Chapter Two #2
Her sister’s trust ran so deep that she turned off her phone during date nights.
She insisted her husband do the same. International businesses ran twenty-four-seven.
Even though her brother-in-law, Greg, had a capable junior manager, Greg felt a responsibility to take calls personally to give the kind of individual service that ensured their customers stayed on with the company.
Being the sole breadwinner came at a price, and that cost was long hours and missed time with his wife and child.
Greg was a good person, devoted husband and loving father.
He was a damn fine brother-in-law too. Greg and Bethany Vendenburg were marriage goals because they made decisions together and worked as a team.
It was a great life for Bethany. At least, it had been.
Stress seemed to be getting to Greg, and he hadn’t been himself in recent months.
He’d obsessed over making plans for Chase in case something bad happened to either of them.
He’d even brought up Blakely and Bethany’s parents’ unexpected deaths as a reason to get paperwork and finances in order.
Cracks had been showing in the marriage for a while now too.
A year? Ever since Blakely took the bench?
Bethany chalked it up to having a normal marriage. Said it was common to have ups and downs. That she and Greg were on a “down” cycle, but that it would get better. It was logical. Relationships were tricky, full of potholes and landmines.
Blakely, on the other hand, couldn’t see herself being happy in so-called domestic bliss, not even when the relationship was on an upswing.
She needed her work and had kept her head down for too many years, sacrificing everything, including a personal life, to give up what she loved doing.
Besides, what Bethany and Greg had wasn’t realistic for most people.
Especially not Blakely. Not with her history.
A noise to her left caught her off guard, startling her. She jumped into a defensive position, ready to defend herself or strike anything that came her way. Realized it was just a rabbit.
She checked her watch. An hour and a half had passed since the attack. Where are you, buddy? Please come out of hiding. Please.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Dalton kept watch over her no matter where he was.
Having someone around who had her back was a foreign feeling at best. Since her parents died in a highway pileup on icy roads, she’d been the one to step into the adulting role.
Even while attending college in Arlington at the UT branch there, Blakely had looked after her sister, who attended Texas Tech in Lubbock, where she’d met her future husband.
While Dalton had her back, she could focus her full attention on finding Chase.
But where should she look next?
Other vehicles in driveways?
Backyards?
Dog houses?
Didn’t her neighbors have kids and grandkids? Would they have forts outside? Tree houses? Jungle gyms?
Since there were a dozen neighbors or more searching the street, this area was more than covered.
She glanced over at Dalton, who immediately picked up on the fact she was about to make a move.
His offhand remark six-ish weeks ago about having found his twin flame had scared her then because there’d been some truth to it.
Once he told her what he did for a living, she’d bolted.
The last thing she needed was a fling showing up in court to protect her.
Like now. This was exactly what she’d been trying to avoid.
She prized her professional relationships and had no intention of damaging her reputation.
The whole fling caught her off guard anyway because she wasn’t into casual sex with someone she barely knew.
Twin flame?
Something had caused her to break all her rules and give in to the overwhelming desire to spend time with this man she’d met. She’d believed him to be law enforcement because of his swagger and the Dallas PD baseball cap in the back seat of his vehicle, so trust came easily. Too easily?
When he’d confirmed his job, she’d run just as fast.
Was she letting her guard down? Because she had a four-inch scar at her hairline and another one under her right arm to remind her relaxing with anyone was a bad idea. Her ex had also taught her that it was impossible to really know anyone. People changed. Sometimes, right in front of your eyes.
Blakely made a beeline for her next-door neighbor’s driveway.
In this area, backyards were protected by eight-foot wood board-on-board privacy fences.
The community was known for it, and it was largely the reason she’d decided to buy her first home here.
The neighborhood also had a metal gate with a box code needed to enter.
The gate kept out solicitors easily enough. A determined criminal?
Clearly no.
The sense of security of the community had been shattered this evening. Blakely realized how false that sense had been.
Dalton saying she’d picked up a shadow was no joke. The man was a half step behind her almost the second she changed course. He kept a distance, though, allowing her the freedom to search everywhere, including underneath her neighbor’s car.
Coming up empty, she moved to the backyard. A jungle gym immediately caught her attention. She bolted toward it, resisting the urge to call out to Chase in case Ski Mask was hiding inside instead. Or had Chase in there with a knife to her nephew’s throat.
This outdoor swing set was built log-cabin style with a two-story fort that led to a green slide. A pair of swings were next to the fort.
Blakely’s heart skipped a beat at the realization this was exactly the kind of place her nephew would hide.
Movement behind the window on the second story of the fort stopped her cold.
Chase?
Or someone else?