Chapter 8
The next morning, Maeve snuck downstairs.
She left Nox asleep in the bed. By all rights, she should be exhausted. They’d had sex three more times. Their last session was in the wee hours of the morning, he’d gently woken her up, and she’d nodded in answer. They’d had slow and sensual sex, rocking against one another.
Maeve had started a dangerous precedent, confiding in him, sleeping in his bed. If she got attached, this thing would only end in tears. Maeve refused to refer to their fling as a relationship. She needed to put some distance between them, clear her head.
And yet, she’d agreed to stay in his room.
They’d spent the entire day together, piecing together Amy’s movements, creating a timeline. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much information to go on.
When Maeve got to the kitchen, she found Annie and Savvy sitting around the table, drinking coffee and gabbing with two other women she didn’t recognize. Maeve froze, ready to tiptoe back upstairs when Savvy called out to her.
“Mornin’,” Savvy drawled. “Why don’t you join us?”
There was no way to leave without being rude.
“Sure.” She headed over to the table and had a seat. Maeve recognized Annie and Mack, but there was one new face.
“This is Ellie King,” Savvy said, making the introductions.
Maeve figured Ellie was King’s sister, given the close family resemblance and shared surname. She had a wild tumble of red hair and the same eyes.
“Nice to meet you.” Maeve shook her hand.
“She’s datin’ Zane,” Savvy explained. “You haven’t met him yet.”
Ellie quickly hid a feline smile behind her coffee cup. She seemed peaceful, content. Somehow, it irked Maeve.
Is everyone partnered up here?
“Oh, and this is Mack.” Savvy laid a hand on the redhead’s shoulder and Maeve nodded to her in greeting. “She used to be in the FBI.”
Maeve poured her a cup of coffee and quietly observed the women for a moment, watching them laugh and talk. They were a close-knit group. It was more than friendship, they seemed to be a family.
She felt a pang.
Maeve missed those weekends with Reggie and her sister. Her family had never been conventional, but they’d loved one another. Since her dad’s death, she’d felt isolated. Even when she wasn’t slaving away, Maeve made plans for the next project or presentation.
The only time she was truly off duty was in Nox’s arms. For some reason, she couldn’t think around him. All Maeve could do was feel. And it scared the hell out of her.
“So, how was it?” Savvy asked, raising a brow.
She blinked. “How was what?”
“Don’t be coy.” Savvy wiggled her brows. “How was Nox?”
Everyone giggled.
“Oh my God. You heard us.” She was utterly mortified. Maeve could feel the heat burning on her cheeks. Images from last night flashed through her head, each more wicked than the last.
“Yeah, we heard you,” Annie said. “Loud and clear.”
“I’m so sorry.” She buried her head in her hands.
“Don’t be.” Mack took a bite of cereal. “We’re used to Nox. He’s with a different girl every—”
Annie elbowed her sharply, and Mack fell silent.
Of course, Maeve wasn’t surprised. She didn’t have a claim on him and didn’t want one. Right?
Savvy broke the awkward silence. “We were just wonderin’ if he lives up to the hype.” She patted the seat beside her. “Come on, spill it. Don’t leave us hangin’.”
Maeve thought back to the time she’d spent with him, the way she’d just sort of fallen under his control, as though she didn’t have any will of her own. It had been a mix of emotions, intoxicating, seductive, and addictive.
She would’ve let him do anything he wanted with her. Maeve had been totally trusting, open with him. At first, she’d just thought he was a cocky asshole, but he had the goods to back it up, and he’d been surprisingly gentle.
In fact, Maeve wanted to go back upstairs and do it all over again. She had the sneaking suspicion, she might never get enough of that man. And she didn’t just mean Nox’s talented tongue.
She took a sip of coffee. “He’s, um, pretty special.”
They grinned like a group full of jack-o-lanterns.
And she didn’t just mean physically.
“Come on, give us some details,” Savvy prodded.
“Nope.”
“You like him then?” Ellie asked.
“Yes, I like him.” But I’m not falling for him.
Ever. No way. No how.
Just then, Mack’s phone buzzed, and she immediately read the message. Her lips curved.
Maeve recognized the expression from watching her own face in the mirror.
“Who is it?” Annie asked, nodding to the phone.
Everyone’s attention turned to Mack and Maeve breathed a sigh of relief.
“Nobody.” She dropped it as if the thing had burned her and turned back to breakfast.
