The next day, dark thoughts kept torturing me. I’d intended to make Stone jealous last night, but instead I’d been the envious one. The jealousy was uncontrollable, and I realised that. If I hadn’t been so insecure and foolish, I’d have approached Stone at lunch, and he’d have introduced Briar. Salisbury wouldn’t then have found me alone. That was on me, not Stone. But I had come to Salisbury’s attention because of the connection with Stone; there was no denying that.
In two days, I returned to work, but I needed to escape these depressing thoughts before then. Dressing quickly and slipping my feet into my boots, I headed downstairs. Clara glanced over and nodded.
“Your stuff is in the garage, darling. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
Grabbing a picnic basket and cooler, I smiled. I was going hunting; it was my go-to when I needed to clear my brain. Packing up food, I carried the cool box to the garage to pack the car. The peace of the Black Hills was required.
Once there and breathing in the fresh air as I made camp, I could figure out my thoughts. Insecurity led to jealousy, which was a bitter pill to swallow. Those two emotions were my problem. Learning to control them and wrestle them back under control was a huge issue. It wasn’t as if I had other dating experiences to fall back on and draw confidence from. Stone had been my one and only.
Somehow, I had to wrangle my issues, or there wouldn’t be a Stone and April. Stone wouldn’t allow my emotional issues to rule a relationship. And that wasn’t healthy, anyway. Turning my gaze towards the tree, I picked up my rifle and headed out.
Harlequin
What was Margrave doing out here? I wondered as I gazed around the immediate area. The tracker led to an empty warehouse where the homeless had clearly once lived. Maybe they still did, but there was no sign of anyone now. Nothing stood out, so why come here? Was the fucker messing with me?
Margrave wasn’t stupid. He’d guessed I was suspicious. I’d handed over the discrepancies in his statement to Lio, who said he’d investigate. Stubbornly, I kept searching the warehouse and discovered nothing. Three hours had been wasted, but at least I knew Julie wasn’t here. Julie was somewhere, and I wanted to believe she was alive, but the likelihood of that was low.
I sighed as I walked back out and stared at the sky. If Julie were alive, I didn’t want to imagine what the teenager was suffering. Human trafficking was the most likely possibility, and many never recovered from their time in captivity. Julie was perfect for a trafficker: beautiful face, dark skin, slim with the rounded, juicy booty African American women boasted. She was a pervert’s wet dream.
One way or another, I’d find her, no matter how long it took. I wouldn’t give up. I hit my bike and rode away. Margrave was playing games. Well, he wasn’t the only one capable of mind fucks, I was a master.
???
“Nothing?” Slaughter asked.
“Nope. False lead. Fucker’s toying with us.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’m upping the pressure, might rope some of the others as well,” I replied.
Slaughter grinned. “Let me know. If you think Margrave’s the type to cave, then we’ll force the issue.”
“I’d love to give the sleazebag a beatdown, but I don’t think that will work. He’s the type to spit in our faces and send us off on false trails.”
“Keep me updated. If the girl’s out there, she’s relying on us finding her.”
“I know.”
Slaughter nodded and waved me from his office.
I headed back to my own and logged onto my laptop. Quickly, I checked where Margrave’s vehicle was, and it was stationary at his house. On a whim, I clicked on the hidden cameras I’d placed.
“Fuck!” I roared and hit my desk. The car was gone. Margrave had discovered the tracker. Which meant he was onto me. Margrave was playing games with the wrong man. As I watched, Margrave pulled up and parked. Without a glance at the camera, he headed inside, and I got to my feet. Time to up the pressure.
As I walked around the rear of the building, I heard footsteps and turned. To my surprise, April stood there.
“Don’t have time for your bullshit,” I snapped.
“I came to apologise.” April scuffed her boot, and I noticed she was dressed for hunting. I wondered if she was returning or heading out.
“April, I’m too busy for a fight.”
“Stone, honestly, I’m not here to fight; I’m here to talk.”
“You can talk while I drive.”
“That’s fine,” April said, falling into step with me. She seemed different somehow, but I wasn’t prepared to open myself up. I admitted my mistakes and owned them, but I wasn’t going to let April lead me around by my dick.
