The other has brown eyes that match his hair, a deep tan to his skin like he’s spent the entire summer outside, on and off work. Both have the muscled builds to match, and my senses start creeping back on high alert as it’s clear that I’d stand no chance outrunning or overpowering either of them if it came down to it. Trapped in a small room, the distance between me and the guys suddenly seems like a chasm instead of a couple of rooms. So that I don’t raise any red flags by fidgeting uneasily or looking guilty for no reason, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves.
“So what can I help you with, officers?”
“Ryker and Thatcher,” the taller of the two states, gesturing first to himself and then his partner. “There’s been a missing person’s report out on you for nearly a month, Ms. Emerson,” he declares, hazel eyes scrutinizing my face. “Care to fill us in where you’ve been?”
Thatcher’s eyes soften a bit as he adds, “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve dealt with abductors trying to play the system to get away with things. Things might be complicated and seem impossible, but I promise we can help if you work with us.”
It takes a second for it to click, but when it does, I burst out laughing. “You think Mason kidnapped me and then forced me to marry him so he couldn’t be arrested for it?” I shake my head. “I’ll admit, that’s a pretty ingenious way to skate abuse under the radar, but I promise, it’s nothing like that at all.” I raise an eyebrow. “Blake Thompson reported me missing, I take it?”
Ryker cocks his head. “Why would you assume that?”
I snort. “Who else besides him or my boss would bother? They’re the only people that I really know in this city. Well, used to be, at least.”
Thatcher narrows his eyes. “Why don’t you start at the beginning? Why’d you up and leave your boyfriend without a word?”
My annoyance bleeds into my tone. “Without a word? I spentweekstelling him how miserable I was, gave him every opportunity to give me a sign that he actually gave a damn about anyone other than himself. Instead, he just started screaming about what an ungrateful bitch I was, shaking me down every night I came home from work and taking my money so that I couldn’t set anything aside to leave him.”
Thatcher and Ryker exchange a glance before the latter asks, “If he was abusive, why didn’t you report it?”
My scoff of derision is completely authentic at that one. “And what would you have done? He wasn’t hitting me, so nothing the police would’ve done about it. And without friends or family to lean on, I couldn’t leave without a penny to my name.”
My face tightens with my rising vehemence. “Nobody cares until it’s too late, then all they do is cry about what a tragedy it was, that they never saw it coming because the guy was a poster child in the community, then they forget and move on. You can’t blame me that when I met someone that actually cared about me and offered me a way out of the living hell I was trapped in, I jumped on the chance.”
With great restraint, I soften my features, pushing my rage back down before I get carried away with the pre-planned rant. “I told Blake that I was leaving him, and he laughed in my face, telling me that no one else would be willing to put up with me, that I was lucky he even did. So when he sent me on a run to ensure I didn’t ‘let myself go’, I had Mason waiting at the end of the trail.
“I moved in with him and his brothers a few hours away. The house was totaled in a fire, so since we’re trying to decide where we should settle down next, it seemed like a good time to tie up loose ends. I figured the only chance I had at getting any of my stuff back was by giving Blake some time to cool down, but now that a month’s gone by, I’m just hoping he hasn’t tossed it all in the trash.”
Thatcher’s face darkens. “Yeah, that’s not what was reported at all.”
Ryker cuts in with a warning edge to his voice, “T.”
Thatcher completely ignores him, pissed off. “If you wait until noon tomorrow when I go back on shift, I’ll meet you at the building so you can collect your things.”
Ryker sighs, nodding to himself. “It’ll help clear up the conflicting stories, but she’s obviously not missing anymore and looks fine; I’ll be there. Hopefully we can get the paperwork knocked out to close the case and move on before dinner tomorrow.”
With a dismissive dip of his head, Ryker pulls the door open and gestures for us to leave the room ahead of him. While they head back towards the dance floor, I cross the hall to the dressing room, ready to call it a night. Things went better than I expected they would, but it’s still far from over. If the guys were to kill Blake right now, Mason and I would be the prime suspects.
The dressing room has a wall of lockers on the same side as the door, the opposite side covered with a massive mirror that stretches across most of the wall. The long counter beneath it is covered with enough make up, brushes, and bottles to give the entire city a makeover. Off to the left is a communal shower and bathroom stalls, a couple of girls rinsing off and another few touching up their makeup that are going to be here for the rest of the night.
Spinning the dial to unlock my locker, I grab my clothes and walk over to the bench in the center of the room. Stripping off my work clothes, I start switching into a basic t-shirt and shorts when Crystal comes to sit beside me, unzipping her leather, thigh-high boots with a sigh of relief.
“Spill it, girl. You really skipped town to get hitched?” she asks. Tying my shoe, I nod, and she reaches over to pat my leg. “Happy for you. That boyfriend of yours was a fucking prick and you deserve so much better. He treat you right?”
Grabbing my outfit, I toss it in my locker, snapping it shut and sitting beside her on the bench. “Better. Honestly, I can’t imagine how I got by in life without them.” I catch my slip too late, frantically trying to figure out how to salvage it.
Her green eyes sparkle with humor that mirrors Stryker’s. “He must be pretty close to his brothers not to care that they were eye fucking his wife all night.”
I wave her off as if she’s being ridiculous. “They’re just protective. We weren’t sure how Blake was going to react when he found out I was back in town.”
She snorts, stripping off the rest of her skimpy outfit for something similar to mine. “Those brothers single, then?”
At my death glare, she bursts into hysterical laughter, gathering her hair into a ponytail. “Thought so. Kudos to you, girl, no judgment. As long as you’re happy, that’s all I care about. Lord knows I’m jealous as fuck, but that doesn’t mean I’m not thrilled for you. You look-“ her gaze rakes over me, from my violet eyes that I claimed were colored contacts to my toes and back up again. “You look good. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy, and you’ve got this glow about you that draws people in now instead of pushing them away. Seriously, Risa-“ she stands up, clasping my hand once before snatching her purse and walking toward the exit “-you do you, no matter what story you’d rather feed the public. Happy to have you back, even if it’s only for a little while.”
I follow her out smiling, working our way through the throng of gyrating bodies. Crystal departs with a wave while I make a beeline for the bar, following the bond straight to the guys. Their heads swivel in my direction before I say a word, high-strung and waiting impatiently. Rising to their feet, they scan me for any scratch or sign that the meeting didn’t go well. Stryker begins reaching for me, only to clench his fist and stuff it in his pocket with a grimace. Bane looks equally pained, but masks it better, having years of practice between these two.
“Ready to get out of here?” Mason asks, threading his fingers through mine and walking towards the exit before I even answer, looking on edge.
“Definitely.”