“No, it’s definitely somebody.” Savvy leaned closer to sneak a peek. “Come on, who is it?”
Maeve chuckled. “It’s probably a guy.”
Mack lifted her chin. “No. It wasn’t.”
“Yeah, it was.” Annie snickered. “You’re all twitterpated and defensive.” And then her face fell. “Oh no.”
“What?” Maeve asked, not getting it. She had a feeling she was missing something huge.
“Tell me it isn’t him,” Savvy said.
“Isn’t who?” Maeve asked.
“It’s gotta be John Doe.” Ellie grimaced.
“Who’s John Doe?”
Annie filled Maeve in. Apparently, a convicted thief named John Doe had a thing for Mack. Maeve had dated bad boys over the years, but nobody with a record.
“He texted me from a burner phone, not the other way around,” Mack said defensively, clutching the phone. “I’m only keeping him talking, to see if he lets anything slip.”
Maeve wasn’t buying it, and from everyone else’s expressions at the table, they weren’t either. Clearly, she had a thing for this guy.
“Let me see the messages.” Annie held her hand out.
“No.” Mack tucked it in her pocket.
“You can’t go out with him,” Ellie said. “Trust me, datin’ the wrong man can lead you down the wrong path.”
From the way Ellie spoke, Maeve got the sense she’d had a similar experience.
“In case you missed it, John Doe’s in Canada,” Mack said. “He’s in a whole other country. It’s not like we’re going to the movies.”
“I know, but you’re emotionally involved.”
Maeve privately agreed with Annie, but she kept her mouth shut. This was none of her business.
Mack took a deep breath. “Let’s drop it, okay?”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Although, Annie looked doubtful. Maeve suspected Annie wasn’t going to let this go anytime soon.
There was a long, awkward lull in the conversation.
And then Storm walked in the room.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, all twitchy.
“Nothing,” they all said in unison.
His eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t convincing, but I don’t have time to drag the real answer out of you.” Storm nodded to Maeve. “Good news, I got a ping on your sister’s car.. Wanna come with us to the sight?”
Maeve was already heading for the stairs. “Yes, just let me get my things.”
Thank God.
***
“According to the GPS, her car’s off Highway 36, by Nelson Woods.”
Nox, Stormy, and Maeve were in the ass end of nowhere, driving down a long, deserted stretch of road. Most folks used the interstate in this area. She sat in the backseat, while Stormy rode shotgun beside Nox.
Nox was beginning to think bringing her along had been a terrible idea. What if they found Amy’s body out here? Or even worse, what if they didn’t find any trace of her?
In the beginning, he’d thought this was a simple runaway case. But he had a terrible feeling things were about to go sideways.
When they reached the coordinates, Nox pulled over on the side of the road. The grass had been disturbed. There were two ruts in it, probably from a set of tires, which disappeared into a clearing.
A cold chill slid down his spine.
Someone had wanted to keep Amy’s car hidden, which didn’t bode well. As they walked closer, they found a pile of branches, which were draped over the silver sedan to disguise it.
“Oh, God.” Maeve clasped a hand over her mouth.
“Fuck,” Stormy whispered.
Together, Nox and Storm cleared away the foliage. The car was in terrible condition. The rear window had been shot out, as well as the tires, which explained the ruts in the ground, where the rims had torn into the grass and wet ground.
Even stranger, the doors were all unlocked. Had someone pawed through it?
“Here, put these on.”
Storm tossed Nox some examination gloves from his pocket so they wouldn’t contaminate the crime scene. Although, Nox thought they were most likely dealing with professionals. After all, they’d taken the time to cover their tracks, and he doubted they’d find any prints on the car.
Storm opened the passenger door. “I’ve got blood on the front seat.”
“Blood? Someone shot her?” Maeve asked. She stood on the sidelines, watching them.
“I can’t be sure, but there isn’t much of it. It must’ve been a minor wound.”
It was the first piece of positive news they had.
“Let’s search through the car and see if we find anything,” Nox said. Storm took the front seat, while Nox took the back.
Maeve’s face had gone pale, and she was silent as the grave. To her credit, she was holding it together. Her eyes swam with tears, but she wasn’t hysterical. Yet.
“I’ve got her cell phone,” Nox said, yanking it out from under the seat. He tossed it to Storm. “Here, have a look.”
Storm scrolled through the messages. “I see missed texts and phone calls from Maeve, a couple from somebody named Jim O’Neal, and one or two calls from an unknown number.”
