Chapter 7
LANDON
“This motherfucker,”River mutters as he looks at the house in front of us. “Prick.”
We’re in a nicer neighborhood than Skylar’s and surrounded by houses with massive perfectly manicured front lawns and luxury cars in every driveway.
The address that we’re at screams privilege. Three lifted trucks, each shiny and looking brand new, sit in the sprawling driveway, and the garage door is dark tinted glass. The house is dark grey with white trim in a modern style, surrounded by overcomplicated landscaping of abstract shaped hedges.
“It’s definitely ostentatious,” I comment, shutting the driver’s side door of my car. River and I agreed to carpool to Jason Silver’s house after I decided it would be a good idea to make sure we both left at the same time.
I don’t trust River to be alone with Skylar’s ex-boyfriend.
“You’re such a nerd,” River mutters. “Ostentatious. Use fucking normal words, man.”
But he doesn’t have his usual bite. I have a feeling he was finally able to get some sleep at Skylar’s place. And the coffee in his hands probably helps, too.
“Fine,” I sigh as we head up the driveway. “It looks like an asshole owns this place.”
“Better,” River concedes as he rings the doorbell, which has a camera attached to it.
Instead of a normal ding, it plays an electronic, lyric-less hook from a ten-year-old pop song.
I share a look with River.
This is the guy Skylar was dating?
When the massive double doors finally open, a plain-looking Alpha with shaggy blonde hair and a scraggly beard greets us. “Hey,” he says slowly, his eyes narrowing. “Can I help you?” he asks in a condescending tone.
River’s right.
This guy is a prick.
And I’m not just saying that because of Skylar.
His scent is vomit-inducing. It’s musty with an undertone of damp, rotten earth.
“Jason Silver?” I ask.
He nods. “Yeah?”
“We’re with the Alpha Private Bureau,” I say, my tone low. “We’d like to ask you some questions about Skylar Bloom.”
At the mention of her name, he curls his lip. “You’re with the who?” he asks, looking at me unimpressed.
River growls. “The Alpha Bureau,” he snaps. “We’re private investigators that have a contract with the government.”
Jason scoffs. “Well, I’ve never heard of you,” he says. “And I haven’t talked to Skylar in more than a year. Whatever she’s done is not my problem.”
Something inside me snaps.
The gall of this man to think we’re here because Skylar committed a crime. The arrogant, condescending, privileged?—
“Listen, asshole,” River hisses before I can speak, taking a step forward. He’s taller than Jason, and it’s rewarding to see the Alpha flinch. “We can come in now and ask some questions, or we can come back with a warrant. Your choice.”
He’s bluffing, but thankfully Jason doesn’t notice. The threat makes him stiffen, and he swallows and swings open the door to allow us in.
And holy fuck, do I hate him.
This is the man that made Skylar pay for everything, yet the sound system and ridiculously large television in his front room alone are enough to pay for a year’s worth of weekly restaurant outings. Three video game systems sit on one of the shelves of the massive entertainment system.
We clearly interrupted a game, judging by the paused screen.
He’s a man child with expensive toys. It doesn’t take a detective to discern that.
“Okay, well…” Jason shrugs as we stop in his front room. “What did she do?”
The bastard.
“You probably want to sit down,” River quips, motioning towards the leather couch. “This will take longer than a couple of minutes.”
Jason stares at both of us and shifts in his designer sneakers. “I have a meeting,” he says, the lie obvious. “I was just about to leave.”
I raise my eyebrows. “How interesting, considering you’re in the middle of a game,” I nod my head towards the television. “And you don’t have a place of employment.”
He looks like he wants to argue with us but decides against it. “I work from home,” he bites out. “I’m a stock trader.”
I already knew that, of course.
“Yeah, and you do really well for yourself,” River quips, motioning to the living area. “Unless this is Mommy and Daddy’s money?” He slams his coffee cup down on the wet bar next to him.
We have to rein it in. We can’t be this unprofessional. I give River a warning look as Jason stiffens and shoots daggers at River. “Look, what do you want to know?” Jason snaps. “I told you; I haven’t seen Skylar in a long time. So, whatever is going on with her?—”
“She’s missing,” I interrupt him, unable to hear him insinuate that Skylar has done something wrong. “And we just want to ask you some questions.”
He stills. “She’s missing?” he asks. “What do you mean?”
River rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “It means she’s not here. It means she disappeared.”
“Oh. Well, sit down I guess,” Jason says uncomfortably, heading toward the couch. It’s split into an L shape and is large enough to seat at least eight people comfortably. I sit on the furthest end of it so I’m able to face him at an angle.
“What do you want to know?” Jason asks, sitting ramrod straight. His hands are on his knees, and he bites his lip. He’s nervous.
