Chapter 13
Seek
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I followed Tommy back to his desk. He’d called me an hour ago, asking if I could come into the station to talk.
My stomach clenched as he settled behind his desk, face grim. This had to do with The Silverbells. I knew it.
“I looked into what we discussed.”
My brows shot up and I glanced around. It was late afternoon and hardly anyone was around, yet he was speaking like he thought someone might be listening in. That only made me more anxious.
“And?” I asked, my curiosity raging.
His deep sigh was filled with irritation.
“I think you’re right. Something’s not adding up when it comes to that area.
None of the people made it home. They’re all still considered missing persons.
Looking back through my reports over the last few years paints a pretty damning picture. Good job catching that, Seek.”
I knew it! And what was better, Tommy agreed. “I only go on missing persons calls. You must get hundreds of calls a week. Easy enough to forget them in the everyday hustle.
“Unfortunately-”
My excitement plummeted with that one word. I already knew what he was going to say. Still, I let him voice it.
“I can’t do anything about it. I tried sending more of my men out to search for the last hiker over the last few days and we didn’t come up with anything.
No sign of a scuffle. No one was spotted out there.
Literally nothing to give us anything to go on.
Not even anything signaling that the hiker was there.
” His soft brown eyes were troubled and full of an apology.
“I’m sorry, Seek. Without some kind of evidence, there’s nothing I can do.
Most missing persons in this area are family related kidnappings.
As horrible as that is, they’re easy to solve.
This type of case—cases—they leave us with nothing to go on. ”
I sighed, but nodded. “I understand, Tommy. Thanks for looking into it.”
“You can bet your ass I’ll be keeping a close eye out from now on,” he told me.
“Yeah, me too,” I answered. He stood and came over, resting his hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.
“Seek,” his tone was full of warning. “That area is dangerous.”
Obviously.
“I don’t want you getting yourself mixed up in whatever this is.
That’s a known smuggling corridor, filled with cartel and gang activity.
We get a lot of attacks between rival cartels, and sometimes gangs trying to rob cartel smugglers.
I won’t let my guys go out there alone. Even the Border Patrol won’t let their people go alone through that area.
These disappearances may or may not be related to that, but regardless, it's dangerous to be out there by yourself. Don’t go poking around. ”
He knew me too well. Just because Tommy and the cops couldn’t do anything about the missing people, didn’t mean I couldn’t. His eyes narrowed on my face as I pasted on the most innocent expression I could.
“I won’t, Tommy.”
He didn’t look like he believed me, but he nodded. There wasn’t much he could do to stop me. I followed him back to the front of the station. While we walked I pulled my phone out.
Hush: Dinner?
Speaking of mysteries. This man was going to be the death of me. He let me drive off this morning, refusing to answer a single question, then asked me out to dinner. I shook my head.
“Who’s that?”
I looked up at Tommy and paused at the front door. “What?”
“You’re looking at that phone with the same look my girls have when they’re talking to their boyfriends.” He gave a mock shudder, then pinned me with an inquisitive look. “So… Who’re you talking to?”
“No one,” I insisted, feeling my skin flush red.
“Uh huh.” He paused then pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “You know Tomlinson has had a thing for you since he met you…right?”
My mouth dropped open as I followed his thumb and found the deputy watching us. The flush deepened and I knew my face was stained an unattractive shade of red. “Tommy,” I hissed at him as the deputy quickly looked back down at his computer. “Stop it.” I grabbed his wrist and tugged his arm down.
“Just saying.”
“He isn’t interested,” I told him in a droll tone.
At least, I didn’t think he was. He’d never asked me out.
Had been nothing but polite to me whenever we worked cases together.
Either way, it didn’t seem to matter anymore because I was stuck mooning over a biker who couldn’t figure out what he wanted.
It was irritating. It was aggravating. It was more than a little thrilling.
Saying goodbye to Tommy, I left and got into my truck. I turned on the engine, starting up the AC, and then sighed. Tapping on the screen of my phone, I answered Hush.
Seek: When?
Hush: Tomorrow.
Seek: Sure.
I tossed my phone on the passenger seat, afraid to have it too close, lest I give in to the temptation to text him more.
I pulled out of the Sheriff’s lot, head spinning with the excitement of seeing him and frustration of not knowing where it was going.
As I drove over to my mom’s place I let my mind go over what’d happened earlier.
Not the hot make out session. I didn’t need to walk into dinner with my mom and sister when I was horny and wet.
The fighting between Hush and his MC brothers was bothering me.
I’d like to think it had nothing to do with me, but it was obvious it did.
I was hoping to get Hush to open up a bit tomorrow when he was stuck inside a restaurant with me.
It was basically a social contract that you had to answer questions on a first date.
The thought of Hush having to answer all of my questions, or abide by any social contract, made me laugh softly as I pulled into my mom’s driveway.
Jo waved at me as she got out of her car. My brows raised when I saw it was just her. Brad had been coming to these bi-weekly dinners for the last few months.
“Where’s Brad?” I asked as I climbed out of my truck.
