Chapter 11 #2
Chaos was impressed the detective wasn’t giving in so easily.
Even though it was what he wanted, he actually would’ve been pissed if the man was misogynistic enough to agree to talk to him without Kara’s say-so.
“Hang on,” he told Blackwood, before clicking the mute button so he could talk to Kara without being overheard.
“It’s the detective. He says he has news, but you heard me, I’d like to find out what it is before you’re burdened with it,” Chaos told her.
She stared at him for a beat, then gave him a small smile. “It means the world that you want to protect me, but I’m okay, Arrow.”
“You had a tough night.”
“I did,” she agreed. “And now it’s a new day.
I’m with you, and if he’s calling with bad news, you’re here to talk me off the ledge like you did last night.
But I can’t be kept in the dark, that would scare me more than just hearing what he has to say straight out.
Maybe we can both talk to him? Put him on speaker? ”
Chaos was torn. He was proud of her, and it felt damn good that she felt he was her safe space.
At least, that’s what it felt like to him.
But he still didn’t like the thought of not knowing what the detective was calling about.
He didn’t want Kara blindsided. But she was an adult, and it was her life, her decision. Her body Nolan had abused.
Nodding, he clicked the mute button once more, then told Blackwood, “You’re on speaker.”
“Kara?”
“I’m here,” she said softly.
“You okay with Mr. Porter being there and listening?”
“Absolutely.”
“All right. After you were rescued, there was a car found on fire not too far from the cabin where you were being held. A complete inferno. It took quite a bit of time for the fire department to put it out and even longer for everything to cool down long enough for what looks like human remains to be removed to try to preserve as much evidence as possible. Along with what looks like completely burned pieces of bone, there were a few buttons and part of a zipper. It looks as if the car ran off the road and into the yard of a house. The vehicle hit the propane tank and it exploded upon impact. No one was home at the time of the accident, thank goodness.”
Kara was lying unnaturally still against him, and it seemed as if she was holding her breath. The detective went on.
“We were lucky and able to get most of the VIN numbers off the car, and it was registered to Nolan Colins. The assumption is that he was most likely the source of the remains, we found in the vehicle, but until DNA testing can be done, we won’t know for sure.”
All the breath in Kara’s body whooshed out in a rush.
“Where were the remains found?” Chaos asked.
“In the driver’s seat.”
“Any IDs?”
“If there were, they were burned in the fire. We’d already started trying to track Colins, and there hasn’t been any movement on his credit cards or bank accounts.
We haven’t checked all the rental agencies in the state, as we’re pretty busy trying to recover from the floods and are still actively rescuing stranded citizens, but we haven’t found any record of him leaving the area either.
I’m pretty sure karma did her thing and doled out justice in this case, but again, we aren’t going to assume anything.
It’ll take a while for DNA tests to come back…
if they’re able to find any bones or teeth that still have viable DNA.
As I said, the body was completely burned.
Almost cremated. But we’ll continue to electronically monitor Colins’ accounts, and if there’s even one ping, we’ll be on it. ”
Kara looked up at Chaos with big eyes, and the hope in her expression was almost painful.
Chaos wanted to be relieved. Wanted to believe Nolan Colins was well and truly gone, died in some horrific crash…but his sixth sense was telling him something wasn’t right. To not take the detective’s words at face value.
“I appreciate you calling,” she said, her voice only shaking a little.
“I’m not saying it’s him, but I’m not saying it’s not either,” Blackwood said. “You should still be cautious. But after a bit of time, if there’s still no sign of him, I’m thinking you’re free to live your life without looking over your shoulder every second.”
“Thank you,” Kara whispered.
“You’ll keep in touch if you hear anything? Anything at all?” Chaos asked.
“Of course.”
“I’ll send you the number of my new phone,” Kara told him.
“I’d appreciate that. And if anything seems off, or if you get the slightest inkling that something’s wrong, or you’re being followed, don’t brush it off.”
