
Ethan lifted a slice and set it on her plate. She added a helping of salad, and waited for Ethan to fill his plate. She sat at the table where two full glasses of water waited, and he slid in next to her. His body was so much bigger than hers. Heat radiated off him, and the urge to press her body to his vibrated through her.
“Find anything else in the other entries?” He took a big bite of pizza, and waited. The deep blues of his eyes watched her carefully. She lifted a shoulder, and blew on the warm cheese.
“She mentioned my ex-boyfriend Brian moving back into town. But nothing else about him other than that he was polite.”
“They knew each other?”
Riley nodded. “Of course. We all grew up here and went to school together. It’s not unusual that he’d say hi to her.”
Ethan chewed, his brow furrow hinting that he wasn’t quite convinced.
Riley continued, “She wrote that she was scared and felt someone was always watching her. She was worried about going to the police in case he found out.” Riley sunk her teeth into the warm crust and the tangy marinara hit her tongue. She swallowed and pressed a napkin to her lips.
Her stomach flipped over. Hanna had been scared shitless and Riley hadn’t had any clue. What kind of best friend was she? At the time in her life when Hanna had needed her most, she’d been in Boston.
She took another bite but her appetite was diminishing. Ethan was already onto his second slice.
“She didn’t think it was someone random, which makes sense with how long it went on. I’m interested if Joe knows about this. I don’t think he does, because I don’t recall him telling me about it. Joe faxed the file over to my buddy Nate, and he didn’t mention it either. I just hung up with Joe and he was heading to your house now to check things out.”
At the mention of Ethan’s friend Nate, Riley perked up. “That’s who you called when we got here? The FBI agent?”
“Yup. He found a flight and lands tomorrow night.”
“Oh my god, that’s great news. Do you think he’ll be able to help?”
Ethan wiped his chin with a napkin. His eyes darkened. “Not exactly. He’s doing this as a favor, so the FBI isn’t officially involved. Turns out he had some vacation days to use up, so he was able to get off last minute. I need someone else here so I can investigate more.”
“What do you mean? We’re doing this together.”
“Absolutely we are. But some things are dangerous and I don’t feel safe leaving you here.”
“What things?” She set her pizza on her plate and folded her arms on the table. She squinted at him through heavy lids. What exactly was he getting at?
“After what happened this morning, I want to stake out your place. My bet is he’ll return there at some point.”
She shifted her gaze to the smooth, mahogany table. He was trying to help find Hanna, for that, she was grateful. But he was too worried about her. With Ethan trying to protect her, it was hindering their investigation. She ran her tongue over the inside of her teeth. In the beginning, Ethan had made her promise that she wouldn’t use herself to find the suspect. What other option was there?
She lifted her eyes to meet his, and her fingertips dug into her elbows. He was going to refuse, but she had to get through to him. It was the only way. “I’m sure he’ll figure out soon that I’m not staying there anymore. If you’re right and he plans to return, I should be there. That may be the only way we catch him.”
Ethan took a bite of salad, his eyes widened on her. He coughed, slammed back half the glass of water, and cleared his throat.
“Are you serious? You want to stay there in hopes that he comes for you?”
She lifted one eyebrow and didn’t flinch. “You got a better plan?”
“Uh, yeah.” His gaze shifted away and then back to her, “How about not getting you killed?”
She flashed a smile at him. “Well, you’ll be there, silly.”
His eyes darkened. He set his fork down and leaned back against the chair. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Of course. And now, we have back up.” She picked up her fork and scooped a bite of salad. “What can go wrong?”
He scratched his whiskers with the back of his knuckles and slowly shook his head. “I don’t think it’s a very good idea, babe. Give me some time—”
Her eyebrows snapped down and she dropped her fork to the plate with a clatter. “No, dammit.”
His mouth parted. Tears stung the back of her eyes.
“Ethan, she’s been gone a month. A month.” Her voice cracked, but she forced it to steady. “Every day matters…every minute.” She rested her palm on his folded arm. His eyes searched hers, and his brow crinkled with strain. “Please…”
He gripped her fingers in his and lifted them to his lips. “All right, fine. But we have to wait until tomorrow when Nate gets here. Deal?”
In
decision made her hesitate. Shit. That was longer than she had wanted to wait, but it was better than nothing. “Okay.”
