Lifting my head, I wiped the tears angrily away from my face. “I’ve seen shit like this for years and it’s never bothered me before.”
He took the seat across from me. “I know. My brother was shot in an armed robbery call. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever witnessed.”
How the hell could he compare Hadley’s situation to that? “Speaking of witnesses, why aren’t there any? Someone had to have seen something.”
“We’re working on it. They were in the middle of nowhere when it happened. There’s nothing we could find that would suggest foul play.”
Growling, I pounded a hand on the table and stood. “Everything points to that,” I shouted. “They weren’t where they were supposed to be and they ended up dead. If your people can’t figure this shit out, I’ll do it myself.” Storming to the door, I slammed it open and walked out, only to run right into Felicity and Nick.
Felicity’s eyes went wide and she gasped. “Blake?” she cried.
Nick tensed, recognition flaring in his gaze. I was the one who took Hadley from him, and now she was gone forever. All that was left of her was the crystal I had fisted in my hand.
“I know you cared about her,” Byron called, “but there’s nothing you can do. She’s gone. Killing yourself over this case will only make it worse.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “I don’t care. Something’s not right and I’m going to figure it out. I’m not letting this go.” Without another word, I turned and headed for the exit. But I wasn’t alone. Nick’s footsteps pounded heavily behind me.
“Hey,” he ordered. I ignored him and walked out into the parking lot to the black SUV I’d rented. “Hey, I’m talking to you,” he shouted angrily.
Stopping at the car, I jerked around, fists clenched at my sides. “And I’m telling you to leave me the fuck alone.”
He held his hands up. “I’m not trying to start shit. I just want to know what’s going on. They haven’t told me anything because I’m not family.”
I scoffed. “What’s there to say? Hadley’s dead. She’s fucking gone!”
His eyes blazed. “Don’t you think I know that? She might’ve chosen you, but I’ve known her a whole hell of a lot longer. That’s why I want to help.”
“You, help me? That’s a joke, right?”
“Call it whatever you want, but you said it yourself, something’s not right. I can feel it in my bones. She was supposed to go to the hotel, not head north. Why the fuck was she heading out of the city?”
I threw my hands in the air. “Fuck if I know, but I’m going to find out.”
“And I’m going to help you,” he offered.
“No, you’re not,” I snapped, getting into the car. “I work alone. What I do is dangerous. It’s not like the figure skating bullshit you do on the ice.” I didn’t even hear his retort because I slammed the door in his face and tore out of the parking lot. I wasn’t going to rest until I found out what happened to Hadley.
Blake
“Are you doing okay?” Logan asked. “Robert told me everything. I can’t believe this shit.”
I gripped the steering wheel so hard, my knuckles turned white. “It’s like a fucking nightmare I can’t get out of. I had to get wasted just to get through the night.”
“I understand, brother. Hadley was an amazing woman. Where are you headed now?”
“Burnsville. I’m going to see what I can find. I just want to know what happened, and the fucknuts here seem to be satisfied with calling this an accident.” I was only ten miles away and the closer I got, the more I felt the weight of her loss.
“Is there anything I can do? Your resources are probably limited, being away from home.”
“I brought my laptop, but I was too drunk last night to do anything. Do you mind tapping into the satellite feeds and see if you can find any kind of video of what happened? I need to see the accident.”
He typed away on his computer. “On it. I’ll give you a call back.”