Chapter 3
WEST
“I’ll make these few tweaks to the website and then send a link over with the changes for you to approve,” Juno murmured, face in her phone as her thumbs flew over the screen.
Without looking up, she tucked her laptop under her arm and weaved around Brandon’s desk and past Hudson, blindly slapping at the door for the knob until her small fingers wrapped around the metal.
Without even a goodbye or “see you later” tossed over her shoulder, she tugged open the door and strode out into the bright afternoon sunlight.
“Ten bucks says she sends over those changes for the site and more ideas for the scheduling system before we’re done with our meeting,” I commented with a wide grin.
Juno was hyper-focused when it came to her job and an absolute badass with anything computer related.
Which was good for Uplift, but I worried about her because of it too.
She would lock herself in her cabin for days working, not once coming out for air or food.
Sometimes Finley or one of her other friends would pop in for a wellness check if we hadn’t seen her in a while.
And if it wasn’t work, it was her online gaming obsession that kept her inside, staring at a screen for hours. That couldn’t be good for anyone.
“We’re lucky to have her,” Brandon said, rubbing a hand along his scruff-covered jaw. “Carl was always too swamped to do anything with the site, and that new system she built from scratch has streamlined our process, which benefits you all as well as our clients.”
“Lucky,” Langston grumbled while he rocked the chair back on its two back legs. The big fucker was on the verge of breaking another one if he wasn’t careful. Then again, he deserved to be sprawled out on the floor with a sore ass considering his foul mood. “Pain in the ass more like it.”
Though the way his green eyes kept finding the door she just disappeared through gave his grumpy ass away on how he really felt. Not that I was any better. It was hard to stay in my damn seat to find out why Brandon had called the meeting when all I wanted to do was follow her.
Langston stalked Juno for his own misguided reasons.
I didn’t disguise that I wanted her. Well, that was a slight lie.
She didn’t know that friendship was not all that I hoped for with her.
That while we joked around and talked, or spent hours together while she played those crazy video games, I desperately wanted more.
All of her time, focus, energy, attention—everything about her if I were brutally honest with myself.
The fact that Lang wasn’t there yet had me holding back for now, but soon he would get over his irrational issues with her unknown past, and then we could both be all in on convincing Juno that she was our perfect match.
My attention dropped to my wrapped wrist and hand. Maybe it made me a sick bastard or just as delusional as Langston, but I’d offer something else to be crushed if that meant I got more of her time and gentle comfort like she’d offered the past few weeks.
“…with that evidence, Oliver and I agree it wasn’t a suicide like someone staged it to look like, but murder.” Realizing they had stopped talking about the website and shifted to Jasper’s death, I turned my full focus on Hudson as he paced in front of Brandon’s desk. “We just don’t know the why.”
“It has to be tied to the missing women cases. He was connected to Caroline, who’s still missing,” I stated tentatively, hating saying her name because of the devastated expression that flashed over Langston’s face.
Yet another person he felt like he’d failed, as if the man could be everywhere at once protecting everyone from the unknown dangers in life.
“That’s where we landed too,” Hudson commented, coming to stop at the edge of the desk, tapping the firm surface with a single knuckle.
He eyed Brandon for a moment as if debating his next words.
“I’m thinking this is bigger than what Oliver and I can handle on our own.
It’s time to pull in people with more resources and experience dealing with serial cases. ”
“Do you have someone in mind?” Brandon asked, leaning back in his chair and interlacing his hands behind his head. “Because you’re the only connection I know who had the experience to help Oliver.”
Hudson slowly nodded. “I have a contact in the FBI who I’d like to reach out to.”
The corners of Brandon’s lips pulled downward before he pressed them into a tight line. “And how will Oliver’s dad feel about us bringing in the feds?”
“Who gives a fuck,” Langston cut in, allowing his chair to fall forward, slamming the front two legs to the floor.
“This is bigger than anyone in this town can handle. We need help if we want it to stop and catch the bastard behind it all.” I nodded in agreement, drawing his attention across the small table.
