Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
ABBY
Istood in a daze in the middle of the living room as Cooper walked out the front door.
Holy. Shit.
What had just happened?
Did Cooper just say he…loved me?
I wasn’t sure what to think or feel, or how to even breathe.
I wasn’t sure if my heart was beating at triple its normal pace, or if it had stopped beating altogether.
Clutching my chest, I bunched the cotton tank top between trembling fingers and watched Cooper’s shadow move outside the small, foggy window.
He was pacing back and forth across my front porch.
His words trickled through my mind like a leaky faucet.
I’d been cold to him. Unkind and unfair. Cooper was the last person in the world who deserved my hostility.
My chest squeezed with remorse as I watched him slip the phone into his pocket and turn toward me. I was still standing where he’d left me when he sauntered back through the front door. His expression had soured, brimming with anxiety.
“Everything okay?” I asked, meeting him in the entryway.
Cooper scratched the back of his neck, his eyes trained on his shoes. “I have to go, Abby. Tomorrow. I have to leave town for a few days.”
“Why? What happened?”
“I, um…” His gaze flicked back up to me as he continued. “I just got off the phone with your brother. He wants to talk to me in person about something. I’m hoping he can help with your case.”
I recoiled at his words.
My brother?
What could Ryan possibly know?
“You never mentioned he was a suspect,” I whispered. “I…I don’t understand.”
“He’s not a suspect. I mean, not currently.” Cooper sighed, shoving a hand through his hair. “Regardless, he seems to know something, so I have to go.”
“I’m going with you,” I decided.
He shook his head. “No. You can’t come with.”
“Why?”
“You just can’t.”
I bit down on my lip and crossed my arms defensively. “He’s my brother. I want to see him, especially if he knows something about my case.”
“Abby…” Cooper placed a hand on my shoulder and began to lead me toward the couch. We sat down, side by side, and he took my hand in his. “I know you want to be there. I get it,” he said. “But Ryan might not talk if you’re there. And if he’s involved somehow, I can’t put you in the line of fire.”
Searching his face, I found only tenderness and understanding in his eyes. I softened. “What about you?”
“I’m trained to handle dangerous people. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I’ll always worry about you.” I ducked my head, squeezing his hand. When I lifted my eyes to his, my heart swelled with the remnants of his confession. “Cooper…did you mean it?” I was almost afraid to ask, afraid he’d take it all back.
Cooper inched forward on the couch, leaning into me, his opposite hand running up and down the length of my arm. Goosebumps scattered across my skin.
I stared at him, searching, probing.
“Yeah,” he said in a low breath, like he was overcome by the word. “I meant it.”
I couldn’t hold back, couldn’t keep away from him.
I had to kiss him.
I leaped into his arms, our mouths crashing together, and curled my hands around his neck. The kiss was hard, bruising. He pulled me to his chest and lightly tugged my hair. I moaned into his mouth, then inched back to press my forehead against his. “I feel it, too,” I admitted gently.
Cooper pushed me backward until I was lying down, my head propped up on the armrest. He hovered over me with passion-spun eyes and parted lips. With a dip of his head, he sprinkled kisses along my jawline, all the way up to my ear. “What do you feel?”
My arms were twined around him, my back arching upward, seeking contact.
“I’m falling in love with you,” I replied.
“I’ve been falling since the day you pulled me out of that van.
I opened my eyes, and I saw you.” I swallowed, wondering if I was saying too much.
My breath shook as I inhaled. “You’re all I’ve been able to see ever since. ”
Cooper drank in every word, his expression awestruck.
He kissed me again, and I squeaked out a groan when his tongue pushed inside my mouth.
The kiss grew, deepened, ignited, until our clothes were torn off, my legs were wrapped around his hips, and he was thrusting in and out of me, cherishing me, as if being inside of me was the only thing in the world that mattered.
Yes.
I was in love.
I was madly in love with Cooper McAllister.
A jaded cop. A jaded city girl.
This could work.
The hours dragged by like a slug. I tried to keep myself busy with yard work, cleaning, and house purchases, but nothing seemed to subdue the dull ache in the pit of my stomach.
The ache in my heart. Cooper was on his way to Illinois—my hometown.
He’d left the station that Wednesday and had stopped over to say goodbye with cupcakes and a kiss; a bittersweet moment that had been much too fleeting.
I’d hugged him tight, forcing back tears of worry and unknowns.
Cooper seemed to think that my brother had something to do with my abduction.
It sounded preposterous, but I supposed I didn’t actually know Ryan anymore.
