32. Easton
THIRTY-TWO
Easton
Warmth tickles my skin as light bleeds through my closed eyelids, and I stretch in the bed. Hazel is still asleep next to me, and I grin, drifting my hand over her shoulder gently so that I don't disturb her.
Last night was absolutely incredible, and I can't believe how much closer I feel to her after every time we come together like that.
She feels right here, she feels right in my bed, and there's nowhere else in the world I'd like to see her. I also don't want to wake her up.
I could stare at you sleeping forever, Haze. I…ugh…
My head begins to hurt as I remember that this is all supposed to be casual. I know I’m the one who said it, but I have to admit that I did it so I wouldn’t scare her off.
I never actually wanted it.
And that thought is terrifying. It’s not like relationships and I have a good track record. My parents, my sister because of my parents, and even Hazel when we dated before. I’ve got a pretty crappy batting average.
Letting someone in has always seemed like a recipe for disaster. I was never enough for my folks, and that feeling has haunted me all through high school to the military to now.
They called not long ago to remind me how I’m not cut out to raise Jade.
But it was Hazel who was there beside me to lift me back up.
Maybe she’s different? Maybe being with Hazel this time around can be…different.
A loud grumble from my stomach interrupts my thoughts, and the longer I’m awake, the more I’m jonesing for a cup of coffee.
So, as gently as I can, I sneak from the bed and walk over to my closet, grabbing some comfortable clothes to throw on so I can go downstairs.
Coffee is undoubtedly necessary, and I know that Jade is probably sitting at the island with her bowl of cereal, wondering if I'm willing to make pancakes, too.
Once I'm dressed, I head down the stairs and go straight for the kitchen. Surprisingly, I don't see Jade sitting at the counter.
I think nothing of it. Sometimes Jade sleeps in, sure. So, I go about making my coffee.
Still, I get through the entire process and an entire cup of joe, and Jade still hasn't come down. I glance over at the clock.
It's only 7:30, which isn't late by any means, but she's usually up by now.
Curious, I get up from my seat and go back upstairs to Jade's room. I knock lightly on the door. But there is no response.
Gently, I crack the door open and sneak inside the dark room. It only takes me a few moments before I realize that the window near her bed is open.
The curtain is blowing in the wind, revealing that the sliding glass is pulled over. Jade knows better than to leave her window open all night.
My heart is pounding in my chest when I rush up to her bed, yanking back the covers to find them empty. She's not here.
Jade isn't here.
Everything drops out from under me, and I nearly stumble to the floor. Reeling back, I land against the door jam and call out down the hallway for Hazel.
“Hazel! Hazel, get down here right now!”
It's not long before the pounding of her feet is heard in the hallway, and I turn to see her heading towards me with one of my T-shirts pulled over her head.
“What? What's going on?”
“Jade…Jade's not. She's not in there.”
I can barely think, I can barely breathe, and Hazel rushes into Jade's bedroom, finding the same thing I did.
There's no sign of my niece, and all I can think is that this has to have been him.
This has to have been Neil.
“Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe she's asleep on the couch or something.”
We tear from the room and rush back downstairs, but after combing through every inch of the house, there is still no sign of her. Jade isn't here.
There's little else to do, so I run back to her bedroom, Hazel hot on my trail.
“I'm so sorry, this is my fault. This is because I'm here. Oh my God.”
“Hazel…it's not…just…we're going to figure this out.”
I run to Jade's bed again and notice something I missed before. On her pillow is a small scrap of paper.
It's been torn from something larger, and in messy handwriting, it says ‘an eye for an eye,’ with the signature of one Neil James beneath it.
If possible, I'm even more of a wreck now, and I slam my fist against the wall.
I have tried for weeks to keep Hazel and Jade safe. It's all I've been doing, and now I'm caught in the middle of wanting to keep Hazel safe and stay here or run off to go find Jade wherever he's taken her.
I have no doubt that with Neil's history, he's going to do something to my niece. He's going to put her through the trafficking ring just like he was going to do to Hazel.
“We need to move quickly. I don't know how fast Neil can pull off stuff like this, but I'm sure time is of the essence. We need to call the authorities now.”