Fucking Jim.” Nox gritted his teeth.
“Unknown?” Maeve asked.
“Blocked,” Storm said. “Whoever called her, didn’t want to be found.”
Storm slid the phone into his pocket. “When we get back to HQ, I’ll work on this, and see what I can find out.”
After they’d been over every square inch of the interior, they hopped out again.
“There’s just one area left to search,” Maeve said, pointing to the trunk.
Nox tried it, but the latch wouldn’t budge. Unlike the rest of the vehicle, it was locked.
“Do you have the keys?”
“Yeah, I’ve got the spare.” She pulled them from her purse. “I’ll open it.”
And what if she unlocked it, only to see her sister’s body? Fuck that.
“Throw them to me.” Nox held out his hand.
She opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. “Maeve, come on. There are some images, you don’t want in your head. Trust me.”
Every once in a while, he was plagued by pictures from his past.
As a sniper, he’d killed hundreds of people. Their heads had exploded like ripe watermelons, nothing but a cloud of pink mist in the distance. He could hear the gunshots sometimes, echoing in his head. Nox refused to emotionally scar Maeve. She deserved better.
Reluctantly, she handed them over.
Holding his breath, Nox unlatched the trunk, but the compartment was empty.
“Tell me,” Maeve said hoarsely.
Nox sagged in relief. “She’s not in there.”
“Oh, thank God.” Maeve ran a hand down her face.
Storm frowned. “Yeah, but where the hell is she?”
***
“Okay, this changes everything,” West said.
They were back at HQ, seated in the meeting room.
Maeve felt numb.
She’d barely noticed the car ride home or the trip to the local sheriff’s office. She’d filled out a missing person’s report with Huck, and he’d said, he’d have a tow truck bring her sister’s car in so they could dust it for prints. Both Storm and Nox were doubtful the cops would find anything useful.
Obviously, Amy had been taken by someone. She wasn’t off on a lark somewhere, living it up.
Everything seemed surreal like she was trapped in a nightmare, she couldn’t wake from. She was trying to pay attention to everyone around her, but Maeve couldn’t.
Storm nodded. “This has all the hallmarks of a kidnapping, but the abductors haven’t asked for ransom.”
Maeve glanced around the room and noticed everyone had grim faces. What weren’t they telling her?
“Which means what?”
Storm hesitated, glancing at Nox, who nodded solemnly, as though giving Storm permission.
“More than likely, this isn’t about cash.”
“Meaning?”
“This is personal, they want to hurt you, or Amy,” Mack said. “And they may have other plans for your sister.”
“You said ‘they,’ do you think more than one person has her?” Maeve asked.
“We don’t know for sure,” Storm said. “But it looks like the kidnapper overpowered Amy in her own vehicle. It suggests that more than one person was involved.”
“And what kind of plans do they have…?” Maeve wanted to know who or what she was dealing with.
No one spoke up. Instead, they shifted guilty gazes back and forth, communicating silently with one another, but nobody would tell her what was going on.
Nox reached for her hand, and she took it, gripping his fingers tightly.
“Tell me,” Maeve demanded.
Finally, Storm said, “It could mean any number of things. Maybe they intend to sell her.”
“Sell her to who?”
“Interested parties who might want a young woman.” Storm cleared his throat. “Your sister is educated, pretty, and only twenty-one years old. There are several unsavory groups who traffic in pretty girls.”
“Oh, my God.”
She’d heard of human trafficking before, but Maeve had never thought about it happening to women from the United States. She always imagined it was girls and women from developing countries, who were bought and sold like animals.
“Or there’s another option,” Storm offered.
Nox scowled, and Storm clammed up.
Maeve sighed. “Please just say it.”
“They never intend for her to be found.”
Everyone went silent, and she struggled to understand it, let alone accept what he’d just said.
“Why would anyone want Amy dead? She’s a college student, for God’s sake. She’s never hurt, anyone.” Amy might be pampered and thoughtless, but she wasn’t a bad person.
“The truth is, we don’t know what happened to her,” Nox said. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
She gulped. “Do you think she might already be dead?”
Storm shook his head. “We don’t know for sure. When we get done with this meeting, I’m gonna do some digging around on her phone and on the dark web. I’ll see what I can find. Until then, please don’t panic.”
Don’t panic.
She’d just been told Amy might be dead or sold off to some creep. How was she supposed to react to the news?