“In the meantime, I will continue to work at it. It’s a little late to call Joe now.” He glanced at his watch. “He’s probably already left for the night. But I’ll call him first thing in the morning and ask him about the notes.”
“Thank you, Ethan. It means a lot to me that you would do this.”
His knuckle brushed over her cheek and his eyes warmed. “Don’t mention it.” His lids grew heavy and heat stained his cheeks. “But, maybe you can make it up to me later?” He leaned close until his lips brushed over her bare shoulder. Heat burned through her skin and brought a deep, longing throb with it. Her palm caught his jaw; the rough stubble abraded her skin as she brought his mouth to hers.
The shrill ring of his cell phone sounded from the counter.
He pulled away as soon as they had touched. “Shit,” he chuckled.
“It’s okay, get it. I’m actually still hungry anyway.”
He laughed and stood. “Seriously? The temptation didn’t even dull your hunger?”
A giggle erupted from her throat as she lifted a fresh piece of pizza. “Not this time.”
“Well, I’ll have to fix that.” He winked at her and butterflies danced in her stomach. He answered the phone, silencing the call.
One more night. And maybe tomorrow they would catch the bastard…and find Hanna.
Chapter 15
“Goddammit, Maddie. Why can’t you listen to me for once in your life?” He tunneled his fingers in his hair and kneaded his scalp. He loved his sister more than anything, but fuck, she drove him crazy sometimes.
“Because it has absolutely nothing to do with you. I’m an adult, Ethan. I can do what I want when I—”
“Yeah, I know.” His hand slid down his face in frustration. Since she was fifteen years old, she’d been telling him she could do whatever she wanted. Thing was, Maddie had done what she wanted from the day she was born. She didn’t give a damn what anyone said, least of all her older brother. “But you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. You have a good job, keep it.”
Her laugh was thin, brittle. “I don’t want to be a cop for the rest of my life. I’m bored out of my freaking mind. I get why you left the military and the FBI, it wasn’t for you. But you and I are different. I’m a lot tougher than you.”
Ethan grunted. Tough to Maddie meant being a badass and risking her life. Tough to him meant knowing yourself better than the attractive attributes of a daring career. She was as tough as nails, he’d give her that. She’d earned her black belt at thirteen, and had since practiced various levels of martial arts. She was deadly, determined, hungry, and cocky as hell. Despite all that, there was no way he was letting his little sister get into the FBI.
“You’re forgetting one thing, Mad,” he said softly. He kept his voice low, but one glance over his shoulder at Riley’s stiff back told him she was listening.
“And what’s that?” she said haughtily.
“I have connections with the FBI. And I can promise you, you will never work for them.” Silence fell on the other end, and that meant she was getting ready to come in for the kill. “I love you, okay? One day you’ll thank me,” he said, hoping to bring down the level of her fury.
“Screw you,” she spat. The line went dead in his hand. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tightened his fist on his phone. He took deep breaths through his nose until his head stopped throbbing.
Ethan slid his phone in his pocket and turned around. Riley was in the kitchen, her slight frame moved gracefully as she packaged up the leftover food and stored it in the fridge.
“Who was that?” she asked as she turned to face him.
He groaned. “My sister.”
“You have a sister?” Her eyebrows rose.
He strode into the kitchen and stopped in front of her. Her hands rested on his forearms. “I have two. Maddie is the youngest and a damn hellion.”
Riley chuckled. “She can’t be that bad. How old is she?”
“Twenty-seven,” he rested his hand on her shoulder. The black tank top she wore showed off the narrow indent of her waist and slender shoulders. Her light denim shorts weren’t much longer than the ones she’d worn on the beach. They hugged her luscious backside and highlighted her sleek, slim thighs. Her blond hair tumbled in loose waves halfway down her back.
Need pulsed through him.
“What did she do to upset you?”
The desire rippling through him made him want to end the conversation about his sister pronto.
“She wants to get into the FBI. I told her no. She didn’t take that very well.”
Riley’s eyebrow arched. “You told her no?”
“Yeah, of course. It’s hell…and she’s just a kid. Aside from that she could get killed.”
“A kid? She’s the same age as me.”
