Red Red Rose (19 page)

“From
the smile you’re wearing, I’d say tonight went well.” I couldn’t tell from his
tone whether he was upset or not. I didn’t want to rub his face in it, but I
wasn’t going to lie either.

“Yes.
I had a good time tonight.”

He
gave me a tight smile and nodded. “Well, I think I’m going to turn in for the
night. Glad you had a good time on your date, Nora. I’ll see you in the
morning.”

“Night,
James.”

~~~

My
fingers clenched around the steering wheel. He wanted her. Thought he could
have her. He thought he could take her from me. I slammed my fist against the
wheel repeatedly. I wouldn’t let anyone else have her. Especially not now that
I’d felt her in my arms, felt her give herself to me, even if it only lasted a
moment. I wanted to take her right now, but I couldn’t with him inside like a
guard dog protecting something that wasn’t even his, and never would be his.

 I
still had to make her see. Make her understand that we belonged together. We
always had. She was my perfection, my angel, my sweet, sweet rose. I would
never again let anyone take her from me. I just had to be patient, but the
thought of her in there with him, knowing that he would try to make her his,
had me seeing red. My rage grew until I was tempted to slip inside and show them
both that she belonged to me. It would be reckless, but I wanted to so badly. She
needed to see. She needed to know what she did to me, how crazy she made me.

It
was time for one last visit to Dana.

I
glanced at the clock on the dash. It was still early in the night; I could
easily make it to her before closing time. I hoped she was working tonight. I
would wait for her outside the bar just like I had last time, but this time I
would take her to my special place.

“I
forgot to ask you, what happened with Nathan after we left last night?” I dropped
down beside James on the couch with my coffee cup in hand. He’d waited up for
me last night, only to say such a quick goodnight, I hadn’t gotten a chance to
ask him about the Nathan debacle. I was also desperate to make sure that things
weren’t going to be awkward between us now, especially knowing he had to leave
so soon.

He
set his tablet aside and shrugged. “Not much. He kept yelling about pressing
charges and suing, but once you were gone he was out of here pretty fast.”

“You
really shouldn’t have hit him.”

“I
should have done a lot more than that. He’s a fucking creep Nora, definitely
bad news. You need to be filing reports of all of these incidents, so that the
next time he crosses the line you can be the one to call the cops and they’ll
take it seriously.”

“His
pride is hurt. He doesn’t like to lose, but he’ll move on eventually.”

“Yeah?
How’s that going so far?”

He
had a point, but besides showing up uninvited and pissing me off, Nathan hadn’t
done anything wrong. As much as I wanted him to stop, I wasn’t ready to sick
cops on him. It seemed a little extreme. If he didn’t take the hint soon, or
became more aggressive, then I wouldn’t have a choice.

“Speaking
of cops, what do you think is going on with the case? I don’t like that we
haven’t heard from Monroe or Parker all week.”

“I
don’t know, but I’m going to swing by the station before I have to head out
tomorrow. I’m not leaving town until I at least know they’re not sitting around
with their thumbs up their asses.”

I
had to work a full day tomorrow, so I wouldn’t be able to tag along, but I
asked him to stop by the shop before he took off. I wanted to know whatever he
found out, if he found anything out, and also the chance to say goodbye. I hated
that he was leaving, and that I was having all sorts of mixed emotions about
everything he said before I left for my date. The space from him would be good
to clear my head, but it was still going to be hard saying goodbye, made even
harder by the fact that every time he left, I didn’t know when I’d be seeing
him again.

I
took my time finishing my coffee, in no rush to get to the shop today. Reggie
and Mitch were covering things and it was my last morning to have breakfast
with James. I wasn’t sure what I would do when it was just me left to face the
quiet house without him or Em.

“Have
you thought anymore about going to stay with my parents?” he interrupted my
thoughts.

“I
appreciate the offer, but I just want to be home in my own house. Who knows how
long it will be before this is all over, and I don’t want to rearrange my whole
life or anyone else’s.”

He
nodded in understanding. “Just promise me you’ll keep Stella with you and your
alarm set all the time.”

“I
promise.”

He
rested his elbows on his knees and hunched forward, letting his head hang. “I
hate that I have to leave you.”

