Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MATTHEW
“Look who came to visit us.” I roll my eyes at my sister’s smug face. She dramatically presses her hand to her chest. “To what do we owe this pleasure, officer?”
“Will you cut it out?” I grumble, sliding onto the high-top chair that’s by the counter.
“And where is the fun in that?”
“Becky…”
My sister pouts. “Fine. Why so grouchy? I thought you’d be happier considering the charity event went so well. Everybody’s still talking about it.” Becky rolls her eyes. “I swear, they act like the dog belongs to the town.”
“It does. Kind of.”
“Don’t tell them that, because the next thing you know, they’ll try to have him on a rotating custody schedule.” She watches me for a moment before tipping her chin, her face suddenly serious. “But that’s not what’s bugging you. What’s really going on?”
I run my hand over my face as I think through my next words carefully.
“Did you and Jessy have a fight?”
“What?” I let my hand drop and narrow my eyes at her. “Is that what people are saying?”
Becky looks at me suspiciously. “No, I’ve heard about one very steamy kiss over at The Hut, though. But did you?”
“I… Shit. Kind of? She drives me crazy.”
Just thinking about how she walked away makes my fingers clench, and my gut churns with unease. There is something about this whole situation that doesn’t seem right, but I can’t quite pinpoint what.
“There is no ‘kind of,’ Matthew. Either you fought or you didn’t.”
“It was more of a disagreement.”
“So, a fight?”
Seriously, this woman.
Becky crosses her arms over her chest and quirks her brow at me. “What did you do?”
My mouth falls open. “Why do you think I’m the problem here?”
“Men usually are, they just don’t see it. So? Spill.”
I grind my teeth, feeling the irritation brewing under my skin. “What do you know about Jessy’s ex?”
There is a flash of surprise on my sister’s face at the sudden question, but her eyes go cold. “Besides the fact he’s a douche of epic proportions?”
“And here I thought that tidbit was a known fact,” I mutter dryly.
“Yeah, well… Not much else, really. Jessica rarely talked about him. Never brought him around much. The most I heard about the guy was when he was yelling at her over the phone or in real life. I swear that girl couldn’t do anything right if you asked him.”
Fucking asshole.
Becky blinks, her focus zeroing in on me. “Why do you ask?”
I work my jaw, processing this new information while she watches me like a hawk.
“Matthew…”
I lean closer to her, my voice low so nobody overhears us. “He slashed her tires the other night.”
My sister’s eyes widen, lips parting. “He—”
“We were at The Hut celebrating the fundraiser. I went to the bar to order more drinks, and I heard him running his mouth.” I grind my teeth. Just thinking about the things he said, the way he said them, has the rage boiling inside me all over again. “I called him out on it.”
Becky raises her brow. “Please tell me you didn’t call him out on it with your fists.”
“I would have zero regrets if I did. I’m not going to let him talk shit about Jessica.”
My sister just shakes her head, but her expression softens, if only slightly.
“But, no. Jessica saw it and came in between us, forcing me to leave him alone.” I run my fingers through my hair, tugging at the strands. “Hell, I don’t even remember seeing him after that.”
I was so lost in her, I didn’t even bother paying attention to what he was doing. After Jessy and Mae left, Nico and I returned to The Hut to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
The dude is clearly not well. I should have paid more attention. Kept an eye on him. I should have—
“Don’t do that,” Becky chastises, placing her hand on mine. “This isn’t on you. His behavior is his cross to bear, not yours.”
“Yeah, well… We went out a little while after that. I walked Jessica to her car, and that’s when I saw it. All four tires on her SUV were flat. I wanted her to make a report, but she didn’t want to do it, which is how we got into a fight. She’s just so damn stubborn.”
“Maybe,” Becky says softly.
“Why do I hear a ‘but’ coming?” I narrow my eyes at her. “You can’t possibly tell me what she’s doing is rational.”
“It’s not, but I can see her side. She’s trying to deal with it the best she can. It’s not easy to accept that somebody you had feelings for, somebody you dated for a year, is capable of doing something like that.”
“But what if he does something even worse because she refused to report him when she had a chance?”
“Then you make sure you’re there to help her.” Becky’s face turns grim. “You should know better than anybody that if somebody is set on hurting her, they’ll do it, regardless. A report will not stop him. As a matter of fact, it can sometimes make it worse.”