“But you just said—”
“I know what I said, Ms. Guthrie. But better safe than sorry.”
“Right.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
And with that, the detective ended the call.
Chaos lowered the phone but kept his gaze locked on Kara’s. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m afraid to hope. I don’t feel the least bit bad for feeling happy he’s dead, if it’s really him. But what if it’s not? Why do I have a feeling that the remains that were found weren’t him?”
Chaos couldn’t help but feel relieved she felt the same misgivings he had about Nolan.
“I feel the same way. But either way, at least for now, nothing changes,” he reassured her.
“We’ll stay vigilant. I’ll still consult with my friend Tex, who’s really good at finding people who don’t want to be found.
If Colins is still alive, he’ll screw up eventually.
And if that was him in that car…hopefully the crime lab can find something with enough DNA to tell us for sure. ”
“I hope it was him,” Kara whispered.
“Me too,” Chaos agreed.
“I almost don’t know what to do now.”
“Now? We get up. I don’t know about you, but I need to pee. Then we’ll shower, change, eat breakfast, and carry on with our lives.”
She smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
“And for the record, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve got yourself a new roommate. You can stay here with me for as long as you want. It’ll be nice to have the company. It’s kind of lonely coming home to an empty house all the time.”
Kara bit her lip, then asked, “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
When she didn’t immediately protest, Chaos relaxed a little.
She wanted to be here as much as he wanted her here.
They probably had different reasons, but he was all right with that.
Maybe with time, she’d come to see him as more than a safety net.
Even someone she could envision having a relationship with.
“Thanks for everything, Arrow. I mean it.”
“You’re welcome. Now, come on, get up before my bladder explodes.”
She laughed and tried to get up, then giggled more when she found she was stuck in the beanbag.
Every wiggle of her body had his cock threatening to embarrass him, so Chaos took matters into his own hands, literally—he palmed her ass and shoved her upward.
She was still laughing when she turned around and offered him a hand, once she was on her feet. He could get out of the beanbag on his own, but Chaos wasn’t going to turn down a chance to touch this woman.
She helped pull him up, and then they were standing face-to-face. He could see that the call from the detective had smoothed some of the stress lines around her eyes.
As if she could read his mind, she said, “I know the detective didn’t say he was gone, but I still feel so much better. As if maybe he isn’t standing on a ladder outside the window, staring in at me anymore.”
“Is that what you thought last night?”
She gave him a tiny nod.
“No wonder you were so stressed,” Chaos told her.
“I’m not going to let down my guard, because that would be stupid, but I have hope that maybe, just maybe, I can put what happened behind me. That Nolan got what he deserved—a horrible, painful death. You want to use your bathroom first?”
“Nope. I’ll use the half bath then start the coffee. You do your thing. Take your time.”
“Okay, thanks.” She gave him a shy smile, then turned and headed for his bedroom, and what had obviously become her preferred bathroom.
Chaos stood where he was for several moments.
Thinking about what the detective had said.
It seemed too good to be true, but if Nolan had been trying to escape the flash flood, driving too fast away from the cabin, it was possible he’d wrecked his car.
And it had been his car that was burnt, of that there was no doubt.
So why Chaos still felt uneasy, he wasn’t sure.
All he knew was that he wasn’t going to let down his guard until he was one hundred percent sure Kara was in no further danger.
He’d still talk to Tex, let him do his thing to see what he could find on the man.
If Tex said Nolan Colins was the one who was found inside the burned-out car, then he’d start to believe it.
Until then…
Until then, he had a roommate who he hoped would one day be more than a friend. But he’d take things at Kara’s pace. He wouldn’t rush her into anything. She still had a long way to go until she was healed from that asshole’s assault.
Baby steps. He’d give Kara a safe space, a place she could bloom into the amazing woman he had no doubt she’d always been. And if she gave him a chance, he’d spend the rest of his life making sure she had everything her heart desired.