Chapter 18 Reid
EIGHTEEN
Reid
“How the hell did you convince me to do this?” I grabbed Hazel’s hand and gave it a tug so that she wouldn’t walk too far ahead of me.
“We’ll take a look and be out of here in five minutes,” she said, offering me a smile that did absolutely nothing to reassure me.
We’d parked around the corner, and despite every ounce of good judgement I possessed, we were now slinking up the sidewalk toward Paul’s apartment.
It was my fault for saying anything. I’d known it would lead us here. An hour ago, I’d been about to make dinner when my phone buzzed with a notification. The catfish account had received a message from Paul. He was at the gym, flexing a bicep. “Getting some sets in after work,” he’d written.
I’d shown Hazel and she’d practically flown to her car without giving me the option to protest. I’d tried to convince her that we needed to think this through, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
She’d insisted we had to go right then, or we’d lose our opportunity.
And since there was no way in hell I was about to let her go alone, here I was, trailing behind her.
“Which one is his?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“You don’t have to talk so quietly. We’re on a public sidewalk,” she said at full volume.
“Shhh.” I held a finger to my lips out of instinct.
She wrapped her coat around her and let out a laugh. “You’re ridiculous. He’s at the gym. He won’t even know we’re here.”
We crept around the side of the building, staying close to the wall. At least I could be comforted by the fact that it was dark outside.
The apartment complex was one of those boxy new builds—glass, steel, sharp angles, and absolutely zero charm.
It stood five stories tall, but apparently Paul’s apartment was on the ground level.
Assuming he’d left his blinds open, we’d have a clear view inside.
Could we possibly be that lucky? Part of me hoped no, but it was about time something finally went our way. We needed answers.
In a minute, we could solve this mystery.
In a minute, Hazel’s life could turn into something a hell of a lot better than its current state.
I wanted that for her. Badly. She had been dealt a shitty hand of cards.
She deserved more. And we were getting down to the wire.
There were fewer than ten days left until the winnings hit her bank account and she’d be forced to make a decision.
Unfortunately for us, the predator knew exactly when that money would arrive, because Hazel had been forthcoming about it.
I knew I was beating a dead horse, but I still felt the need to give her another little lecture on privacy.
She’d already given me access to her computer the other day and let me set up some more secure passwords.
The girl stressed me out.
Not in a way that weighed me down, but in a way that told me I cared a hell of a lot more than I probably should.
At this point, Hazel had not just entered my life, but settled right into the center of it.
I couldn’t ignore the stark fact that I had been happier since she’d come around.
I’d been spending less time online, which I did feel bad about.
I’d have to write a killer blog post for the guys next week to make up for my shortcomings.
In my defense, I had a lot on my mind. Time was of the essence, and failing Hazel was not an option I wanted to consider.
Hazel came to an abrupt halt. A small jolt surged through me—possibly excitement, likely panic—as she silently pointed to the next window and mouthed, “This is it.”
We jerked our heads, looking up and down the dark street. Empty.
“Cover me,” Hazel said, crouching down and bracing herself to hop into the ground-level patio.
“Absolutely the fuck not.” I grabbed her arm and stopped her mid-pounce.
Lines creased her forehead like she was oblivious as to why I wouldn’t want her to go down there first. “What? This is his unit.”
I sighed. “Let me look. If he’s in there, I don’t want to risk him seeing you.”
“He’s at the gym.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Hazel, stay here.”
She stood up and crossed her arms. Her hair was tucked under a knit beanie that was borderline threadbare. Would it be weird if I bought her a new one?
Forcing any anxiety from my system, I hopped down onto the patio. It was just a three by seven slab of concrete with a sliding glass door. Paul hadn’t done much to make the space homey. There was a dirty folding chair, and some crunched-up energy drink cans littering the floor. Classy guy.
The curtain had been pulled partially closed, but there was at least a foot-wide gap I could see through.
The apartment looked exactly what you’d expect a guy like Paul’s apartment to look like.
Beat-up gray couch in the corner, clothes strewn about.
A sad bachelor’s pad. I squinted and scanned the place.
It wasn’t big. Thankfully, he’d left the light on so I could see most of the living room and kitchen area.
No sign of movement.