“It’ll
be alright.” I scooted closer to him on the couch. “I’ll stay safe. You need to
worry about making sure you do the same.”

He
turned his troubled expression to me. “It’s more than that.” He sat up. “I wish
I had more time to convince you to choose me.”

It
hurt me to see that pained look on his face as much as it was hurting him. But
we both knew that right now my choice was made. I was going to see things
through with Spencer. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and
grabbing his hand. “Neither one of us knows what’s going to happen in the next
ten months. All we can do is let it play out how it’s meant to.

He
jerked his head in a solemn nod.

“And
don’t you dare let anything happen to yourself. Okay?”

“I’m
invincible, sweetheart. Nothing’s going to take me down,” he winked and I
wished it was true. I wrapped my arms around his middle, catching him by
surprise for a second before he sat back and tucked me into his side, holding
me there.

It
was a different feeling than when Spencer took me into his arms last night, but
there was still something so right and comforting about being held by James.

It
was confusing as hell.

The
rest of the day passed uneventfully by the time I went in to work, except for
the verbal reprimand I had to dish out to Mitch after Reggie informed me he
showed up to work almost an hour late without an excuse. It happened to all of
us at some point, but it seemed to happen to Mitch frequently. This was the
second time in as many weeks it had happened to Mitch, and it was just one more
thing on top of a bunch of little things that were getting harder to look past.
His attitude had also taken a serious dive as of lately. I got the feeling it
had to do with the foot he already had out the door. Good for him that he was
going to be moving on to bigger and better things, but as long as he was still
working for me, I expected him to take his job seriously. Instead, he was
making everyone else’s job harder because we had to pick up his slack.

 The
remainder of the day progressed with a building sense of dread in my stomach.

 That
night, James and I went to his parents’ for dinner, and it was a solemn affair.
They didn’t want him to leave anymore than I did, and it was a reminder of the
time that had slipped by without bringing Emily home. We all felt like we were
failing her.

If
possible, the next day was even worse. James visited the station, but left there
without learning anything new, which meant it was doubtful they’d made any
progress. We stalled and dragged out our goodbyes as much as we could, until he
had to go.

He
hadn’t been gone two hours when a story broke on the news. Another missing
girl. Dana Winters, a bartender in Everett was reported missing. Her boss had
made the call to the police when she didn’t turn up to work on yesterday or today.
She hadn’t been heard from since Saturday night when she left work after
midnight. At this point, what happened to her was only speculation, but
everything fit. She was a young, single, red-head, and even though she wasn’t a
college student, where she worked made her just as easy of a target. It didn’t
look good for Dana.

James
called once he’d made it to Fort Lewis and caught the news report. He agreed
that Dana was likely the next victim and was pissed that the police hadn’t
bothered to mention to him that they’d had reports of another missing girl.

Even
if they didn’t have any information about Emily, we deserved to know what was
going on with the case. Neither of us were happy that we’d had to find out
about this from the news, and having already spoken to his parents, he
indicated they weren’t taking it well either. We were all desperate to know if
it was the same guy who had Emily, and what was happening to her while all
these other girls were being taken and killed, or if something had already
happened to her.

The
rest of the week was more doom and gloom. It was the only story on the news,
and by Wednesday, I couldn’t take it anymore. I kept the TV’s at the shop and
at home off the news networks. The evenings were rough, going home to the empty
house. A few nights I stayed late at work, catching up on paperwork and
reorganizing the office so that by the time I got home, all I did was fall into
bed. The only bright side, and it wasn’t so much bright as just mildly
positive, was that I narrowed down the applications to one, and after a set of
interviews, added a new girl to the team.

Spencer
was surprisingly absent all week, which did nothing for my dark mood. As the
weekend approached, I wondered if we were still on for Saturday. I was beginning
to think not, and then on Friday he finally made an appearance. He walked in with
his typical easy smile fastened on me as if he hadn’t stayed away all week. The
smile faded when I didn’t return it.

He
approached the counter and leaned against it, tilting his head slightly. “Rough
day or not happy to see me?”

“More
like rough week.” I grabbed a cup and turned, filling it with coffee, and then
thrust it at him.

