Chapter Twenty-Six
Twenty-Six
Justin
The low growl of thunder woke me, and I cracked my eyes open, surprised I’d slept so soundly. The scent of rain and wildflowers filled the dark room as I came instantly aware of the fact that I was alone, the side of the bed where Olivia should’ve been, cold and empty.
I sat up and glanced at the red numbers on her bedside clock. Not only had I slept like the dead with no bad dreams, no ghosts of my past chasing me, just sweet peace... but I’d overslept. The storm outside had masked the dawn, but I was always up before the sun.
I ran a hand over my face, then rolled out of bed, grabbing my clothes that were scattered along the floor and yanking on my jeans. I inched open the door to peek out, and with the hallway clear, I padded out to the kitchen barefooted.
“Man Jusin!” Elizabeth greeted me from her high chair, the last few bites of a cut up banana and pancake in front of her.
Olivia turned from the sink and our eyes met before she quickly broke eye contact to wipe Elizabeth’s face.
“Good morning,” I said slowly, frowning at how Olivia kept her back to me. No sunny smiles, no knowing looks after all we’d shared. I moved to the coffeemaker and poured a mug. “Sleep well?” I asked, wondering what time she’d gotten up.
“Not really.”
I turned and leaned against the counter, taking in her body language. Something was definitely off.
She reluctantly faced me, driving a dozen daggers into my heart. Was she regretting things between us already? Was she second-guessing her feelings? Mine? “The storm kept me up.”
But that was a lie. We both knew it.
“You should’ve woken me up,” I said.
“No...” She removed Elizabeth’s tray and picked her up. “You were sleeping so soundly. I couldn’t do that.”
I set my mug aside and took a step in her direction but froze when she tensed up. “Olivia. What is—?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m running late. I need to get Elizabeth to daycare, then get to the studio.” She brushed by me, glancing up into my face. “I’m so behind on everything since we were closed so long. Talk later?”
Everything in me wanted to grab her, grab them both, and demand she talk to me now. But I knew pushing her would do me no good. I needed to give her space to work out whatever was going on in her mind. “Sure...” She spun away, relief all over her. “But one thing...” I gripped her arm and gently turned her back toward me.
“What—?”
I leaned in, close enough that I could kiss her, making her breath catch. But I didn’t. Not in front of Elizabeth. Not yet. Instead, I diverted and brushed my nose along her jaw toward her ear to whisper. “I love you, baby. Please don’t forget that, and please don’t pull away from me.”
She drew back, her eyes wide and emotional. “I promised you I wouldn’t.”
“Then don’t.”
We stared at each other as our words sat heavy between us. She had sworn, but it was clear she was doing just that. I just didn’t know why. I only knew I couldn’t let her.
She took a tremulous breath, then put Elizabeth down, quietly pointing her into her room with promises she’d be there in a minute, before she rose to face me again.
“You’re right,” she whispered. “Things have gotten intense, and some stuff came up for me last night that I...” She dropped her head. “I’m working through it, okay?” She took my hand as she looked back up at me. “I do really need to get to work, but we can talk more later. I promise. I’ll do better. And I won’t push you away.”
“I can work with that.”
Then she surprised me by rising up on her toes to grip my head in both hands and kiss me. I dove right in, gripping her waist and letting her taste infuse me, knowing it would have to last me all day.
She drew back to kiss my cheek, then my jaw, before dropping her forehead to my chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for.”
“I love you, too, and that’s pretty scary for me, to be honest. Please be patient.”
I kissed the crown of her head. “Always.”
She nodded and I let her go finish getting ready. I loaded her things in the car and gave Elizabeth a piggyback ride outside before seeing them off with a wave.
Unable to help myself, as soon as I got back inside, I checked all the apps I had loaded on my phone, satisfied when I saw her location move on the map down the street and left toward town. Next, I checked the new security system at the studio. Olivia had the full access, but I had enough to tell me it was activated, and no alarms had been triggered. All good.
Knowing all of this was in place was the only way I wasn’t on their tail and was allowing her a fraction of normalcy while I got some work done in private. Because ever since the last crop of intel had come in, something had been nagging me, and I just couldn’t put my finger on it.
I let that thought simmer while I pushed through a quick workout of a hundred pushups and burpees and a three-minute plank. Fast and efficient, it would hold me until I could get out and jog later. I grabbed a fast shower, then sat down with my laptop and opened up my emails.
Unable to locate. Please verify identifying information.
It still made no sense. I looked again at everything I’d sent the first time, based upon the information Detective Contreras had gathered in his interview. It wasn’t much, but the intel company had done more with less before, and I’d given them a name, approximate age, and college. That was more than enough.
Maybe I’d misspelled the name? But honestly, how many ways were there to spell Jonathan Able? And surely my guys had accounted for that. Still, I composed a reply with some other possibilities... Johnathan, Jonathon, just John, as well as Abel. I also asked them to expand their search to men that were not enrolled in the college, between the ages of seventeen and thirty, any race, and lived anywhere in the state of Texas. That should cover all bases.
My phone buzzed with a text.
Kade:Checking in for an update.
Me:Your best client’s sister and niece are safe and sound, don’t worry, boss.
Kade:. . .
I tried not to let it grate that he was checking up on me. Still, I knew he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t.
Me:Security systems on home, car, and business are up and running. As you know one suspect eliminated. Working on two others now.
I knew no response meant he was waiting for me to elaborate.
Me:Babysitters ex and baby daddy. Things not adding up on either one so digging in until I make the math work.
