Chapter 31
The warmth of the sun beats down from the windows, and the heat of Jade against me makes me groan. I pull her closer and bury my face into the crook of her neck. Last night was amazing and a huge shift in our relationship. I squeeze her a little tighter, never wanting to let her go.
My heart aches at the reminder of her scars and how fucking brave and beautiful this woman is. I want to kill whoever caused her so much hurt and pain.
Whatever her story is, I know it must be far more painful than I imagine. I’m sure she will tell me when she’s ready.
The sounds of pots and pans banging around downstairs has me groaning. By the time Jade and I fell asleep last night, it was very late. Yesterday took a huge emotional toll on Jade, and she needs her rest.
The curve of her ass is nestled into my rock-hard cock, and it takes every ounce of control not to rock into her and wake her.
She’s snoring softly, and I watch her sleep.
The golden rays of sun shine down onto her, and I kiss her delicately on the side of her temple.
I have fallen so deep for this woman, and there is no way out.
She’s it for me. I just hope she feels the same.
I brush the hair back from her face, and she stirs before those big beautiful green eyes pop open. “Shh. Go back to sleep, baby.”
“What time is it?” She asks sleepily, and I glance over at my phone on the table next to my bed. “It’s eight,” I tell her.
“Mmm.” She rolls over so she’s facing me and then smiles. “Good morning.”
“Morning, beautiful. You can go back to sleep if you want to.” I kiss the bridge of her nose.
Just then, a clatter comes from downstairs, and I groan as Jade laughs.
“We should probably go down there before they destroy your house.”
“Or we let them destroy it if that means I can just hold you a little longer,” I say, pulling her in tightly to my chest.
“I could stay here all day with you,” She whispers softly before bringing her lips to mine.
“Me too.”
Another loud crash sounds, and I throw the covers over our heads, making her giggle.
Rolling her on top of me, I crush my lips to hers and rejoice in the feel of her.
I let my hands roam down her hips to the bottom of her ass, making her rock against me as my hard length presses into her.
A knock at the door has us stopping, and I groan at the interruption.
“Go away!” I shout.
“We want breakfast,” Wren says from the other side of the door.
I sigh as Jade rolls off me. Wren is no longer my favourite sibling.
“Be out in a sec,” I grumble, wishing she would go away.
“Come on.” Jade giggles, throwing off the blankets. I bite my lip, stifling another groan when she steps out of bed in nothing but one of my giant t-shirts. The shirt stops just above her knees and I smile. She looks fucking good standing there in nothing but my shirt.
“I need a minute,” I say as I adjust myself in my shorts.
The smoke alarm goes off, and I jump out of bed. “Goddammit.” Throwing on a pair of sweats, I bolt out the door, Jade following.
“What the hell is going on in here?” I look around at the chaos and see every ingredient in my house scattered over my island and what looks like a pan of bacon on fire.
Rushing over to the stove, I reach for the baking powder, sprinkling it on before shoving the lid over the pan and removing it from the heat.
“Sorry.” Sarah cowers, stepping out of the way. “I can bake. But I’m a lost cause when it comes to cooking.”
Running my hands over my face, I shake my head. “Clean this up and I’ll cook.”
Jade laughs, stepping into the kitchen, walking straight over to me and wrapping her arms around my midsection.
“Holy shit!” Sarah screeches, bursting my ear drums. “You had sex!”
Jade buries her face into my chest, and I pull her in tightly.
“Well, honestly, what did you expect, Sarah? We threw them in a room together like animals in heat.”
My sister has a point.
“Okay. That’s enough. It’s none of anyone’s business what did or didn’t happen. Now clean up this mess.”
Jade pulls away from my arms so I can get started on breakfast, and on the way past, I hear Sarah whisper into Jade’s ear, “You totally had sex.”
My eyes find Jade’s, and when I see the smile on her face, I shoot her a wink and get to work.
A few hours later after dropping Wren and Sarah off, I pull into Jade’s driveway so she can collect some things before coming back to stay with me. I don’t want her staying here until we know more about who keeps watching her house.
Getting out of the truck, I spot Mrs. Ira on Jade’s porch. Taking her hand in mine, we walk up the steps.
“Hi, Mrs. Ira,” Jade greets.
“Afternoon, dearie. Hello, West.”
“Ira.” I tip my hat in greeting. “What can we do for you?”
“Well, I was outside watering my plants and that red car slowed down by the house again. They didn’t notice me at first, but as soon as I waved, they sped off.”
Next to me, Jade stiffens, and my hackles rise. I don’t like this one bit.
“Thanks for letting us know, Mrs. Ira. Did you happen to get a good look at this person?”
The old woman shakes her head. “No, sorry. They were wearing a dark hoodie, and I couldn’t see much. Especially not with these old eyes of mine.”
“Okay. That’s okay, Mrs. Ira” I turn my attention back on Jade. “Why don’t you go in and pack your things and anything you’ll need for Pumpkin. I’m going to take another look around your property.”
“Okay.” Jade nods and heads inside.
“Is everything okay?” Mrs. Ira asks.
“We’re not sure, Mrs. Ira. But if someone is watching Jade, I don’t want her here.”
“You’re a good man, Weston Donovan. Please take care of our Jadie.”
“I’m not going to let anyone hurt her, Mrs. Ira.”
After we get everything Jade needs, I take her back to my place and make sure she’s comfortable before I head into the station.
I’m not sure what it is I’m looking for, but something is nagging at me.
I pull out files upon files, scouring through them for anything about a red car, but nothing is popping up.
Frustrated and ready to give up, my heart stops when it finally hits me.
RM. The initials on the locket Jade found on her porch that night.
I flip to the file I need, and my stomach lurches. Rachel Murphy. Our Jane Doe.
How the fuck did her necklace end up on Jade’s porch?
Holy fuck.
My mind races to another file, and there, in a plastic bag, is an earring from one of the other crime scenes.
I think back to what Jade said that day.
Something about another ring she had thought was Sarah’s.
All the air in the room ceases to exist as I put these pieces together.
Is our unsub taking jewelry from his victims?
It doesn’t make sense, though. I don’t understand how this involves Jade. She’s not blonde.
Natalie.
My head snaps up, and I reach for my phone to call Cade.
“What’s up?” he answers on the second ring.
“Do you remember that earring you found at one of the crime scenes?”
“Uh, yeah. Why?”
“I think our unsub is taking jewelry from his victims. I need you to speak with Ms. Tizzy. Find out if Natalie had anything she might have been wearing that’s not accounted for.”
“You got it.”
I hang up the phone just as Garrett walks into my office.
“Hey, Sheriff. What are you doing here?”
“I’m trying to figure something out,” I tell him, sorting through all the files again.
“What do you got? Maybe I can help?”
“Other than a couple pieces of jewelry and a red car, nothing. But I could use your help.”
“Sure. What do you need?”
“I want you to look for a red car. I don’t care if there are a hundred of them in this town, find every last one. Write their plates down and bring them to me.”
“Got it.”
I don’t know how Rachel’s locket and the car relate back to Jade, but I’m going to figure this out.