Fuck.
I hate it when she’s right.
I hate feeling this helpless.
“What the hell do I do, Becky?”
My sister forces a smile. “How about you bring her favorite coffee and a sweet treat to her as an apology for acting like a possessive ass?”
“Worried,” I correct.
Becky chuckles, this time for real. “Worried, possessive, it’s all the same.”
When I get back to the station, I find Jenkins standing next to Nico’s desk, their heads close together as they discuss something quietly. Nico’s grim expression as he nods to whatever Jenkins told him gives me a bad feeling.
I place Jessica’s drink on my desk just as Jenkins pulls back. His gaze finds mine. There’s that twitch in his jaw as he presses his lips together.
“Brought you your coffee,” I tell Nico, handing him one of the cups from the holder.
“I guess it’s good you got it to-go. Let’s hit the road.”
“Where are we going?”
“I have a special task for you two,” Jenkins mutters, grabbing the last coffee from the holder—my coffee—and taking a long sip. “You didn’t have to, Williams.” He shifts his gaze to Nico. “Keep me posted, Rivera. And…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Jenkins nods and goes back to his office. I turn back to Nico and mutter, “Fucker stole my coffee.”
“I think he might be starting to like you.” Nico shakes his head, his gaze darting to the coffee on the desk. “You might want to bring that.”
“We’re going to the medical center. Why?”
“Gotta check something out.”
I grab Jessica’s gift, refusing to call it an apology. Whether what my sister said is true or not, I refuse to apologize for wanting to keep her safe.
“Are you going to tell me what this is all about? Or are you planning on keeping me in the dark?” I ask once we slide into the cruiser.
“Jenkins got a call about a possible missing person,” Nico mutters, tossing me his phone. I turn it around and look at the picture of the young woman on the screen.
The woman is probably around my age, maybe a little younger. The picture is of her and an older couple, who I’m assuming are her parents. She has long, light-brown hair and brown eyes. Pretty smile. None of them look familiar, though.
“A missing person?”
“Yeah.” Nico starts the engine and gets on the road. “Andrea Porter, twenty-two. She’s doing a road trip, and the last her parents heard from her was almost two days ago. She’s been traveling on her own for a couple of weeks now.”
“But they haven’t heard from her since Thursday?”
“Nope.”
“Are they sure she’s missing? I mean, maybe she got sidetracked or something.”
“Her parents claim that she usually calls or texts them at least once a day, and the last check-in was on Thursday morning when she told them she made it to Bluebonnet Creek.”
“She could have already left,” I point out, trying to explore all the options.
Technically, anybody could file a missing person report, though if that person isn’t suffering from some illness or isn’t a minor, there is little we can do without an imminent threat to them.
She’s an adult, and even though she might have a habit of calling her parents once a day, it doesn’t mean she has to do it every day.
Maybe she forgot or she got busy. Maybe she didn’t charge her phone or it was broken. There are so many possibilities.
I glance at Nico. “Is there a reason for concern?”
“Besides it being unusual? Nope. But Jenkins still wants us to look into it. Quietly. Try to see if we can find out anything about her.”
I look at the picture for a moment longer before locking his phone.
“So, we’re going to the medical center.”
Nico shrugs. “Maybe something happened, and that’s why she can’t call them.
It’s worth checking to see if they have a possible Jane Doe.
And then we’ll drive around, keep an eye out if we see her or her car anywhere.
” Nico glances toward the coffee in my hand.
“And you get to apologize so you won’t be grouchy the whole day. ”
What is it with people thinking I have to apologize?
“I have nothing to apologize for.”
“Mmhmm…”
“As if you’re one to talk,” I scoff. “I’m surprised you’re still in one piece. I assumed Mae would rip you a new one for acting like an ass yesterday.”
The muscle in Nico’s jaw twitches, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, back to what’s important…”
I listen to other details Jenkins shared with Nico about our possibly missing woman, my gaze scanning the streets for any sign of her car or the woman herself.
It doesn’t take us long to reach the medical center. The door swishes open, and Jessica looks up, surprise flashing on her face when she sees us.
“Matthew?” She glances from me to Nico and back as she gets to her feet and rounds the counter. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Can’t a guy just stop by?”
