Missing (The Brannock Siblings Book 3) (12 page)

"Please? Just
really
think about it."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"You're going to consider it?"

"Yes."

"You're going to forget about the dump you were
supposed to see today?"

"Yes," she nodded without hesitation.

"You're going to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Yes… Wait!"

"Nope, too late," he winked.

She shook her head, trying to be angry with him, but it was
impossible so she ended up laughing instead. When she looked back up at him, he
was rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands as if he was fighting off a
headache and she could only imagine how tired he must be. His schedule was
never light and the hours he had been working lately were unpredictable and
extensive.

"Tell me why you look so tired, Gus. You've worked long
hours before, but lately…"

He sighed and squeezed her hand before he started to play
with her fingers, running the length of them between his own. It was an
intimate motion that made her stomach flutter and her cheeks heat. He didn't
seem to even realize he was doing it.

"We've got a case that is frustrating all of us. I know
you are aware of this, but I mostly focus on missing persons, mainly children.
You'd be surprised how many calls we get. A lot of them end up resolving within
twenty four hours. A missing child that went to a friend's house without
letting the parents know or even a kid taking a nap in the bathroom cabinet and
never hearing the parents shouting for her. Those are the good ones. Then there
are the ones that involve a sick fuck who just wants to torture people.
Sorry."

He had never apologized for his language before which made
her wonder how run down he truly was.

"Several weeks ago, a little girl was taken from her
mother while they were playing in the park. She was missing for a few days
before my partner and I got a tip on where to find her. She was in an abandoned
warehouse and there was nothing pointing to the person that took her. Shortly
after that, a little boy was taken and it was a mess. Ransom, missed deadline,
parents thinking their child had been killed. I almost quit my job during that
case because I just couldn't take it anymore. Then we got lucky. Too lucky.
Another ransom demand ended up with the guy just dropping the boy in the middle
of a store.

"This was the same week as our blind date. Couple days
before it actually. I hoped the kidnapper had left. Taken off to another city
and given up on his new hobby. Then we got a letter from him. He was warning us
that he was about to take another kid."

"Did he?" she asked anxiously.

He shook his head, "Not yet. Which is almost worse. We
have no way of preventing it and nothing to go on except a glimpse of the back
of the guy on camera."

"Can the children identify him?"

He shook his head again, this time slumping his shoulders
more and looking like he wanted to just go to sleep for days. She had no
experience with anyone in law enforcement, but she could imagine the daily
stress of the job. It made her career look like a piece of cake. Gus seemed to
be struggling more over the last few weeks than he ever had since she had first
known him.

"This guy has been too careful. We literally have
nothing
.
It's embarrassing and frustrating and too damn convenient. Plus, he knows more
about the children and their families than we originally thought. At first, it
seemed random, but now… the families either know this guy personally or he's
got the skills to obtain private information. Either way, he's one step ahead
of us."

That was seriously messed up. What kind of world was it that
you couldn't trust
anyone
, even the people you know and talk to often?
Her thoughts went to Aiden, her little niece that was so damn sweet and such a
huge part of her life. What would she do if Aiden was taken from them?

"My partner, Evan Lincoln, and I wanted to take a
breather this weekend. Regroup on Monday, so I'm basically on call today and
tomorrow."

She wasn't sure why, but the need to fix this for him was
gnawing away at her. What could she possibly do to make it any easier for him?
Nothing. "I know this is a long shot, but if there is anything I can do…"

He entwined their fingers together and lifted her hand to
his lips, placing the softest of kisses to her knuckles. "I'll let you
know, but don't count on it. I wouldn't want you anywhere near this case in the
first place. It's weighing on me pretty hard, I don't want it affecting you,
too."

For some reason, she
wanted
to take the burden off of
him, share in his frustration so he wouldn't have to do it alone. It was a
strange feeling, but not unwelcome like she expected it to be.

She stared down at their hands, hers so small and engulfed
so perfectly in his, the place his lips had touched was still burning. The
familiar hum that had started off as intriguing was starting to become a major
distraction that she didn't know if she wanted to face, no matter how good it
felt.

"Aiden."

Their gazes locked, his blue and grey eyes staring intently
into hers like it was the only place he wanted to be. How many times had she
started painting those colors, moving them across the canvas only to realize
they didn't even come close to the real thing. "Yeah?"

"I…" he stopped, swallowing hard and looking away,
as if he changed his mind about whatever it was he wanted to say. "I
appreciate you being here. I think I'm going to hit the sack and then tonight
I'll make you some dinner."

"Gus, if you're tired there is no need-"

"I'm making you dinner, babe. No backing out of it and
you're going to help me."

She threw her head back and laughed, the tension between
them still ever present, but lighter. "Sure I am."

"You are. Think of it as a cooking lesson."

"Oh God. You are in for a treat then, Gus."

He gave her his smile, the one that made her heart skip a
beat and all the heat in her body pool between her legs. "I sure am."

***

Watching Gus cook was probably one of the sexiest things she
had ever seen in her entire life. Yes, she attempted to help at first, but when
she nearly cut her finger off and left the butter softening in the microwave
for too long that it exploded everywhere, he told her to sit back and relax.
Oh, he laughed. Laughed a little more than she liked and even said that in his
family, he was the worst cook out of all of them so she was making him look
good
.

He was making her Fettuccini Alfredo with garlic bread and
it smelled delicious. He actually made his own sauce, a sauce that he said was
his mother's favorite and she had made sure all of her kids could memorize the
recipe. After he let her taste it, she honestly couldn't imagine anything
tasting better.

