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Daemon wouldn’t go back to that warehouse. Never in a million years.
Even I couldn’t convince myself of that.
…
Sleep didn’t come easily that night, and I spent the better part of the next day strung tight as a bow pulled too hard. I kept checking the driveway next door, making sure Daemon’s car was there. He could just zip his way back to the warehouse without his SUV, but seeing the car gave me some relief.
The next couple days of winter break crept by. Most of the time I expected SWAT to bust up in my house, demanding to know what happened to the officers. But nothing happened. The day before New Year’s Eve, Dee stopped by.
“Like my new boots?” She stuck out one slender leg. Black leather boots ended just below her knees. The heel was killer. “Daemon got them for me.”
“They’re awesome. What size are you?”
She giggled, then popped a lollipop back in her mouth. “Okay, before you tell me no, I already cleared it with Ash.”
I frowned. “Cleared what?”
“Ash is throwing a little New Year’s Eve party at her house. It’s just going to be a few of us. Daemon is going.”
“Uh, I doubt Ash is okay with me going to her party.”
“No, she is.” Dee pinged around the living room like a captured butterfly. “She promised she’d be cool with it. I think you’re growing on her.”
“Like mold,” I muttered. Watching Dee made me dizzy. “I don’t know.”
“Oh, come on, Katy. You can even invite Blake if you want to.”
I made a face. “I’m not inviting him.”
She came to a sudden halt, the lollipop dangling from her fingers. “Are you guys having problems?” she asked hopefully.
“You know, if I were actually dating him, I’d have a problem with how happy you sounded there, but since I’m notdating him, I’m okay.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What’s going on with you two, then?”
“Nothing.” I sighed.
She sucked on her lollipop for a few moments as she watched me. “And nothing is going on with my brother. Right? He’s just slinking around the house for no reason.”
My lips pursed. “Dee…”
“He’s my brother, Katy. I love him. And you’re my best friend, even though you haven’t really acted like it recently.” She flashed a quick grin before continuing. “So I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of you two. And I know neither of you is putting me there, but I want…both of you happy.”
Wondering how we ended up on this conversation, I sat down with a sigh. “Dee, it’s really complicated.”
“It can’t be that complicated,” she replied, sounding like Lesa. “You guys like each other, and I know Daemon would be risking a lot by pursuing a relationship with you, but that’s his risk to take.” Dee sat beside me, her body humming with energy. “Anyway, I think you guys need to talk or…I don’t know. Cave to your passions.”
I busted out laughing. “Oh my God, are you serious?”
She gri
As much as I wanted to see the Thompsons’ house, because I bet it was super posh and cool, I was still undecided. “I’ll think about it.”
“You promise?” She nudged me with her elbow. “It would make me really happy if you did.”
Partying with them did sound better than what I had pla
When they left, I spent the rest of the evening reading, finishing a book for a blog tour, and starting a new one I wasn’t scheduled to read. Having time to read was nice and relaxing. I could feel a little bit of my old self creeping back. Not the timid Katy, but the one who did what she wanted because she enjoyed it.
When it got close to ten, I put the book down and considered checking in with Daemon. Was he going back to that warehouse without me? There was a good chance he was. Trying to distract myself, I logged into one of the local news websites and searched for any mention of the two officers going missing. I’d checked each night with no results.
But tonight was different.
The headline on the Charleston Gazette read:
two department of defense officers missing after last seen near petersburg.
My breath caught as I sca
Below the article were two pictures. I recognized them immediately. Clicking off the webpage, I immediately brought up a new web search screen. First, I Googled Nancy Husher and came up with nothing. Smoker had mentioned her by last name, saying she wouldn’t be mad if I wasn’t…messed up.
I shuddered.
I’d thought there’d at least be something in relation to the DOD, but it wasn’t like the woman existed on the Internet. My next search victim was my mom’s boyfriend. There were quite a few sites linking to numerous awards won in the medical community, but nothing showing a co
But there was something that left a bad taste in my mouth about him.
One article’s headline read:
local doctor overcomes leukemia, backs funding for new cancer treatment center in grant county.
My eyes sca
I couldn’t believe it. Did Mom know this? I mean, cancer wasn’t a reason not to date someone, but after everything she went through with Dad? Could she go through something like that again if the cancer came back?
And if I actually grew to like the dude, if he wasn’t an implant, could I deal with that again? I went back to the search page, unable to wrap my brain around this new fact.
Stopping to grab a cup of cocoa, I returned to my amateurish investigation. My fingers hovered over the keyboard while a sense of guilt flushed my cheeks. Then, with a cringe, I Googled Blake Saunders, telling myself I only wanted to see his old blog, since he never did tell me its name.
The first searches linked to some college athlete, but down toward the bottom of the first page, I saw a news report about his parents’ murders. Clicking on the link, I read the sad, sad write-up on the deaths of his parents and sister. It was called a brutal break-in.
There were a couple more articles stating the same, and then I found the obituary for his parents, which took me to a funeral home site in Santa Monica. Su
I kept going through the pictures, stopping on an older one of Blake’s father. I could see the resemblance in the easy smile and hazel eyes. The man next to his father looked oddly familiar. He shared some of the same features as Blake’s dad, but his face was rounder. Some of the pictures had captions below, but this one didn’t. I went through the next couple of pictures greedily, and then I stopped on one that looked like a family reunion taken around the holidays.
Leaning closer, I set the cup down before I dropped it. A sharp pang sliced my breath as I got a real good look at the guy who’d been in the picture with Blake’s father.