I’m ninety-nine percent sure he has nothing to do with Skylar’s disappearance, but he’s exhibiting signs of guilt.
Maybe it’s for the way he treated Skylar.
“Tell us about your relationship,” River says as he takes the cushion adjacent to mine. His poker face is back, and he keeps his voice monotone, even though I sense he’s moments away from losing his shit.
I shouldn’t have taken him here. This was a bad idea.
“We, ah, dated for like…five years,” he says, scratching at his chin. “But it didn’t work out,” he adds quickly.
“And why was that?” I inquire, leaning forward.
A selfish part of me wants to know exactly what happened.
What he did to make her so unsure of herself, to make her worry that she’s burdening us with her presence.
Jason scoffs. “Really?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. “You want the truth?”
“That’s why we’re here,” I say, giving him a grim smile.
“She was too…much,” he says, scoffing.
River lets out a low growl next to me.
I’m willing to change the subject, but River interrupts before I can. “Too much how?” he asks, his voice laced with venom.
His reaction startles Jason, and I can sense his unease as he clears his throat. “Too emotional. Too demanding. Just too overbearing.”
Anger flares in me, but we have to keep it professional.
So, I hold my tongue and nod. “And no pack, correct? Just you?”
He shrugs. “I didn’t think a pack could handle her.”
I freeze.
I hear River’s knuckles crack.
“Explain,” he says softly, a low growl sounding in his chest. Jason’s gaze snaps to him, and he chuckles as if we’re in on a joke.
“You know. She’s one of the crazy ones,” he says, smirking. “Super hot, but crazy and needy. I can’t imagine many Alphas would have the time or patience for her.”
I swallow down a snarl as I sense River’s scent change. It’s thick with anger, too heady and rich when mixed with Jason’s scent.
We have to change the subject or we won’t get anywhere.
So, for the next twenty minutes, we ask the standard questions. When we inform him that April Waters is missing too, he looks surprised.
“Oh,” he says, and for the first time, I see genuine concern on his face. “Wait, so other Omegas are disappearing?”
I nod. “Yes. Have you not been paying attention to the news?”
How clueless is this idiot?
He shrugs. “Not really. Honestly…” his voice trails off and he shrugs. “I was thinking maybe Skylar did this to herself.”
A chill runs down my spine.
“What do you mean, did this to herself?” River repeats, a warning in his tone.
But the clueless idiot just waves his hand. “You know. For attention. But I guess not.”
I have to keep a straight face. I know if I snap, River will react worse, thinking he had my buy in.
But along with my anger, there’s sadness.
Sorrow that Skylar was with someone that treated her so poorly.
Pity for Jason that he doesn’t see what he let go of.
If—when we find Skylar, we’ll give her something much better.
We’ll show her what it’s like to be with someone that cherishes her.
“We have no reason to believe she did that,” I say earnestly. “Frankly, this is much bigger than you can imagine.”
Jason swallows. “Oh.”
“Thank you for your time,” I continue, standing. River follows suit. “If you do hear anything…” I fish my card out of my pocket and hand it to Jason. “Give us a call.”
He frowns as he takes the card. “Yeah. Uh…sorry. I hope you find her.” River says nothing as we head past Jason, who stays seated on the couch.
I hear his video game resume as we reach the front door.
River snatches his coffee cup off the wet bar before we leave, then slams the front door harder than necessary.
He’s fuming as he heads down the driveway, and so am I.
“Did she do this to herself?” he mocks under his breath. “What the fuck.”
I shake my head. “He’s….” I try to find the words to describe him but come up short. “He’s something.”
River scoffs. “Yeah. Look at this shit.” He runs his hand along the side of one of the trucks. “She had to give him gas money? Unbelievable. Asshole didn’t bother to take care of her at all.”
I nod. “It’s infuriating.”
We’re almost to the end of the driveway, when River stops, his gaze back at the house.
“What are you doing?” I ask, frowning.
“You see any cameras?” he murmurs, sipping his coffee. “I sure as shit don’t.”
I scan the garage door and the house, looking for any sign of a security system.
“Just the video doorbell,” I say slowly. “Why?”
He looks back and me and smirks.
I narrow my eyes. “Don’t,” I say as he pops off the lid to his coffee. “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t do it. Be professional.”
He rolls his eyes. “Just get in the car. I’ll meet you there in a second.”
“I am not going to be a part of?—”
“And you’re not going to. Don’t worry about it, man.” River gives me a shit-eating grin, and I sigh and head to my car.
I pretend he’s not going to do anything to the truck he’s walking up to.
I tell myself he won’t pour his coffee into the gas tank.
And when he returns and opens my passenger side door, he places the now-empty coffee cup in my cup holder.
Before I can say anything, my phone pings as I receive a text from Ben.
“Holy shit,” I breathe. “They found two more girls. Alive.”