They continued droning on, but Maeve dashed from the room.
Maeve couldn’t take anymore. She ran upstairs to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Tears streamed down her face, and she nearly choked on her own sobs.
She kept coming back to the fight she’d had with her sister. What if those were the last words I said to Amy? She couldn’t bear it.
“You’ll get through this no matter what happens.” Nox appeared in the doorway, leaning against the wall. Maeve hadn’t even heard him approach.
She shook her head. “I don’t know how.”
“You’re strong.” He sat beside her and took Maeve by the shoulders. “Look at me.”
She met his gaze.
“Are you okay?”
“No. I’m supposed to say I am, but I’m not even in the ballpark.”
“It’s okay. Tell me what you need.”
“I don’t know.”
Right now, her thoughts were a jumble. It was a mixture of fears and memories.
And the guilt was staggering.
This is all my fault. I should’ve paid more attention to her.
When Maeve noticed Amy was missing, she should’ve stayed at the police precinct until they listened to her. She could’ve made a lot of noise, threatened to sue.
Maeve had assumed it wasn’t serious and Amy ran off on an adventure. She should’ve been pushing everyone to find her sister. If they ever located her, Maeve would spend the rest of her life making it up to Amy.
“Maeve? Talk to me.”
She couldn’t give voice to her fears and recriminations. Not now. Maeve needed to escape from her own thoughts.
And then, Nox kissed her.
It was hesitant at first, a brush of his lips against hers. When she didn’t protest, he deepened the lip lock. His tongue teased hers, entwining with it.
She moaned into his mouth.
Nox cupped her head, tilted it back, and devoured her mouth hungrily, like he was a starving man. They were both shuddering when he pulled back.
“I want you to punish me,” she breathed.
Nox shook his head. “This is hardly the time for kinky games.”
“This isn’t a game at all. I need you to take me to that place. The isolated, quiet space inside where I drift. I don’t want to be me right now.”
“Maeve…”
“Please? I don’t want to think or feel. I want to lose myself.” Maeve couldn’t deal with any of this right now. She needed to escape.
He mulled it over for a moment. “Okay, but you’ve gotta talk to me for a little bit. Just to check in. I ain’t gonna take advantage of you.” Nox held out his hand, as though they were brokering a peace accord. “Deal?”
Maeve shook it. “Deal.”
“Go on, then, the floor is yours.”
Maeve struggled, trying to put her thoughts into words.
“I let her down. Remember how I told you we had a fight?”
“Yeah, but you didn’t tell me much.”
“I told Amy she was a selfish party girl, who didn’t care about anything but taking selfies and going to parties.” Maeve swallowed the lump in her throat. “She’s only twenty-one. Of course, she’s a little self-interested. Almost everyone is at her age.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. People have arguments.”
“Yeah, but the truth is, there are twelve years between us. I’m older, more mature, and I should’ve known better.”
“She’s grown.”
“No, she’s in college, which is like extended adolescence. And I’ve been acting like she didn’t lose a father, too. Even worse, I left her alone. To deal with my grief, I threw myself into work, and now Amy is paying the price for my neglect.” Her breath hitched. “Or she already paid it.”
What she really needed now was answers, but they were few and far between. Unfortunately, her imagination had filled in all the blanks for her. Maeve was thinking up all sorts of terrible scenarios, and not just the ones Storm had mentioned.
“None of that. You’ve gotta stay positive.” Nox rubbed her back. “Don’t worry about somethin’ until it’s real, or you’ll only make yourself miserable.”
Maeve couldn’t help it. The situation looked pretty grim. Enough talk.
“Are you going to punish me? Or what?”
“Maeve, you haven’t done anythin’ wrong.”
“Yes, I have. My sister was kidnapped, and I didn’t even realize it.”
“Well, we’re gonna get her back. We already have a plan.”
“What is it?” She bit her lip
“Huck is on the case. As we speak, they’re dustin’ for prints, and Stormy’s going through her phone. Tonight. you’ll make a list of enemies, and we’ll go through them one by one until we narrow down the suspects.”
She nodded, calming down a bit. Taking some action eased her guilt a bit. At least she was doing something to find Amy.
“Do whatever you have to do. Money is no object.”
He winked. “Understood, although you probably shouldn’t tell the hired help to charge you through the nose.”
“I mean it. I have to get her back.” Maeve swallowed. “And if she’s…gone, I wanna punish the people who took her.”