“He won’t have you. Not now, not ever. You’re mine. And if he tries, I’m going to end him.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
MATTHEW
“What do we know about Aiden Jones?” Jenkins booms as we all gather in the meeting room.
“Aiden Jones, twenty-six, originally from Colorado but moved to Bluebonnet Creek about four years ago. He attended a local community college where he got his nursing degree and started working in the medical center as an ER nurse. He doesn’t have any priors,” Nico rattles off as he looks at his notes. “As far as we know, he isn’t dating, and he usually sticks to hanging out with his colleagues.”
I press my lips together as he talks, my gaze fixed on the map spread open on the table.
Where the hell is she?
Where did he take her?
“I found something interesting,” Mary chimes from her seat. “I looked him up on social media, and while he isn’t really active now, I found old posts and photos. Back in Colorado, he used to date a girl named Terry Benson. It seems like they were high school sweethearts.”
She pulls out a piece of paper and places it on the desk for everybody to see. The black and white picture is of a younger Aiden and someone I assume is Terry, hugging with big smiles on their faces.
“Let me guess,” I rasp out, the pressure inside my chest mounting by the second. “Terry has golden hair and golden-brown eyes.”
Mary shoots me an apologetic look. “Yes.”
“Did you try contacting her?” I ask, although I’m afraid I already know the answer.
“She’s dead.”
The muscle in my jaw twitches.
Another dead girl who looks just like Jessica.
And it all links back to the man we can’t find.
The man who has her.
My fingers flex, nails digging into my palms. The need to slam my fist into something is overwhelming, but I rein it back.
“Do we know what happened?” Nico asks, dropping the picture onto the desk.
“She died nine months before Aiden moved to Bluebonnet Creek,” Mary comments. “I don’t know much else. I found only a death certificate. I requested to see the coroner’s report so we know exactly what happened to her, but that will take time.”
“We don’t have time to wait for the answers.” I slam my hands against the table, all eyes turning toward me. “The fucker has her.”
“Don’t tell us how to do our job, Williams. You should feel lucky we even let you join us considering how close you are to this one. Also, let’s not forget about your suspension,” Jenkins barks out from the other side of the table.
The tension in the room grows. Half of the officers try to pretend nothing’s going on while the other half is watching intently to see how this plays out.
I grind my teeth as I shoot him a death glare. “You want me to leave you to it? Maybe that way I can find her in time, before…”
No.
I’m not even going there.
No way. No how.
She’s okay.
She’s going to be okay.
