CHAPTER TWO
Jenna
“We can’t confirm or deny the location of a Marine who is AWOL.”
“Stop with the official bullshit.” I stare into the eyes of Cade’s Commanding Officer, Ben Knight, his icy, nearly translucent blue eyes making my stomach churn. “I really need to know my brother is okay.”
He leans forward, his voice lowering. “I met you here as a fucking favor, because Cade is part of my unit. If I knew anything, don’t you think I would be doing something with it, instead of meeting some estranged family member for coffee?”
“I’m not estranged,” I snap back at him. “Your mission failures are what drove him to this in the first place.”
“Yeah, this conversation is over,” Officer Knight shakes his head, sweeping up his coffee with a vengeance as he shoves himself back from the table. “Maybe you should’ve told your brother the brig would’ve been the better choice.”
“You fucked him up,” I counter, my voice shaking as the six-foot-something Marine goes to walk away. “You really fucked him up.”
Ben freezes, turning back. He meets my gaze with a coldness nearly too intense to hold. “Have a good day, Miss Wilks. Best of luck to you.”
Fuck you.
My chest tightens as the last ounce of hope drains from me. I just flew here all the way from Texas, all for a freaking five-minute conversation.
I pull my phone from my pocket, my mother’s text mocking me.
Mom: Any luck?
I want to scream at the screen.
No. Nothing. Not a fucking thing.
I snap my eyes to the window. Knight is already stomping to his truck, slamming the door as if he’s locking me out of every hope I had.
Don’t let him walk away like that.
I’m on my feet before I even think it through, bolting out of the coffee shop my Vans slamming the pavement in the warm So Cal breeze. “Wait!” I shout breathlessly, as I slam my hand against the hood of his black truck.
He hits the brakes so hard the tires squeal, and then slings his door open. “What the fuck are you doing? Do you just want to get run over?”
“You told me you’d talk to me if I showed up here,” I exasperate, as my heart beats so hard I start to feel lightheaded.
“Well, here I am, I flew over a thousand miles to get here. I have run through all my savings on private investigators, my mom is worried sick, and if I can’t find him, it’s going to break her in two. ”
Ben stares at me, his expression completely devoid of any emotion. “You’re barking up the wrong tree.” He lets out a sigh, running a hand over his face. “You’re not gonna find him here.”
“But… This…” My voice trails off, desperate to understand. “This is where he’s stationed. This is where he should be.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” he scoffs. “But he isn’t here. So, do yourself a favor, and fly back to Texas, where you belong. You’re way outside of your capabilities.”
I shake my head. “I will find him.”
He takes an intimidating step toward me, his size nearly swallowing my five-foot-two self. “And then what will you do, hmm? Take him home to Mommy? Because you and I both know what kind of man your brother is.”
I swallow the fear constricting my throat. “And what is that?”
He glares at me, his jaw twitching. “The kind that belongs lost.”
“No, you all have made him into a monster,” I argue, suppressing the emotion threatening to silence my voice. “He’s not. He’s just…misunderstood.”
Ben’s eyebrows raise. “Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night? Because let’s not forget that your brother was facing multiple capital murder charges.”
“He—”
“Go home,” he cuts me off, his tone unnerving. “Before you end up lost, too.”
My fists clench at my sides. I’m not going home.
Not without Cade.
Pure Chaos: A Dark Romance coming January 5, 2025.