Kade:Call if you need anything.
Me:Will do. Thanks.
Next, I opened the email with the photos of Christoph. I frowned hard as I zoomed in on the photos, trying to picture Olivia with him. These files gave me a lot of information, but not nearly enough. Overseas intel always took longer.
The blonde on his arm looked like a teenager. Probably another student. The thought disgusted me.
I focused in on the scenes around him, and I could imagine Olivia on those Italian streets, happy and carefree, her whole life ahead of her, as she waltzed in the doors to that studio, eager to learn. How long had it taken him to weasel his way into her bed? Her heart? To make a baby with her, then throw them both away like trash? Such a scumbag.
I flipped through the photos again and again, not really sure what I was looking for, but getting more and more pissed off.
I eventually had to give it up. I closed that email and forced myself to work on some other files that I’d left unfinished from my last job since I’d been pulled so quickly to come here. I finally finished those up and submitted them to Kade.
Stomach growling, I sat back and realized it was way after lunch, so I wolfed down a sandwich and a Gatorade as I shot Olivia a text to let her know I was thinking about her. I didn’t expect an answer since I knew she was busy at the studio, but that didn’t stop me from hoping.
A goofy grin broke across my face when my phone buzzed a couple minutes later.
Olivia:Miss you too, MHP ;)
Me:MHP?
Olivia:It’s code... Mr. Hottie Pants. I thought you were a Navy SEAL!
I laughed out loud at that and tucked my phone away to get back to it, reopening my computer. I took care of a few other things, then finally reopened my email.
Those damn photos slapped me in the face again. And, again, I studied them over and over, memorizing his face and every detail of the backdrop. I reread the details, putting them to memory.
And that’s when it hit me. What had been poking at me like a thorn in my side this entire time.
The dates on the photos. Surveillance had been started pretty much as soon as Olivia had told me the asshole’s name, and that’s when these pictures were taken. None more recent.
That meant Christoph Donato was unaccounted for the last two weeks.
I sat back and stared at the screen, my brain ticking through the possibilities. It wasn’t adding up. Not perfectly. Her issues had been prior to this, but that didn’t mean he was free and clear. He could’ve paid someone to scare her, then came here to finish the job. I’d certainly seen more devious behavior than that, particularly with matters of the heart. And what was more personal than a child?
I whipped back another urgent email requesting an update on his current location, with evidence, as well as any travel information. If he’d left the country, I needed to know stat.
I updated Kade, then stood to pace, not sure what to do with this while I waited, or why it was eating me up so bad. I was doing what I could, the girls were safe. I was letting my emotions get the better of me and that was dangerous.
I sucked in a breath and—
My phone began to blare with an alarm. Three loud, solid beeps.
Colomba.
I snatched up my cell and opened the app. The back door had triggered. They never opened that during business hours due to security concerns with the kids in class. They only opened it to take out trash at the end of the day, and after disarming the system.
Something was wrong.
My heart punched me in the throat.
I ran and grabbed my keys, shoving my feet into my shoes before I dashed out the door to my truck. As I ran, I dialed Olivia’s number. Straight to voicemail.
“Baby, it’s me,” I said. “Call me back.”
I hung up and tried the studio. It just rang and rang with no answer.
I sped down the street and tried Olivia again. Still nothing.
“Damn it!” I roared, rounding the corner, ignoring the stop sign.
I couldn’t drive and text, so I dialed Kade.
“Yeah, man,” he said when he picked up.
“Something’s wrong,” I barked. “The alarm went off at the dance studio and now nobody’s answering. I’m headed there now.”
“What do you need? Want me to call the cops?”
I squeezed the wheel in a death grip. I hated that my personal ties were clouding my judgment. Something I swore would never happen. “I don’t know, brother.”
He seemed to sense my turmoil. “Ashford,” he boomed. “If this were any other client, what would you do?”
“But she’s not just any other client, Kade. I love her.” I took a breath, pressing my foot harder on the pedal to speed past another truck. “I love her, man.”
His pause was palpable. I’d never known Kade to be in a relationship, much less say he loved a woman, so I wasn’t sure he gave a shit about my feelings. “Fine,” he eventually gritted. “Get there, assess the situation, then let me know ASAP. If it’s a mishap with the security system, I’ll personally string those guys up by their balls. But if there’s an issue, you get on it and keep your woman and child safe while I call the cops. Got it?”
“Got it.”
We hung up just as I flew around the last turn, the dance studio now in my sights. The parking lot looked quiet. No movement, no parents or students coming and going just then.
I pulled in and came to an abrupt halt as Whitney made her way out the front door. My entrance startled her, and she turned with wide eyes.
“Oh! Hi!” she said. “Are you here to look at the alarm?”
I skimmed the front of the building. “Is everything okay inside?”
“Yeah. The alarm just started going on and off randomly right before Olivia left, and—”
“Olivia left? Why? Where did she go?”
True fear slid over her face at the bark in my voice. “The daycare.”
I blinked, trying to figure just what the hell. Dance classes were not done for the day. Olivia wouldn’t go pick up Elizabeth unless... “Why? Is Elizabeth sick?”
“I don’t think so. Honestly, Liv rushed out of here so fast, I didn’t really understand what she was talking about.” She clutched her purse tighter to her body as if just cueing into the fact that there was a problem. “She said something about a mix-up she needed to go... is everything alright?”
I didn’t bother answering her. I just popped the truck into gear and sped out toward the daycare, praying that I wasn’t too late.