Hazel looks up, her face stained with tears, and then notices the note I’m clutching in my hand, her eyes going even wider.
“What is that?”
Hazel nods at the note in my hand. I haven't shown it to her. I don't know if I want to, but she snatches it from my grip and reads it.
Immediately, she bursts into tears, and I can see that she feels horrible for what’s happened. I don't blame her, I don't, but I'm also terrified, and I'm not sure what to do right now.
Walking over to her, I wrap her in my arms. “It's okay. It's okay. We're…gonna figure this out. I need you to breathe for me.”
She’s trembling in my hold, the sobs choking her as she slowly begins to crumble to the floor.
“I did this, I did this. I got her taken. This is all my fault. If I wasn't here, he wouldn't have done this. I never should have gotten you two involved. If something happens to her…
“Nothing is going to happen to her,” I say. But I'm not sure I believe it.
Hazel's eyes burn with more tears, and they stream down her cheeks endlessly. There's no use trying to calm her down right now.
Worse, she has every reason to be upset. I don't know what I'm supposed to do about this.
Some trafficker has my niece. She needs me.
And I feel utterly powerless to do anything to stop it.
Think, Easton. Think. What can you do? You need to take this letter to the authorities. They can just dust it for prints or something. Um, we can make this work. You can wait ? —
And I stop, leaning back from Hazel, looking towards the door out of Jade's room.
“What is it?”
“I…hold on.”
Leaving her quicker than I would have liked, I rush down the stairs towards the front of the house.
How did Neil even get inside? I have a security system, and the alarm should have gone off.
I throw open the main door and notice that as soon as I do, nothing beeps. Nothing is triggered.
Something has happened.
I go around to the side of the house where the circuit breakers are. The security system draws such a large amount of power that it has its own dedicated power source.
And, of course, when I come around the corner, the grass tearing under my feet, I see that metal box, and my stomach drops.
The padlock on it has been pried off, and it hangs open. The switch to the security system is turned off.
I didn't notice because I just used the electricity in the kitchen, and I hadn't touched the alarm system yet.
“Damn it!”
I kick my foot at the ground, doing absolutely nothing, and Hazel is right behind me.
“He broke into the security box.”
“How would he know that it's there?”
I sigh. “These old houses…they need a lot of power to run a security system like this. I didn't build a new home here. This house was on the lot. I just upgraded it. I'll hand it to him. Neil knows his shit. Apparently, years of trafficking young girls has led to some acquired skills.”
I realize that I'm making a terrible joke, but it feels like I need to do something, or I'm going to fall into a pit and never crawl back out again.
“Easton, I…dammit. What if he’s already moving her?” Hazel is spiraling again, and I know I’m not far behind.
Rushing to her, I wrap my arms around her, breathing her in. “We’ll get Jade back. I won’t accept anything less, okay?”
Soaking up as much of her as I can, I try to ground myself in the fact that we’re in Red Lodge. There’s nothing here, and if he wants to take Jade back to LA, it’s going to be a long trip.
“How has no one seen him?” Hazel asks, her words interrupted by hiccuping sobs.
“I’m not sure. Neil must’ve been on his way for several days now. We need to get inside and call the police. This escalates things. They’ll have to take us more seriously.”
I’m zeroing in. I’m assessing the situation and looking for solutions just my like training taught me.
Because I know if I don’t, I’ll fall apart, and there’s no time for that.
“Come on.”
I drag Hazel into the house, trying to ease away her worries as much as I’m drowning in my own.
Once we’re inside, I set her up on the couch, giving Hazel her cell in case Neil tries to contact us. When I’ve got her settled enough, I grab my own phone and call the police.
I detail the situation, and they’re sending detectives over immediately. I’m not supposed to touch anything, and if Neil calls, I’m supposed to try and record the call somehow.
“We can use the other phone that’s not being called,” Hazel suggests, and I nod.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” I’m nodding too much. I know it. “We’ll just wait here for the cops and see if Neil calls.”
The room drops into silence, both of us staring at our phones, waiting for something— anything —to happen.