“He wasn’t feeling up to coming out.” She grimaced. “His ankle is still hurting.”
“Didn’t they give him painkillers?”
“Just Tylenol six hundred. Hi Mom!” Jo hurried through the door and into our mom’s arms.
As soon as they finished hugging I let Mom wrap me up in her arms. “How’s my babies?” she asked, love shining in her eyes.
“Good,” we answered in unison. Without another word Jo and I began setting the table while Mom placed plates of food in the middle.
My mouth watered as she put a dish of Adobe Chicken down then went to get the freshly baked bread. I sat down and speared a piece of chicken. Jo was busy spooning up potatoes.
“What have you been up to, Jamie?” Mom asked as she set the bread down and took her own seat.
“I got to catch up with Jo this morning at the hospital, but I haven’t seen you.
” There was a tone of disapproval. Not because I hadn’t waited for her to get to the hospital before leaving, but because I hadn’t stopped by to visit.
Things had been busy and I hadn’t had time.
Not that it mattered to her. Reality had no bearing on my mom.
She felt I was duty bound to see her whenever she wanted. It was a mom thing.
I gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Mom.”
She was only partially mollified by my apology. “Well?”
I met her steady gaze and swallowed the bite of chicken I’d just shoveled into my mouth. Nerves made the flavor dull on my tongue. “Well what?”
She sighed. “What have you been up to?” There was a dangerous sparkle in her eye.
My gaze darted over to my sister and I glared at her. She gave a slight shake of her head, indicating that she hadn’t told Mom anything about what I’d been up to. But that look on our mom’s face said she knew something. Something about me. Dread unfurled in my chest. “Um, not much,” I tried.
Wrong thing to say.
“Really?” she asked, stretching out the word. There was enough disbelief in her tone to let me know I was in trouble for hiding things from her.
The only thing I was hiding from her was Hush. I winced as she watched me like a spider crawling across her floor. Before I could evade, she pounced.
“Millie told me that you were sitting with a man at the hospital.”
Jo choked on a bite of her meal, but otherwise kept her head dipped. She didn’t want to get into the middle of this.
“He’s a friend-” I hadn’t even seen Millie Johnson there. I swear these women crept around like ninjas, gathering gossip that they could spread to their circle of friends.
“A friend who you left with?” Her eyebrows arched so high I thought they might get caught in her hairline.
“Yes, Mom. A friend. I do have them.”
Her lips twisted into a scowl. “We need to find you a nice boy,” she decided.
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“I’m tired of waiting for you to bring one home. You can’t get married if you don’t date.”
Shock held my tongue immobile for a smattering of heartbeats.
This was all I needed right now. And because my imagination is a cruel bitch, my mind immediately went to Hush.
Only he didn’t fit the term ‘nice boy’ in any way.
“Mom.” I paused, long enough to scowl at my sister as she giggled into her mashed potatoes. “I can find my own man, thanks.”
“Well, you haven’t,” she countered. That was a loaded sentence. It meant ‘you haven’t, therefore I must get involved.’
“What is your obsession with my love life?”
“I want grandkids,” she declared with a shrug.
My mouth worked, but no sounds made it out. She’d been sticking her nose in my business for years—my whole life really—but I’d never thought it had to do with having kids.
“You can’t-”
She turned her gaze on me again. “I’m going to set you up with Shannon’s son.”
“Mom. No.” She’d floored me. I was having trouble finding the appropriate response.
I knew saying ‘I have a ripped, possibly criminal, biker old enough to be my dad and I found him all on my own’ wasn’t the response that would end this horrible conversation.
Instead, I managed to squeak out, “I don’t need you to set me up. ”
“Why? Are you dating someone?”
I sighed. Every time we’d had this conversation before, I’d deflected by bringing up Jo. With her and Brad happily dating, there was no chance of passing the spotlight off to her.
“I actually am going on a date tomorrow,” I hedged, trying to figure out how to do this without having Mom go run a background check.
“With who?” they asked in unison.
“Um, a guy I met recently.”
Jo gave me a knowing look. She’d already figured out it was Hush, though she didn’t know his name.
“What’s his name?” Mom asked.
I didn’t know his real name and giving his biker name was going to bring up more questions than I wanted to deal with right now. Someone might think that these were red flags. Not me, of course. Just…someone.
“Mom, give me a break. Let me go out with him once before you grill me about him,” I responded.
Her eyes narrowed, but she nodded in acceptance. Mom almost never gave in once she had her teeth in something, so I quickly changed the subject before she could change her mind.
“What’s going on with Brad?” I asked Jo. Her eyes widened as she realized I’d caught on to the fact that she’d been quiet most of dinner and had been upset when I’d talked to her out in the driveway. “Did you have a fight?” I asked, happily tossing my sister under the bus.
Anger radiated off her. It hadn’t been very nice of me, but better than keeping the spotlight on myself. I smiled slowly at her and listened to Mom pepper her with questions. As long as Mom had someone to badger, she was happy.
Better you than me, I mouthed at her. Her gaze promised retribution. As long as it got me out of Mom’s interrogation tonight, I’d deal with whatever came in the future.