There was another, smaller window at the edge of the patio with the blinds wide open.
I sidestepped over to it to peek through.
It was his empty bedroom, devoid of anything except a sad looking gray comforter and a plywood dresser.
A walk-in closet opened off the room, its door half-ajar.
From this angle, I could see only part of the closet and a narrow glimpse of the bathroom beyond it.
Everything looked still. Empty.
“I don’t see anything,” I said.
“Let me look.” A hand pressed against my arm, and I jumped.
“Hazel—what the hell? I told you to keep watch.”
“Oops, I forgot.” She blinked up at me, a coy smile on her lips. “Now let me see.”
I sighed and shook my head, stepping aside to let her take a look for herself.
I edged toward the corner of the patio, scanning the quiet residential street, but it was empty.
No movement, no sign of anyone. Just stillness.
It was the kind of cold November evening that chilled your bones.
The kind that kept people indoors unless they had absolutely no choice.
“Hurry,” I said as Hazel scanned the place.
She narrowed her eyes and pressed her face even closer to the glass. “Hey, look at this.”
My heart jumped and I squeezed in next to her, stealing glances behind me every half a second to make sure the coast was still clear.
“What?” I asked, looking for a litter box, food, anything—but not spotting anything of interest.
“The floor.” She pulled out her phone and the message thread we had examined a hundred times. The pictures of Vermont, the first taken on some sort of hardwood floor.
I looked at the picture and then back at the apartment. My heart sank.
“His have a wider panel and are basically gray. They look nothing like the picture,” I said.
“I see that.” The defeat in her voice made me want to take her home, wrap her into my arms, and never let her leave.
“I mean, I guess technically we can’t see the entire bedroom,” I said, knowing it was a weak point.
“It just looks so lifeless,” she said. “I doubt Vermont would just be holed up back there.” She tapped on the window a few times, as if the sound alone might draw him out. I caught her hand and gently pulled it away. Then I climbed back up to street level and reached down to help Hazel up after me.
“We need to get out of here. We’ve pushed our luck enough,” I said, pulling her further down the sidewalk, away from the apartment.
“Okay.” Her eyes were glossy. She looked crushed—heartbroken, even.
The sight of her like this drove me mad with frustration.
I needed to make her smile again. I wanted to fix this for her, more than anything.
I wanted to see who she was without all the grief, the weight, and the sadness dragging her down. I wanted to set her free.
“Hey.” I hooked a finger under her chin and pulled her gaze up to meet mine. “It’s going to be okay.”
“You can’t promise that.” She gave me a half-smile. “And with my luck, it probably won’t be.”
“Whatever happens, you’ll get through this. You’re stronger than you should have to be.”
Silently, I begged for the wetness in her eyes to retreat. Seeing her cry again right now would gut me.
She sniffled before surprising me. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my middle, her head pressed against my chest. It took me a second to react, but when I did, I placed one arm around her waist, and the other around her shoulders so I could cradle the back of her head in my hand.
“I’ve got you. You’ll get through this,” I said into her hair. Because at least that I could promise her.
She laughed softly against me. “I don’t know if I believe you, but for some reason, when you say it, I feel better.”
“Good,” I said.
We stood there, locked in an embrace for a few more seconds. I didn’t want to be the first to step away. When she finally loosened her grip, I forced myself to let her.
“We’ll figure this out. We’re not giving up.” I gave her hand a squeeze. “Whatever happens, I’m right here. We’re in this together.”
She offered me a small smile and looked at the ground before meeting my eyes again.
“Reid?”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t say that to me unless you mean it.”
I’d be willing to bet that she had no idea just how much I meant it.
“Hazel? What the fuck?”
Hazel jerked away from me, eyes wide. My stomach sank as I turned, my eyes landing on Paul. He stood there, dressed ridiculously in shorts and a cut-off t-shirt despite it being twenty-five degrees outside. He blinked, slow and uncertain.
“Hey,” she squeaked out, attempting to keep an even, nonchalant voice. I wanted to laugh at how not-casual this was.
At this moment, I was immensely grateful we’d taken at least a few strides away from his patio. Maybe we still looked suspicious, but at least we weren’t caught aggressively red-handed.
Paul’s little friend from the gym the other day was behind him, looking bored.