“We gutted it pretty much down to the studs. I loved the exterior, but the interior was a mess. But that meant I got her for a song. I had a friend who was just starting up his contracting business, so I let him use my place to prove what he could do—and I got a steal on the labor.”
“I’d say it paid off.” I moved into the space, walking by a small study with its glass doors and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, past a wall filled with a scattering of black and white prints of Hayes with his family and friends, and into the kitchen. It was a showpiece somehow managing to be both light and masculine with unique light fixtures and creative drawer pulls.
“Glad you like it. Do you want water? A soda? Maybe something to eat?”
“Honestly, I just want a shower and bed, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.”
He led me around the kitchen, through a living space with deep couches and a massive TV, and to the back stairs. “You go first in case you get a little wobbly.”
My hand went to the railing, a rustic but smooth wood, and I made my way up without any dizziness.
“Second door on your left.”
I stopped just inside the space. It was that same mix here—a dark wood headboard but white duvet and pillows. The bedding resembled a cloud, and I couldn’t wait to fall into it. “This is gorgeous.”
“Glad you approve. My sisters left some sweats in the dresser in case they come over for a movie night and want to be comfortable. Those should fit you.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Don’t be dumb.”
I scowled at Hayes. “I’m not dumb. But I also don’t want to be presumptuous.”
He rolled his eyes heavenward. “They’re just clothes. It’s not the family jewels.”
“Do you have family jewels?” I asked with a smirk.
“I think we might’ve misplaced the crowns somewhere along the line.”
“Such a shame.”
Hayes shook his head and moved in close. He paused for a moment and then wrapped his arms around me in a hug that managed to be both gentle and all-consuming. “I’m glad you’re okay. Scared the life out of me when I got the call.”
My eyes burned as I pressed my cheek against his chest. “Thanks for coming back for me.”
“I’ll come back for you anytime you ask, Ev. Or even if you don’t.”
25
Hayes
I eased down into the chair in my study, hitting the timer on my phone for three hours. I scrubbed a hand over my face as I watched the seconds tick by. Sleep wouldn’t be happening tonight.
Everything in me felt like it was going haywire. Short-circuiting and sending jolts of electricity through me. Like when Everly had pressed her cheek harder against my chest as if I were her only source of comfort. Or looking at her asleep in my guest bed just now. She’d curled herself into a position that didn’t seem at all comfortable, as if she were shielding herself from potential attack, yet her face was completely relaxed.
“Get a grip, Easton.” I tapped a recent call on my phone.
“Sheriff’s department.”
“Hey, Williams, it’s Easton.”
“Hey, Sheriff. How’s Ms. Kemper doing?”
The kid had a good heart on him, and I hoped he kept it as he worked the job longer. It was tough not to let this line of work harden you a bit, make you more skeptical. But if you logged the moments where you saw the best in humanity, you could hold onto that optimism. “She’s going to be fine. Got a concussion and some stitches, but it could’ve been a lot worse.”
“Who’s doing this, boss?”
“I wish I had a clue. Has anything turned up tonight?”
“You know I would’ve called you if it had.”
I leaned back in my chair, my muscles protesting the movement. “I had to check.”
“I know it. Ruiz and I logged the evidence, and the techs should get to it first thing.”
“Thanks. Call me if anything else pops up.”
“Will do. Get some sleep if you can.”
I hung up without agreeing. I didn’t lie to the people who worked for me, and I wasn’t going to start now over something as stupid as sleep. Instead, I lifted the screen to my laptop and tapped a key, waking it up. Keying in a couple of passwords, I logged into our department’s system.
I needed to read over Cammie’s statement again. Maybe that would knock something loose. Any clue that might send me in a new direction. I read everything we had four times before my eyes started to cross.
I pushed to my feet and paced the wide-planked boards of my floor. Maybe I needed to cast a wider net. These were the only incidents in our county, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more elsewhere.
I turned back to my computer and sat, typing in a few search terms. The number of cases that lined my screen had a wave of nausea sweeping through me—too much darkness in this world. But I’d have to start somewhere, and that meant combing through each individual case.
I slid a cup of coffee across the counter to Hadley. “Thanks for coming over, even though you worked last night.”
“No problem. I actually got five hours of sleep after we took Everly in. Looks like it was a hell of a lot more than you.”
I knew I looked like death warmed over. My eyes felt like someone had poured acid in them, and my head was giving a steady thrum. “Nothing a few gallons of coffee won’t fix.”
“You could take a day off and catch up on some sleep.”
“Not with everything going on right now. I’ve got a slew of cases I need to sift through and see if any of them match what’s going on here.”
Hadley straightened on her stool. “You’re thinking serial?”
“It has to be the same person who tried to grab Cammie. That’s two attempts. He has most likely done this before. But not around here. We don’t have any unsolveds with the same MO.” I bent forward to meet my little sister’s gaze. “That means you need to be careful. No going off on your own for a hike or mountain biking. Take a buddy. No walking to your car alone at night, either.”
“Hayes. I carry bear spray and a keychain with spikes. I’ll be fine.”
“Hadley… This isn’t me being overprotective. Someone’s trying to take women in your age range. It would kill me if something happened to you. Please. Until we catch this guy, just cut me a break.”
She was silent for a moment as she scanned my face. “Okay. But you know the whole world doesn’t rest on your shoulders, right? It’s impossible to keep every single person in this county safe at all times. Bad things happen.”
“I’m well aware that bad things happen. And I’ll just start with keeping my family safe. Dad’s having the same talk with Shiloh this morning. Everyone is on the buddy system for now.”
“Even you?”
I sighed and leaned a hip against the counter. “Even me. I’m taking Young with me to interview some suspects now.”
Everly appeared at the edge of the kitchen. I hadn’t even heard her silent feet on the steps. “Ian?”
She looked so damn adorable, her hair a rat’s nest from sleep, her feet bare. “I need to have a word with him and Allen. I know I won’t get far, but at least I can read their reaction.”
“I really don’t think it was him. Like I said, it’s not his style.”
“What is his style?”