24. Gideon
Chapter twenty-four
I yawn as I make my way to the kitchen after getting a few hours of sleep. Last night was a bust for all of us. We watched Mina’s house for hours and saw nothing noteworthy. The man we believe to be Jeff showed up around five, the glow of the tv visible through the blinds, and it went out after one.
The strange thing was, there weren’t any lights on upstairs, making me wonder where Mina’s room is. It could be at the back of the house, but I would have expected to see some sort of movement.
I wanted to check around back, but Dom said we can’t risk being seen creeping around and need to keep a low profile. It doesn’t help that Mina hasn’t replied to any of our texts since she got home. She’s probably keeping the phone hidden so her mom doesn’t find it. I wish it were just an overprotective mother she’s dealing with, but I have a feeling it’s more than that.
“Morning,” Jasper grumbles as he joins me in the kitchen and grabs himself a cup of coffee.
“Morning, Jas. How’re you feeling this morning?” I ask, as I go about filling my own flask with some earl gray tea .
He grunts, grabbing a sip of coffee before he replies. “I wouldn’t mind being so tired if we at least got something last night. But nothing happened. The party was so boring, too. Even when we decided to go inside and check it out, there was nothing suspicious other than underage drinking,” he says, sounding frustrated. I nod, knowing it matches what they reported last night.
“I suppose—”
“Guys, we gotta go!” Dom cuts me off as he bursts into the room, followed by the rest of our family. I quickly jump to my feet, my tiredness instantly forgotten.
“What is it?” I ask.
Dom stops and makes eye contact with me, uncertainty and fear etched on his face.
“Tell us,” I demand, even though I don’t want him to.
“A girl’s been killed. They found her body in the woods over by Heritage Park. A jogger found her this morning,” he says softly. A series of swears erupts around the room.
“Who?” I ask.
Dom takes a deep breath. “Unidentified female. Age approximately sixteen to twenty. Long brown wavy hair, around five-three.”
There’s a loud bang as Atlas punches a hole through the wall. I stare at it in shock. Not because Atlas did that, but because of what Dom’s words could mean. Could the body be Mina? Even with us staking out her house all night? Was someone able to get to her, even with us watching? Fear grips me hard and I have to place my hand over my chest, like I can physically stop my heart from beating out of me.
“That could describe dozens of girls at the high school,” I tell them, trying to stay calm. “It’s not her. ”
“You don’t know that!” Max yells as he grabs his shoes and coat. The rest of us quickly follow suit silently, everyone clearly afraid to voice their fear.
The tension in the air is palpable. If it’s her—if the body belongs to Mina—I don’t even know what I’ll do. What the others will do. We just met her. And to lose her so soon, so young… I shake my head to stop myself from spiraling.
We pile into our big SUV, none of us wanting to be apart. The gravity of what we’re all feeling hangs heavy around us. I even notice Max and Jasper clutching hands desperately; I haven’t seen them do that in years.
“When’s the last time anybody heard from her?” Ben asks, breaking the silence.
“Right after school yesterday,” I reply, echoed by the rest of the guys.
“Shit. Fuck. FUCK! I hate this. Goddamn it!” Max curses, punching the seat in front of him.
“It’s not her,” Jasper says, pulling his brother in for a tight hug. “It’s not her.” He keeps repeating it every few minutes, as if him saying it enough times will make it come true.
A phone pings, and my heart starts beating wildly as we all look around in surprise. Then everyone is scrambling to pull out their phones as fast as possible. I glance at my screen, and relief floods my system.
Mina: Good morning, Gideon. I hope you slept well.
“It’s Mina! She just texted me!” I shout. Before I can finish, another ping goes off, this time from Max’s phone.
“Thank Fuck” he yells, letting out a huge breath. Over the next minute or two, every single one of us gets a ping on our phones as she texts us all good morning .
I let out a deep sigh and drop my head back, trying to calm my racing heart. Ben, who’s sitting beside me, turns his head to smile and gives my hand a quick squeeze. Then he turns his phone so I can see the message she sent him.
Mina: Where do pirates get their hooks?
Mina: Second-hand stores.
I read it a second time, then burst out laughing, making the others look at us curiously.
“I had no idea she had such a sense of humor,” I chuckle.
Ben grins and shrugs. “I sent her a joke last night. I guess she decided to send her own back.” His happiness is obvious as he relishes the moment.
“Yeah,” I sigh, and in a near whisper, I add, “she’s perfect.”
Ben hears me and hums softly in agreement.
When did I become so infatuated with the little damsel? I didn’t realize how much I cared for her until I thought I’d lost her… We’d lost her. What is it about her that draws us all in? I know it can’t be that fact that she seems a little broken and needs protection, because we have dealt with women like this before, ones more appropriate in age, too. But we never caught feelings, even if they were attractive. We’ve always been able to separate work from home life… until now.
Now, every part of me is screaming to go find Mina to see with my own eyes that she really is okay. I really hope she’s not involved with the killer, otherwise this was all going to end with a house full of broken hearts.