Her eyes narrow at me. “While at work?”
“Why not?” I quirk my brow at her and lift my offering. “Do something nice for his girl?”
Jessica’s gaze goes to the coffee cup and bag in my hand before returning to me. “Is that supposed to be an apology?”
“No, that’s supposed to be me doing something nice for you just because.” I come to a stop in front of her, and she has to tilt her head to look at me. My voice drops lower, so only she can hear me. “I’ll never apologize for trying to keep you safe.”
She opens her mouth, and I can see the protest is on the tip of her tongue, but she swallows it back. “Thank you.” She takes the offering. “For the coffee and the treat, not for acting like a caveman.”
I chuckle softly at her words. Lifting my hand, I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Anytime.”
Nico clears his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, but there actually is a reason we came by.”
Jessica’s cheeks flush as she steps back and clears her throat. “Yeah, sure. How can I help?”
“Did you get anyone unfamiliar in the ER last night?”
“Unfamiliar?” Jessica purses her lips as she thinks. “Not that I know of.”
“No accidents? No Jane Does or anyone from out of town?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I can check.”
She walks behind the counter and sits at her computer. She’s nibbling on her lip as she searches the screen intently, only to shake her head again. “Nope. Nobody unfamiliar. Why? What’s going on?”
Nico nods and pulls out his phone. “Maybe you saw this girl?”
He turns his phone to her, and Jessica stands to look at the screen. Her eyes widen in surprise. “I know her.”
Nico glances at me before shifting his attention back to Jessica.
“You do?”
“She was at the Reading Nook,” Jessica comments as she looks up. “That day you guys had the charity car wash? We spoke for a bit while she waited for her coffee. She’s on a road trip and was passing through Bluebonnet. Why?”
Nico and I exchange a look.
“Because her parents haven’t heard from her since that day.”
Jessica’s brows pull together. “Wh-what? She’s missing?”
“We can’t say that for sure. It’s too soon, and she’s an adult. Maybe she just forgot to call them or got distracted by something. There are millions of possibilities,” Nico reassures her. “We’re just making sure to look into it. Did she mention anything else? Maybe where she’s staying?”
Jessica shakes her head. “Nope. We didn’t talk very long, really.
Just regular small talk. We commented on how busy it was.
She had just come from the car wash. Asked for some recommendations for things to do, and we told her to check out The Hut since it was live music night. But I don’t remember seeing her after.”
“Okay, well, we’ll see if we can track her phone and find her. Or maybe she’ll call her parents soon.” Nico glances at me. “I’ll meet you in the car?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I slap him on the shoulder, giving him a grateful smile as I turn to Jessica, who’s still nibbling at her lip.
“Is she really going to be okay?”
That gnawing feeling is back in my gut, but I can’t quite pinpoint why.
“I really hope so.” I run my hand over my face. “Are you okay? He hasn’t…?”
Jessica shakes her head. “No. I haven’t seen him at all.”
“Good.” I nod, my jaw hardening. “If he—”
Jessica sighs. “Matthew…”
“No.” I cup her cheeks, forcing her to listen to me. “If he so much as touches you, I’m going to end him.”
“You shouldn’t be saying stuff like that,” she whispers, those golden eyes gazing into mine as her fingers wrap around my wrists, but she doesn’t try to push me away. No, her fingers tighten, holding me in place.
“I don’t care. He doesn’t touch you. Not one finger. Understand?”
“He won’t.”
I nod, that uneasy feeling settling down. That’s always how she affected me. The calm in my storm.
“My car was fixed,” she comments, changing the subject.
The corner of my mouth twitches upward. “Was it?”
“Imagine my surprise when Mae dropped me off, but instead of having to call the tow service, I found four brand new tires on my car.” She tilts her head, her brow arching. “Know anything about that?”
I shake my head. “No idea.”
Jessica lets out a frustrated breath. “You drive me crazy, you know that? One moment you’re this possessive asshole, and the next you do something sweet like this.”
“Gotta keep you on your toes.”
Movement over her shoulder draws my attention. I look up and spot Nico pacing in front of the entrance.
“I’ve gotta go.” Not giving myself a chance to think, I lean down and press my mouth against hers. “Be careful.”
Then, with the image of her surprised face etched into my mind, I rush away and get back to work.