“No. Shit.” I let out a breath before asking, “You think she’s the one who went to the cops?”
“No fucking way.” She shook her head. “I get what happened was bad and all but she’d never go to the police. They did her dirty with her folks. Always took their side and left her there to fend for herself.”
“Sounds like she had a rough go of it.”
“Yeah, she did.”
Something about this wasn’t sitting right. Her disappearance had to be more than just some dumb coincidence, but I had no way to prove it. “Is Gabby her real name?”
“Yeah… Well, it’s a nickname. Her full name is Gabriel Sanchez.”
“Alright. You still got my card?” She nodded, and I told her, “If you hear from her, you call me.”
“I will.”
I paused at the door. “And if anyone else comes around asking questions… the cops or some assholes you don’t recognize, I want to know. Understand?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I got it.”
I gave her a final nod and stepped out. My head was all over the place as I made my way back out to my bike. The girl, the two assholes who’d tried to take her, Detective Maddox, the club, and Devin.
Damn.
I couldn’t catch a fucking break.
6
DEVIN
Laura and I had ended up drinking more than we planned. Just a couple glasses of wine turned into a bottle and a half, and it was after three when the Uber finally dropped me off at the house. I laughed more than I had in months. We spoke with a few men here and there, and it was fine. But I enjoyed my time with Laura more than anything.
She was my dearest friend, and I loved spending time with her. I also loved getting out of the house and out of my own head. I needed that more than I realized. I got up, and after a quick shower, I made myself some coffee and piled up on the sofa. I was tired and a little hungover, so I didn’t push it. I just laid back and enjoyed the quiet.
As I lay there, my thoughts drifted back to a day I hadn’t thought about in years. I was still pretty new on the force, maybe a year or a little less, but I’d already seen enough twisted metal and crumpled bodies to last a lifetime.
The motorcycle wrecks were the worst. They were always so violent and never ended well. And yet, that didn’t stop me from climbing on the back of Jameson’s bike and riding all over thecity. I had my arms wrapped around his waist, and the wind was flying through my hair like I didn’t have a care in the world.
I should’ve been terrified. Every logical bone in my body told me I was being reckless, but I was anything but afraid. I felt freer and braver than I ever had. That was Jameson. He always made me feel invincible. I knew he had me. I knew if I fell, he would be there to catch me every single time.
I missed that.
Not just the thrill or the rush of being with a man like him.
But the feeling of beingtruly desired.
I missed being touched like I was more than just a mother or someone barely holding it all together. I missed the quiet ache in my stomach after he’d kissed me long and hard. I missed the way his hands knew every part of me like a map he knew by heart.
I could still hear him say, “You’re mine, Devin. Every inch of you.”
I kept hearing him say it over and over in my head until it was overshadowed by Austin’s voice shouting, “Hey, Mom! We’re home!”
The door slammed, followed by the sounds of footsteps shuffling down the hall. And just like that, all thoughts of Jameson faded into the background, and I was catapulted back into the present. A smile was already tugging at the corners of my mouth as I jumped up from the couch and rushed to the doorway to greet them.
But when I rounded the corner, I was disappointed to find that Austin and Chrissy had already disappeared into their rooms.
No hugs.
No hello.