He shook his head. “It’s different, trust me.” Maddie was a loose cannon, and defiant as a bull, definitely not in the same field as a levelheaded twenty-seven year old. He bit the words back. As frustrated as he was by Maddie, he wouldn’t talk badly about her.
Riley’s lips rolled in. “But you know you can’t tell her what to do right? She’s her own person. If it’s hell, that’s something she needs to learn for herself.”
Ethan’s temper racked up a notch. He forced it down. Riley didn’t know Maddie, so naturally she would stick up for her. He traced his finger over the top of her shoulder, under the thin strap of her tank top, and back.
“Let’s not talk about my sister right now, okay?”
She nodded. His palms grasped her hips, and he turned her around. His fingers closed over her wrists and pressed her palms to the table in front of her, her butt snuggled against his groin. A groan sounded in his throat. She giggled and squirmed, but he held tight.
“I like this,” he breathed. He leaned against her back and brought his fingers to the back of her neck, stroking the satiny skin. She scrunched up her shoulders and choked on a laugh.
“Ethan, that tickles.”
“Mmm…but you’ll feel good in a minute.”
He loosened his hold and she turned around in his arms. “Is that so?”
“Well, hell. I hope you don’t doubt that.” His finger traced the line of her top, dipping down into her cleavage and then over her breast. She swallowed. Her throat bobbed beneath her delicate skin. He brushed her hair aside with his knuckle and pressed a kiss to her collarbone. Her head fell back and her fingers gripped his shoulders. Her breath sucked in as he moved his way up the column of her throat and across her jaw.
His palms gripped her thighs and he lifted her onto the table. Her mouth closed over his, her tongue hot and ready as it pushed through his lips. Her taste filled him and swirled over his taste buds. Electric currents shot down his nerve endings.
She pulled away and met his gaze. Her eyes were heavy, her cheeks flushed and soft.
“Ethan, you drive me crazy,” she murmured. A smile tugged at his lips. He took her bottom lip in between his teeth and sucked on it. Her legs tightened around his waist and the small of her back arched, pressing the denim over her crotch against his rock-hard shaft. Damn, he needed her. Now.
“I hope you mean in a good way.” His thumb hooked into the strap of her top and eased it down her shoulder.
She smiled against his mouth. “In the best way.” Her voice shook. Her hands tightened on his shoulders and she eased back. “But I was hoping we could talk before we get carried away.”
He dropped his forehead to hers and stifled a groan. She laughed and threw her head back, her body shook. He narrowed his eyes at her.
“You want to talk?”
She shrugged. “Yeah, you know, before we go damaging any furniture.”
“You did that
on purpose, didn’t you?”
Her chin dropped and her laugh trickled to soft giggles. Her eyes widened in mock disbelief. “Me? What on earth do you mean? You came on to me, remember?”
“Yeah, and we’re just about to do it on the table and you suddenly get chatty?” He pinched the very top of her thigh, just underneath the cut-off of her shorts. She swatted his hand away.
“Ha. No way were we going to do it on the table.”
“Were too.”
She shook her head and straightened. “You’re crazy.”
His hand slid across her neck and cupped her cheek. Her emerald eyes sparkled with humor at him, the soft crinkle around her eyes warmed something inside him. Damn, he loved seeing her happy.
“You drive me crazy too…in the best way,” he whispered. Her smile faded and her teeth caught her bottom lip. Her eyes never wavered from his.
“Do you mean that?”
“Hell yeah, I mean that. Why would you think I didn’t?” He moved his thumb over the slight angle of her cheekbone. Her gaze lowered to his chest, and then slowly moved back up.
She shrugged and her big, doe-like eyes grew heavy. Her fingers trailed over his forearms in a slow cadence, bringing fire to his skin.
“Honey, you really have no idea the effect you have on me, do you?” He brushed a strand of her hair back and slid his finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him when her eyes kept falling downward.
“Well, I know of one effect in particular.” Her eyes locked with his, and the intensity in her green orbs slammed into him. He bent his head and repeated the motion with his tongue. She lowered herself from the counter and onto her tiptoes, her palm closed over the back of his neck and her mouth molded against his. A soft moan sounded in her throat.
He pulled away. “Well now, who came on to who?”
Her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed at him.
“I thought you wanted to talk,” he said. He raised his shoulders in mock innocence.
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