Chapter 29
Detective Casey
“What do you mean there was no meeting at the station? Anna never showed up?”’
“No, sir.” Officer Harris shifted, uncomfortable under my hard gaze. I gave a nod, nearly growling as I paced the front yard. It was a little after two in the morning and there was no sign of Anna. Boston leaned against my cruiser, a look in his eyes I wasn’t sure of. The crazed jerk as he stared at the ground told me his thoughts weren’t good. Hell, maybe they even matched my own.
“You’re free to go. I’ll call when I know something.”
“We’ll keep looking for her car.”
“Thanks.”
I watched as the officer got in his cruiser and took off. Boston pushed to stand, hitting her number on his cell for the millionth time since we arrived. When his free hand shot up, I rushed to his side.
“Where have you been? Why haven’t you answered our calls?”
He paused, but I jerked the phone from his grasp.
“Anna?”
She stopped talking, exhaling loudly.
“Braden.”
“What the hell? We’ve been worried sick. Where are you? And before you give me some bullshit story about the station, I checked. There was no meeting.”
Hesitation.
“I’m at the hospital.”
“Hospital? Are you okay? Did you get in an accident?”
“No,” she rushed out. “Not me. I’m with Dr. Patron. He should really look into another line of work. One of his patients called me. She stole his phone and said she needed help. I finally found the location she gave me, but she wasn’t there. I managed to make it to her house, and Dr. Patron was inside. He’s really messed up. She’s schizophrenic, and I guess was going through an episode. There’s a man here now with the doctor. The husband, or something. They found Linda. Anyway, it’s been a crazy night. I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier.”
“No,” I breathed out in relief. “It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay. Daniel Stracht was released a few hours ago. I thought—”
“Released! Why?”
“He lawyered up. Apparently, he has a good one. Anyway, we’ll be lucky to find him again. My guess is he’ll jump bail and disappear.”
“But…Lucy. Braden, we have to find him before it’s too late.”
“We’re doing everything we can. How much longer are you going to be there? Do I need to come get you?”
“No.” Footsteps echoed. “I drove. I’m going to see if Dr. Patron needs anything, and then I’ll be home.”
“We’ll be waiting. Drive safe. Call me when you’re on your way.”
Anna agreed, hanging up. I handed the phone back to Boston, not missing the mixed emotions on his face.
“Let’s go inside. She’ll be home soon.”
“What happened?”
“Our dear doctor was attacked again. This time by a schizophrenic patient named Linda. She called Anna, which led Anna to her house to find the doctor injured. Apparently, Linda was found. Anyway, she’s okay. The husband is there now. Anna’s going to call me when she’s headed home from the hospital.”
Silence followed us into the living room. Exhaustion pulled me under like I was drowning. Knowing Anna was okay, I was suddenly barely able to function. Questions came that I should have been asking myself, but I couldn’t even figure out what they were. I took a seat on the sofa, and Boston sat at the opposite end. Time passed as we both kept quiet. I dozed off and on, but forced myself to sit up. Boston was still staring ahead. Still lost in his thoughts.
“What are you thinking?”
At my voice, he slowly turned to face me. The emptiness in his stare had me becoming more aware. It was there, and then gone.
“I should probably go to the hospital to check on Dr. Patron. He has been there for me. I should be there for him too. I can check on Anna too. Send her home to you.”
“Um…yeah, okay. He’d probably enjoy the visit. You sure you just don’t want to wait until morning? He might be released before you even get there.”
“I can’t sleep. It’ll be good for me to get out on my own. I need some fresh air.”
Boston stood, and I followed. I was too tired to worry or argue. If he wanted to see his doctor, who was I to deny him? He couldn’t sleep as it was, and I could get in bed and wait for Anna to return.
“Be careful. If you get tired, find a room or something. Don’t risk driving back. Better to be safe than sorry.”
Boston grabbed his keys and nodded on his way to the door. I locked it behind him, kicking off my shoes on the way to the bedroom. The moment I stripped down and crawled under the blankets, unconsciousness beckoned. I floated in the in-between on the brink, seeing quick flashes of random moments. Anna was there, standing before me. We were talking, but I had no idea what it was about. Sleep was beginning to win, and I saw Boston. The possessive stare never left Anna…never missed a thing. He was always watching. Always seeing what I couldn’t. I didn’t even know what that meant, but it was fleeting. Dr. Patron came and went. Diego appeared, disappearing just as fast. Then…bodies. So many victims of heartless crimes. They moved through my mind like a black and white film playing at hyper speed. I groaned, turning onto my side, pushing them away.
Instead, I focused on Anna and the way I was forcing myself back into her life. If I left it up to her, she’d continue to turn me away. I loved her too much for that. She had to see I was here for her no matter what. With how she was behaving, taking on these cases, would I be able to keep my emotions in check to allow myself to remain?
My heart answered before my mind could. I didn’t have a choice. If I wanted to stay, I had to let my actions lead, not my orders. And there were plenty of rules I wanted to enforce. Under this roof, I wasn’t the authority. She had the upper hand. Where it shouldn’t have been that way, I was willing to let go of control to keep any part of her I could. The broken man longing for her presence clung to that. He lost her once, and it had almost killed him. He’d never go through that again.
I grabbed my phone, rolling onto my back as I pulled up our text messages. Through the glow, I read our conversations. I held to the simple fact that we had communication—something we didn’t weeks before. It killed me then, not hearing her voice. It drove me crazy sleeping in my apartment when all I wanted was to be with the woman I loved and almost lost. But I was here now. I could smell her. Feel her when she climbed into bed with me. She was very much within reach to becoming mine forever. I couldn’t ruin that. But to continue, I had to come to terms with reality, and what it meant in the long term. Anna, the one for me, could murder or be murdered again. How did I deal with that? How did I save lives when I was harboring a person who could so easily take them? And what if she got herself killed by these damn investigations she was dead set to solve?
There had to be a way to protect her and those she might set her sights on. It was worth the risk so long as she was mine. As heartless as that was, that damn beating thing in my chest refused to accept anything that didn’t involve her. If she killed, I’d try to stop her. I’d…protect her. If she was getting in over her head with a case, I’d be there. Communication. We had to keep it so I knew her next move. That was the key.
I licked my lips, vowing to be more open as I drifted off. And I wouldn’t stop. I’d keep forcing myself into her life and her every waking thoughts. She’d depend on me. She’d trust me—and for real this time. I wouldn’t accept anything less on my part. This would work. It would, because I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.