Now
that
was sexy. Still, watching him stir, strain,
spread, and serve that meal… just the image of it made her mouth water.

Yep, she was losing it.

Conversation was steady and easy, no awkward lulls or
uncomfortable questions. They strictly kept the topic on anything but his job.
He asked about how she got into art which she told him started with finger
painting that led to photography and eventually more.

"Do you sell any of the pictures you take?"

"I do," she nodded and took another bite of pasta,
chewing slowly and enjoying the rare opportunity to have a gourmet meal.
"I don't put a lot of them up for sale since I usually end up putting them
on the canvas, but I have sold a few that were just too good not to."

Gus smiled. "I'd like to see some of them, if that's
possible."

She swallowed her last bite, barely getting it past the lump
of nerves that had formed in her throat. His request was genuine and knowing
how much his opinion actually mattered to her, made her second guess herself.
"Sure," she squeaked.

"You ready?"

"For what?"

"To see your hopefully future studio."

"Oh, yes." She helped clear the table, both of
them agreeing to come back and do the dishes together afterwards.

They walked down the stairs, side by side, in silence. He
held her hand as they crossed the street and winked when she waited for him to
open the door to the building, sending those nervous flutters into complete
chaos. The apartment was on the second floor and from the looks of it, the
building was in excellent condition. He stopped in front of the last door and
hastily handed her the key.

"Go ahead, check it out."

She unlocked the deadbolt and pushed it open gently. Her
hands were shaking with excitement and the smile Gus was throwing her way
wasn't helping her racing heart. He looked just as wound up as she felt.

The door squeaked open and they stepped inside, barely
seeing past the darkness. Gus flicked on the light and she immediately knew
this was the place she had been looking for. Not only was it the perfect size
to fit all of her stuff, but the windows faced west and from what she could
already tell, would be the perfect spot. Images of sunsets, all different
colors of them, and silhouettes of skyscrapers flew through her mind.

She glanced around the room, taking it all in slowly. The
kitchen was just a small counter, a sink, and a couple appliances; perfect. The
area for a bedroom was raised on a small platform a couple steps up and the
floor was dark hardwood, the walls white; freshly painted.

"Did you paint?" She turned to find Gus watching
her, a look in his eyes that would have made her catch her breath if she wasn't
already holding it in from excitement.

He raked a hand through his short hair and looked around.
"Yeah, a few nights ago. Needed a touch up."

"Tell me the truth Gus. Did you clean this out for
me
?"

He met her steady gaze and nodded. "I didn't need it.
You do. Plus, there's still enough room for me to keep a few things. The rest
is yours."

"Why?"

He stepped toward her, in her space like always. "Your
paintings are beautiful, Aiden. If having this place makes it easier for you to
do what you love, then… why not?"

"How much will it be?"

He stepped closer, this time his hands raised up to her
shoulders, his fingers softly grazing her neck as he swept her hair back.
"Nothing. I don't pay much anyway."

"No, Gus. I have money that I can pay you each month.
Don't do this for-"

"Tell you what. You decorate my place with all your
work, this place is yours for as long as you'd like."

The look on his face confirmed that there was no argument
she could use that he wouldn't counter. She would have to take it his way or
leave it completely and she had already fallen in love with the small space.

"Thank you, Gus."

His fingers lightly brushed over the sensitive skin of her
neck once more, sending a shiver over her body. "You're welcome."

Neither of them moved. Aiden couldn't have moved from that
spot, feeling his hands on her skin and his breath fanning her face; no, she
couldn't have moved unless a semi truck plowed over her. His thundercloud eyes
darkened, flickered back and forth between her own eyes and her lips. He did
that a lot. Did he not know how it affected her? She could barely breathe being
this close to him, but that look in his eyes and the way his touch made her
burn… it was all too much. She wanted the kiss that she knew the both of them
were imagining. Needed it.

The need to be closer to him was excruciating. She would
have liked to think it was because of the pull between them that their
situation was turning into that 'more' she had been wanting for herself for so
long, that constant heat of their attraction to each other. It could have been
exactly that, but she questioned it when he suddenly pulled away.

Her heart plummeted and her mind told her that she should
have known better. They were just friends and it needed to stay that way.

Right?

"So, you'll take it?" His voice was strained and
it made the ache his distance caused deepen until she couldn't think past it.

With the tension in the room still very present, it took her
a moment to process what he was asking. "Um, yes. As long as you'll let
me."

"It's yours."

Mine
, she thought as she watched him cross the room
to the window where the setting sun was no longer beautiful to her. The
exhilaration she had been experiencing was rapidly waning. The one thing she suddenly
wanted to be hers, wasn't.

Oh God, I actually
like
him.
Want
him.

No. Not
like
. More.

More than she knew what to do with and the thought was
terrifying. No man had ever made her question her priorities. She loved her
family, her work, but she knew that when the day came that she met
the one
,
everything would change. She had been so careful, so attentive to the course
her life was taking that she figured she'd have control of that change when the
time came. Now she was so completely lost and she had no idea
how
to
control it.

Would being with Gus destroy her? She didn't consider
herself a needy woman, but the thought of him going to work every day and not
knowing if he would come back… it had already caused her endless hours of worry
and they were
just friends
.

So why did she feel the need to be there for him? Why did
she feel like she was the only one that could?

***

"Wake up, Aiden! You're running late."

She struggled to open her eyes, her head pounding from the
lack of sleep over the last several days. After dinner with Gus, she had spent
the rest of the night organizing her paintings and setting aside the ones she
thought he would like. She had been gradually moving her work to the studio and
ended up spending hours at a time just sitting by the window, wondering what
the hell she had gotten herself into.