I did the only thing I could. I hunted every last scum in Seahill until someone squealed about the Collector’s whereabouts.
“No, but I’m chasing a lead. The body of Hazel’s old foster brother was dumped into Seahill bay. Time of death was four days ago, and he’d only been in the water for a few hours. Given the big rainstorm we got recently, I’m betting he was buried near the water and the storm washed him out.”
“Which brother?” A bite of foreshadowing sank into my chest. The Collector wouldn’t be so cruel, but then I remembered her villainous smile.
“Jarrod. He was older than her. Looks like a stab wound to the gut, and bled out according to the coroner.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“It’s the Collector’s handiwork.” I knew it. That bitch did something to him, probably in Hazel’s name. Pyscho bitch. I’d looked into him off and on over the years. He had turned his life around, gotten married, and then divorced when his wife cheated on him. He worked in the IT field, and surprisingly hadn’t turned into a fuck-up like I imagined he would have. No one wanted him dead, not even Hazel.
My poor Hazel. I don’t know what happened, but I knew she was hurting. “I’ve got to find her.” I trembled, fear dousing my mind with every tick of the clock. Who knows what the bitch has made Hazel do, what she told her. Fuck, the Collector thinks I’m dead and has most likely used that against Hazel. If the psycho bitch made her do something vile . . . I swallowed back the burning in my throat.
No. I’d help her through it all. I didn’t care what she did. If she fucked other people or if she killed someone. I’d be there to help her and remind her who she really was. My goddess. I wasn’t going anywhere, especially when she needed me the most.
“We’ll find her, man. I’m close. I can feel it. My sister is helping, too. We’re all hands on deck.” AJ’s gut feelings helped but only slightly.
I needed to do something. I hated feeling this helpless. I drove around aimlessly in my truck. Thirty minutes later, I pulled up to Hazel’s home in the woods. The scenery dimmed without her. It was springtime, where everything should be blossoming and green, yet the plants looked sad.
Not wanting her to lose anything else in her life, I walked around the side of the house and grabbed the hose. If all I could do right now was keep her plants alive so she’d have her beautiful gardens intact when she returned, then so be it.
I tended to her gardens as best as I could with my black thumb. Once I finished my plant job, I braved walking inside the house. I hadn’t wanted to go inside and smell her scents. Memories surfaced of our time together. The emotions tied to the house only enraged me more, and my powers were teetering on edge lately. I might have been saving the brunt of my gifts for when I found the Collector, but I needed to release the power a little.
The house looked the same as it did the last time I had been in her living room. The bright colors made the house full of life. Only I could feel the heart of her home was gone. Getting to work, I grabbed her watering can by the window in the kitchen and took care of her inside plants. In the grand scheme, I knew she wouldn’t care if her plants withered while she was being held hostage. I just couldn’t handle anything else making her sad. I wanted her laughs, her smiles, and her spirit.
Once I finished taking care of her babies, I sat on the couch, and touched the blanket she’d been snuggling the last time I saw her. I brought the soft material to my nose and inhaled her lingering scent. Fuck, I missed her.
Something fell from the blanket, hit my leg, and then landed beside my boot. I looked at the small colored item, then picked it up.
Matches?
“Howlers Ink Tattoo and Piercings.” I read the words under the tribal wolf drawing on the back. As much as I’d love to see Hazel with ink on her beautiful skin, she wanted to remain tattoo free. This set of matches didn’t belong to her. I grasped the matches tightly in my hands and launched for the door. Someone at that shop had answers. They’d been here when she’d been taken.
I hopped into my truck and hit the gas.
“I’m coming, Hazel, don’t give up on me, baby.”
I hoped somehow, wherever she was, that she could hear me. I called AJ to let him know what I found, and he dispatched someone to head over and snuff out the suspect. Probably for the best that someone else found the goon because I’d probably kill him on sight from the blinding rage burning inside me. I needed info first, then blood.
“I’m coming, Hazel. Keep fighting.”
Chapter Thirty- Six
Hazel
The sight of Jarrod shoving a knife into himself plagued my dreams. I barely slept, and when I finally stayed awake, my body refused to move. My everything was tired, and I wanted to lay in bed all day. The maid eventually came to bring me down for breakfast but I refused, claiming ill. I thought I managed to escape whatever plans the Collector had for me, until she burst into my room an hour later.
“Hazel, what’s bothering you? I brought everything I could think of.” She waltzed over to the bed, then lightly sat down. Her eyes scanned me for sickness, and I rolled my eyes. One man walked into the room with bags in his hands and set them near the bed.
“I’m having a bad period day.” I could have told her I had the flu, but she could force the truth out of me, so why lie? Her eyes lit up, and she nodded solemnly.
“I have a bag for that.” She bent down and grabbed said bag, pulling out various items. A new heating pad, candy, meds to help with pain, and various snacks. She quickly ordered her man to make us a pot of tea and she set up everything for me. The actions were kind in nature, but after knowing what she could do, I eyed her every movement suspiciously.
“Perfect.” She spoke to herself after plugging in the heating pad for me and grabbed the remote to the large, flat screen.
“Thanks, uh, what are you doing?” I hoped she didn’t think she would be staying in here with me. She looked at me with a big smile.
“I’m spending the day with you. Us girls gotta stick together in times of need like this.” She pressed the buttons and scrolled through the list of movies she’d bought on demand. I opened my mouth to tell her off, but she beat me to it.