“I, for one, can’t stomach anything else happening to our family because of all this. ”
His green eyes bored into mine, making my heart race.
The part about the accident that almost cost me full use of my hand and fingers that no one really talked about was that it wasn’t actually an accident.
After investigating why the engine was nonoperational, the evidence pointed to someone sabotaging the helicopter engine, which was why I was working on it when it crushed my hand.
That’s why Langston was giving me the no-nonsense glare—which was sexy as hell, if you asked me—and on board with Hudson calling his FBI contact.
Most people would think his getting this worked up meant he felt more about me than he let on, that we were more than friends who fucked when tensions were high and we both needed an outlet.
One thing was certain, though: No one fucked with his family, blood or forged, or they would see a side of Langston that even I was slightly scared of.
That dangerous side turned me on in a disturbingly dark way.
What could I say? I had issues—a whole fuckload of them.
“What the hell are you smiling about?” Langston asked, resting his tattooed forearms on the table.
I met his stare, letting him see all the dark, dirty thoughts now swirling through my mind after that sexy display of “touch him and die.”
Arching one dark brow, he pointed at me. “Careful,” he commanded in that tone that had my dick twitching.
“This is the shit I’m talking about.” Hudson gestured between me and Langston. “Enough.”
“What shit?” I asked, breaking off Langston’s heated glare that had him grunting in annoyance.
“Nothing,” Langston cut in. “I vote he calls this FBI contact—”
“And maybe his wife too,” Hudson added, staring at the far wall.
“Rain’s a medical examiner and helps their profiling team with tough cases.
She could review the autopsy results on the body we found off the trail and Jasper’s, plus the others.
If anyone can find new clues, it’s her. And her husband, Jameson, the FBI profiler can help us get into the mind of the fucker terrorizing Anchor Bay. ”
“Maybe even help with a motive and what the hell he’s doing with the missing women,” Brandon mused, rubbing at his jaw. He paused for a moment before dipping his chin in agreement. “Do it. If they need an invitation from the local police force, I’m sure Oliver will help with that.”
“Why the hell would you know that?” I asked, running my good hand over my shaved head. It still felt strange not having hair, but the upkeep was fucking amazing compared to how long and thick it was before.
Brandon’s lips curled in a slow smile. “Our Amy loves that show Criminal Minds and mentioned the ‘invitation from the local police’ technicality during an episode once. I assume it came from some writer’s research and not something they randomly made up.”
“I’ll reach out to Jameson today, get his thoughts on all this and ask about Rain’s help,” Hudson said.
“Until then, I’m waiting on the autopsy results from the woman Memphis, Baylee, and Liam found in the woods and will keep digging into Jasper’s life.
Maybe he got too close to something since he’s the one who told us about Caroline’s missing journal and how she was attempting to connect the recent missing women cases to those from years ago.
He could’ve found something that got him killed. ”
With a clipped nod to Brandon, Hudson left, slamming the door shut behind him, leaving just me, Langston, and Brandon.
“Now.” Brandon shuffled some papers around on his desk and pulled a Post-it free.
“On to why I needed to talk to you both.” Between two fingers, he held up the yellow note.
“I received a call requesting transportation from Anchorage to here for a couple. They called instead of booking online because they didn’t want to alert the very person they’re coming here to surprise. ”
Hell, that could be any of us—well, except me.
No one outside of this community would come see me, much less as a surprise.
The fact that I didn’t have any family used to weigh me down when I thought about it, but not anymore.
Not since coming to Anchor Bay and finding a genuine family working with Uplift.
My thoughts crept down a dark path, memories of my childhood and years on the street doing whatever was necessary to survive, only to be ripped back to the present when Brandon mentioned who the mystery couple wanted to see.
“They grew up with Juno and want to surprise her in person with some kind of good news.”
Suspicion mixed with dread sat heavy in my gut as Langston and I shared a confused look. Clearing my throat, I twisted in my seat to face Brandon, not wanting to piss him off by questioning him.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, boss, but that sounds shady as shit,” I stated bluntly. “Right?” I turned to Langston, hoping he’d back me up.