Chapter 20 #2
Abby approached, her eyes widening when she recognized the culprit. “You,” she said in a low breath. “You were at game night.”
Marky huffed at her, shoving his hands into his black denim jeans and teetering back on his heels.
“Why would you want to scare me?” she probed.
“Nothing personal. Just bored.”
Abby raised both eyebrows as she walked toward him. “My abduction and subsequent torture is entertainment for you?”
Her tone was calm and level, but it made the hairs on my arms stand up.
Marky finally glanced up at her, puckering his lips. “Well, not anymore. It’s not so funny when you get caught.”
“I see.”
I held out my hand as she paused in front of Marky. “Abby, I’ve got this covered. Why don’t you head back inside?”
She didn’t look at me. Her eyes were fixed on Marky, and they were spitting daggers. Without a second thought, she wrenched her arm back and slapped him across the face.
Hard.
“Jesus! You bitch!” He turned to me, massaging his cheek with one hand and pointing at Abby with the other. “Did you see that? She assaulted me!”
I pulled Abby back by the shoulder. “Hey, I said I got it,” I said with gentle firmness.
Abby’s head jerked toward me, her eyes brimming with tears.
She didn’t say anything. I expected her to, but she was silent, only offering a poignant look before pivoting on her heel and heading back toward the house.
“Crazy bitch,” Marky muttered, still rubbing his cheek.
I had to hold myself back from lunging at him again. “You deserved it.”
A few minutes later, my fellow officers arrived. James tossed me a pair of cuffs so I could have the honor of arresting him. When Marky was handcuffed, I pushed him over to his brother, Lyle, enjoying the sight of him tripping over his own feet and almost faceplanting on the grass.
“You idiot,” Lyle scolded, smacking his palm against the side of Marky’s head.
Marky groaned. “That bitch hit me. I want to press charges.”
“I didn’t see shit,” Lyle said, hauling him across the yard.
Marky blew me a kiss as he was shoved inside the cruiser. “Tell your sister I said hi.”
I cringed.
Standing on Abby’s lawn, I watched as the officers pulled away, disappearing down the street.
With a sigh, I shifted my gaze to the house, my heart clenching for the woman inside.
I made my way up the hill and entered the back door, finding her seated on the couch with her feet propped up beside her.
Caution and worry carried me over to her as I observed the stoic look on her face. “Are you okay?”
She didn’t move, flinch, or blink. Didn’t speak. Not right away. It felt like an eternity had drifted by before she registered my question, and I couldn’t help but wonder where she had gone.
Abby lifted her head, eyes blank. “I’m fine,” she murmured.
I thought about Kate and her loathing for that word. “Want me to make you something to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Swallowing, I took a seat beside her on the couch. Abby stared straight ahead, having little reaction to my proximity.
Dammit.
I refused to let her slip away. Not after everything we’d been through.
Not after last night.
Not ever.
I took her face between my hands and forced her attention on me. “It was just a prank,” I told her. “A sick prank by a sick individual. Marky is going to jail. I promise you that.”
Abby blinked once, then twice. She blinked until a spark returned to her eyes, but it faded as quickly as it had come. “I’m going to take a shower,” she said.
Rising from the couch, she pulled away from my touch.
I followed. “Abby, wait.” She faltered as an eerie silence wrapped itself around us, and I felt a chill seep into my skin. “Talk to me.”
Hesitating, she turned around, her hair flying over her shoulder like a dramatic prelude to her words. “It’s never going to be over, Cooper.”
Her voice cracked, and the sound filled me with a touch of relief.
It was emotion.
Life.
“It will be,” I replied softly. “I swear to you, I will find him. He will pay for what he did.”
“It’s not enough.” She shook her head, tears glimmering. “It’ll never be enough.”
I stepped toward her, but she stepped back. I frowned, hurt by her dismissal. “Abby…”
“Why are you doing this? Why do you want to help me?”
Why?
What an absurd question.
“I thought it was obvious.”
“You’ll eventually stop trying to help.” She lowered her eyes as the tears fell. “My heart is too heavy. You’ll grow tired of carrying the weight of it.”
“Stop it. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You say that now…”
I gritted my teeth with frustration. “I care about you.”
“Why?” Her emotions flared, her eyes back on mine, her fists balled at her sides. “Why do you care?”
My jaw set.
“Tell me, Cooper, tell me why you—”
“Because I’m falling in love with you, goddammit!
” I broke, my chest heaving, my own emotions soaring to the surface.
I froze when I realized what I’d just confessed, because I hadn’t even admitted it to myself—fuck.
But it was true. It was real, and it was happening.
“I’m falling in love with you…and that terrifies me. ”
She fell silent, staring at me, speechless. Possibly in shock, but mostly in wonder. I was confident her reaction was reflecting right back at her through my eyes.
Swallowing, I awaited her response.
Abby moved toward me, her gaze never leaving mine. She was about to speak. She was about to put me out of my damn misery by breaking the thick wall of silence.
My phone rang.
Shit.
We both flinched at the interruption. I tried to ignore the incessant pings, but I knew it could be work calling, so I fished through my pocket and pulled it out.
I didn’t recognize the number, but something about the area code was familiar.
And so I was compelled to answer it, despite having just spilled my guts to Abigail Stone and despite having just placed my bleeding heart in her fragile hands.
I exhaled a heavy sigh, glancing between her and the phone. “I’m sorry, I have to answer this. I’ll be right back.” Clicking accept, I moved out of the living room and slipped out the front door. “McAllister,” I answered.
“Uh, hi. I’m returning your call,” said an unfamiliar male voice on the other end. “This is Ryan Stone. You left me a message concerning my sister, Abigail.”
I stilled, my feet sticking to Abby’s welcome mat on the front porch.
I hadn’t expected to hear back from Abby’s brother.
Caught off guard, I wracked my brain for a reply that wouldn’t scare the guy away.
“Right, thanks. I appreciate you getting back to me. I just had some questions I was hoping you could answer.”
Ryan paused on the other line. “I wasn’t going to call you back,” he said warily. “I wanted to stay out of it, but something came up.”
A tingle swept through me.
A buzz.
It was the feeling I got when I knew I was moving in the right direction.
There was about to be a break.
“Look, I’d rather not talk over the phone,” Ryan continued. “Are you able to drive down and meet me in person? I have something you might want to see, and I can’t swing the trip up there with my work schedule.”
I wavered, my emotions mixed. The thought of leaving Abby made my insides twist with anxiety, but if Ryan Stone wanted an in-person meeting, surely, it had to be worth my time.
Something was poking at me, nudging me to insist on a phone interview, instead. But then I risked never hearing from the man again. I didn’t have anything on him to require an interview at all, and I couldn’t force him to give me answers. All I had was Ryan Stone’s free will.
And right now, he was willing to talk under these terms.
Reluctantly, I conceded. Solving Abby’s case was my mission, my fuel.
I had to go.
“All right,” I said. “Give me a day to make arrangements. I can meet you Thursday morning.”
I was headed to Illinois.