He
accepted it reluctantly. “Want to talk about it?”

“Not
really. I have work to do.”

He
took a look around the quiet shop and then back at me. “Yeah, I can see how
busy you are.”

“I
have to finish training the new girl on the espresso machine once Reggie’s finished
showing her around the kitchen.”

“Reggie
isn’t capable?” He didn’t wait for me to respond. “Come on, take a break and
get whatever it is off your chest.”

I
exhaled my frustration, admitting to myself I was being silly. I wasn’t
actually mad at him. It’d been a hard week and having him around would have
made it better, but he was here now.

“I’ll
have to see if Reggie minds finishing her training.” Of course he didn’t, so
Spencer and I claimed a table in the corner where I could still keep an eye on
things.

“Where
have you been all week?” I asked as soon we sat, not caring if I was giving
myself away.

“Is
that it? Did you miss me?” There was just a hint of a smile on his lips.

“And
if I did?”

A
weight settled on his brow, softening his smile. “Then I’d say I’m sorry. I
should have called. I had to be out of town for work every day this week. The
job I’m consulting on is taking longer than I expected.”

“And
will you have to work tomorrow?”

“No.
Tomorrow I’m all yours.”

I
perked up slightly. I needed tomorrow. I needed the distraction, and I had
missed him.

“Now
do you want to tell me what else is bothering you? As much as I’d like to
believe I affect you that much, I know there’s more to that sad look in your
eyes.”

My
shoulders sagged and I let out a weary sigh. “I just don’t know how many more
times I can turn on the news and hear about another missing girl and see
Emily’s picture. Not having any answers, not knowing if she’s okay,” I shook my
head. “I just can’t do it. I’m losing it.”

His
hand stretched across the table and took mine, entwining our fingers. “The
police aren’t getting anywhere with the investigation?”

Another
shake of my head.

He
gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m sure they’re doing everything they can. You just
have to try and stay strong a little longer. These guys always get caught
eventually.”

“That’s
not necessarily true.”

Spencer
and I both turned our heads.

Danny
was one of the few customers in the shop this afternoon and he sat at a nearby
table. Obviously having overheard our conversation, he now looked on with a
grim countenance.

“There
are a number of unsolved serial murder cases in the US. The Zodiac Killer was
never caught, among many others. And sometimes, even when they are apprehended,
it takes years. The Green River Killer was active for nearly two decades before
being arrested.”

My
stomach rolled and my chest ached at the thought of going years without ever
knowing what happened to Emily. I tugged my hand free from Spencer’s and sat
back in my seat, struggling to keep it together.

“Was
that really fucking necessary?” Spencer growled at Danny, who paled.

“I,
uh,” he looked to me, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just– it’s a
problem I have, saying the wrong thing. These facts come out, and I forget that
sometimes people don’t want the facts.”

“No,
it’s okay. It’s the truth, so why shouldn’t you say it?” I muttered weakly.

Spencer
shot another glare at Danny, then stood and pulled me up from my seat and
tugged me after him into the small alcove by the bathrooms. My eyes were
blurring as the real possibility that I would never know what happened to Emily
sank in.

“Nora,”
Spencer said firmly, snapping my eyes to his. “Don’t give another thought to
what he said. The real truth is that none of the facts matter. This case is not
those cases. Every case is unique and if you give up hope now, then that’s one
more thing this guy gets to take from you, so don’t give it to him.”

I
gave him a meek nod, and then he pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms
around me. “You have to believe she will come back. If that’s the only thing
holding you together, you just keep hanging onto that. If I know one thing, it
is that there is always hope. Even when it doesn’t feel like it, even when you
think you’ve lost all reason to hope.”

I
clung to him for another minute, letting the heartbeat inside his chest and his
welcome scent soothe me, before drawing in a deep breath and pulling away.
“Thank you.”

He
caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger and then lowered his mouth,
lightly brushing his lips over mine. “Any time you start to have doubts or feel
like giving up, I’ve got you. I promise.”

The
tears that I’d managed to hold at bay, started welling in my eyes again and I
had to blink them back. “How is it that I hardly know you and yet you make
everything feel so right when I’m near you?”