Chapter Eleven
Pacing. That’s all I can seem to do as the time slowly starts to tick by. Jason agreed to come here immediately, just like Caden did. Both of them have their own reasons to come, but I only have one. To bring her home. Fuck my case right now, even if it’s the only reason I have her. If I can’t find her, then I don’t deserve my fucking badge.
Jason comes barging into the apartment, looking around at the empty space just like I did. “Where the fuck is she, Seb? I’m not playing games with you this time. Where the fuck is she, and who the fuck has her?”
“If I fucking knew that, I wouldn’t be staring at her empty apartment, asshole.” I grit my teeth to keep from saying anything more that could harm our relationship. We’re both hurting right now and going for each other's throats won’t get us anywhere.
I watch as Jason runs his hands through his hair. This girl is like a sister to him. Of course he’s worried to death about her. “Who is your lead suspect? Don’t give me the bullshit excuse that you can’t tell me anything because you wouldn’t have called me if that was the case. So who the fuck took her?”
I turn to face him as I stop dead in my tracks. “I DON’T FUCKING KNOW!”I shout out, causing him to step back a bit. “I wish I could tell you I had the smallest fucking clue, but I don’t. I couldn’t get her to tell me everything, and now she’s fucking gone.”
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!” Jason yells. “What didn’t she tell you, Seb?” He starts pacing, his feet slamming harder with each step he takes.
“Where Hayley works,” I admit as I walk closer to him and place a hand on his shoulder. “I think it might be time for you to speak for her.”
He groans, running another exhausted hand over his face. “Call Caden.”
A man clears his throat in the doorway, watching us with anger in his eyes. “The two of you both need to get the fuck out of here and tell me what the hell is going on. The neighbors have started to peak into the apartment through their doors. Screaming and yelling won’t help you find her any faster.”
“I’m not leaving until I can figure out where she is. This apartment is all I have to track her down. Everything in here is evidence, and I won’t let anyone else contaminate this scene. I haven’t touched anything other than the door.” I raise my hands up in the air.
Caden shakes his head. “You’re obviously connected to this case. You know I can’t let you do that, Sebastian.”
“I’m not fucking connected at all. I came by to try and ask more questions regarding Hayley’s case.” I defend myself as best as I can because I know I’ve crossed the line this time.
“You’re connected because you fell in love with her. This isn’t just any case anymore, Seb. It’s deeper than that.” He runs his hand down his face just like Jason and I have both done numerous times. “I can’t trust anybody other than you right now with this. I need to get your Lieutenant to pull you, but I can’t do that because of how deep this is going. What the fuck am I going to do?”
I shake my head. “I can still run this case. I can forget everything I feel and do my job. This is where my duty stands. I just want to find her, Caden.” My voice shakes as the emotions begin to take over.
He places one hand on my shoulder. “The last thing I’m going to do is ask you to choose this job or her. What I’m going to ask is that you run this case with Jason outside of the precinct. Something isn’t right, and we need to figure it out.”
I look over at Jason who still wears a straight face. “Whatever it takes.” We both grumble.
“Good. Now, in other news, I think I know what happened with Phillips.” That comment makes me turn my head to face him.
“Out with it,” I groan. I don’t have time for this when I need to find her. Every second is crucial.
He shakes his head with a sigh. I’m sure he’s getting irritated with me, but I don’t care. “First off, use respect, asshole. Second off, Phillips never died the first time because it was all a ruse. He was buried deep undercover, and they had to do what was necessary for the job. I guess his time after death made him become a better person. Wanna guess who his girlfriend was?”
“Hayley,” Jason sighs. “She met him at work. Her work, not mine.”
Caden and I turn all of our attention to Jason. “You fucking knew this whole time, and didn’t say anything? What the fuck, man?” I throw my hands in the air. Otherwise I might punch him.
“No, I didn’t,” he grumbles. “I put the pieces together, dickhead.” He straightens himself upright. “Hayley’s job is the only reason they would’ve met. She was a prostitute for her parents. The Suttons run the tunnels. They traffic girls and women from Mexico, and bring them over here for a higher cost.”
Caden tilts his head to the side. “Why haven’t you mentioned this before?”
“I didn’t know everything until I started talking to Mariana more about it. She wasn’t giving with all the information, but I told her it was safe with me. I just wish I would have known before Hayley died.” He looks around with sadness in his eyes.
“How did they fake his death?” I ask, not really sure if I want to know the answer.
Caden shakes his head. “I’m still figuring that out. It explains why his old supervisors were very off when we asked about him.”
“Are we really sure he’s dead this time? Could they have faked it again?” I ask.
“They didn’t. I went down and checked for myself,” he states.
I wish I could say that I was surprised that the department hid a death from everyone and had us mourn the loss of a fellow officer. How sick and twisted has this department become? My mind starts racing until it brings me back to Mariana. Jason said that her adoptive parents were involved in sex trafficking, and Hayley was being sold by them. Maybe they panicked when they found out Hayley had been murdered and took Mariana instead.
My heart starts to thrum wildly. I can’t let her fall down that path. I can’t let her be taken away before she has the chance to actually live. My mind is racing with the endless scenarios until Jason puts a hand on my shoulder. “Let’s go find our girl. I think our minds went to the same place, and now I’m worried about her.”
“My girl,” I growl.
Jason laughs lightly at my grumpy growl and starts to walk. “Your girl, my sister. Is that better for you?”
“Yes,” I grumble.
I follow after him with Caden following close behind. As soon as we reach the parking lot, Caden tells us where he is looking next before telling us to call him if we need anything. All I need right now is to track down Mariana and bring her home. Fuck my job, my life, everything, because without her, none of it matters anyway. She’s the one I want to protect above anyone else, and if I need to step away from my dreams, then so be it. The minute she walked into my life, all my dreams filled with visions of her.
It will always be her.