It had been eleven years since I’d laid eyes on him.
Eleven years since he’d lingered in the doorway of Nana’s house, his face twisted with a look of mourning and regret that had never strayed far from my mind.
Eleven years since he’d walked out that door and never contacted me again.
But, to arrange my kidnapping and murder? Hire a hitman? Send a drug lord after me for Nana’s fortune? God, it all sounded ludicrous, like an overdone script for a Hollywood action film.
The Ryan I used to know would never do such a thing. He’d never, ever hurt me. I liked to think that the old Ryan was still in there somewhere, despite the time that had passed and the tragedies we’d endured.
He was my brother, after all.
My blood.
I glanced up from the task of applying fresh mulch around my evergreen shrubs and noticed a shadow approaching. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I stood, half-expecting to see James Walker. He had been stationed in his vehicle in front of my house, maintaining a watchful eye over me.
But it wasn’t James.
“Hey.” Daphne stood before me with crossed arms and an icy visage. Her lips were painted a sultry shade of red, and her matching fingertips tapped along her bicep. She regarded me with one arched eyebrow. “You look like crap.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the insult. I hadn’t seen my friend since I’d stopped by to collect my things, and then Daphne had sent me on my guilty way. It was a pleasant surprise. “Hey.”
Daphne pursed her lips, eyeing me up and down as she collected her thoughts. “Listen, I heard about the bird thing, and I kind of hate myself for caring…but I do.”
“Oh, thank you,” I said, swiping my palms down the front of my dirt-spattered jeans.
“You don’t deserve my compassion.” Faltering, she looked down and her eyes settled on her black pumps. “But you don’t deserve everything that’s happened to you, either.”
Swallowing, I smiled softly. That meant a lot coming from the prickly Daphne Vaughn, who was known for holding grudges and seeking vengeance on those who had scorned her. “I appreciate that, Daph. I’m not expecting you to forgive me, but I’m glad you stopped by.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, well, I’ve always had a soft spot for your emo ass.”
A small grin hiked up her lips.
I laughed, brushing a strand of hair off my forehead. “I’m sure you’ve missed me. I’m a tremendous joy to be around.”
“No. But I do miss those damn tacos you’d make.”
My eyes sparkled. “That’s fair. I made Nana’s enchilada recipe for Cooper, and I think I’ve got him wrapped around my little finger now.”
Daphne began to chuckle, when her eyes drifted to my neck. “Um, it looks like you’ve got him wrapped around more than that,” she noted, taking in the colorful bruise. “You skank.”
My hand lifted instinctively to the evidence, a blush creeping into my cheeks. Memories of Cooper giving me that bruise swarmed my mind. “It was the mole sauce,” I teased.
We stood in silence for a moment, our smiles matching.
Daphne cleared her throat. “Well, it’s good to see that you’re not dead. And that you’re finally getting laid.”
“Thanks,” I said through a laugh. I dug the toe of my shoe into the grass as I tried to string together another apology. “Daph, I’m so sorry—”
Daphne held out her hand to stop me. “I know you’re sorry,” she interrupted with a sigh, uncrossing her arms and glancing up at the sky.
“I suppose if any good came out of your loathsome betrayal, it’s that I know for sure Henry Dormer is trash.
He’ll never change. He and Maya are perfect for each other. ”
I found a pocket of solace in Daphne’s words.
They sounded an awful lot like forgiveness.
Wiping the beads of sweat away from my hairline, I nodded at the front door. “It’s kind of hot out here. Want to come inside? I can give you the grand tour.”
Daphne hesitated, nibbling her lip and twirling her swing dress from side to side.
I sweetened the pot. “And I’ve got some leftover enchiladas in the fridge if you’re hungry.”
A smile. “Sold.”
Cooper
It was Thursday morning.
I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel as I sat outside of Ryan Stone’s three-story home in Glenview, Illinois. It was a sprawling house in an upscale neighborhood in an affluent town. It didn’t look like the lifestyle of a heroin addict.
Leaning back in the seat with a sigh, I drank in my surroundings. A Lexus sat in the driveway as soccer moms with baby strollers jogged down the sidewalk.
I was a few minutes early, so I sent Abby a quick text message while I waited.
ME
I’m here. I’ll keep you posted.
She responded instantly.
Abby
I swear I’m not checking my phone every other second.
ME
Don’t worry. Hopefully I’ll be closer to solving this case the next time you hear from me.
Abby
Kate is here to keep my mind off things. She brought mimosas. She knows me so well.
I chuckled.
ME