Page 16 of Petals & Promises

Gareth dropped his head to rest on mine for a moment before pressing a kiss to it and dropping his hand. “All right, baby girl. It’s your call.”

Leaning into him, I looked up, offering him a smile. “Thank you, Gareth.”

He returned my smile and kissed my forehead. “You’re welcome, baby girl.”

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the card.

Bumblebee,

I’m sorry I ran, leaving you all alone. They said you were taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery. I tried to visit and give you these flowers then, but they refused to let anyone visit. My face is on the news, and they are spreading lies again. Don’t listen to them. I would never hurt you, Bumblebee. I love you. I picked you out of everyone to be mine.

I hope these flowers make you smile and remember how perfect we are together.

xx R

“He said that to me before,” I murmured. “Something about how I was rejected, but he picked me and was told he could have me. I don’t understand it, but obviously, it means something to him.”

Officer Fawlk tucked the card back in the envelope, handing it off to someone else who placed it in an evidence bag. “In my experience, that type of entitlement comes from people who have been born into privilege. They don’t know what the word ‘no’ means. Did Mr. Steele talk about his family much?”

“Come to think of it… no,” I answered as I thought back over our conversation. “The only thing he ever said specifically is that they came from money so I shouldn’t be worried he was after me for that. When I asked what his parents did, he brushed it off, saying he didn’t want to talk about it. I just figured he didn’t have a great relationship with them, so I didn’t want to press the matter.”

“Well, any detail helps us narrow down what his last name might really be,” Officer Fawlk commented as he made notes.

“I’m sorry, his real last name?” I pressed.

The officer’s gaze flicked to me then Gareth for a second, as if judging if he’d spoken out of turn. “Yes, I just spoke with the two detectives on your case, and they mentioned the last name he’s using now only started showing up in the system about a year ago. This leads us to believe he used a different one previously. If someone wanted to keep the incident related to his previous pack quiet, changing his last name would be the easiest place to start.”

An idea popped into my head. “Did you look at who owns his apartment? He told me it was owned by his family so he could live there as long as he liked.”

Officer Fawlk grinned at me. “I see we have a detective in the making. I’m not on the official manhunt for Mr. Steele, but everyone in the department knows about it. So let me know what the address is, and I’ll make sure to run it past Detective Vogal. They might already have the information, but it never hurts to ask.”

I rattled off the address by heart, having it memorized since I had to give it to every taxi driver since I couldn’t drive myself.

“Thank you, Miss Thatcher, you have been a huge help,” Officer Fawlk said, shaking my hand. “I hope you believe me when I say we are doing everything we can to get this guy off the streets. No one deserves to feel like the boogie man is lurking behind every corner.” Shifting his gaze to Gareth, he continued, “If I have any further questions or information to share, we’ll reach out. You guys have a better rest of your day, and we’ll make sure this place is secured the best we can.”

Gareth shook the officer’s hand then bent down to scoop Nugget up before twining our fingers together and leading me out of the workspace. I was surprised to see the others talking with Eli, who looked like he came right from the office.

“Thank you for the offer, but Infinery owns the building even though it’s Bailey-Rose’s to do with as she pleases. I’ve already called the insurance company, and they’ll be sending someone by to look at the damage,” Eli explained, then he spotted me.

Things at the office had been crazy for him as a merger with another offshore oil company was taking place, meaning we hadn’t seen each other since I got out of the hospital. It didn’t help that his righthand man and personal assistant, Joss, had to quit, leaving him to find a replacement. I wouldn’t say Eli was a bad boss, but the man was a perfectionist. He had zero problems pointing out people’s mistakes, but in his mind, he believed he was helping them improve. Forty interviews and three tries later, Eli managed to find Joss. I can’t wait to see how things will work out this time.

“Hey, big bro,” I greeted, flinging my arms around him. “I feel like it’s been ages since we’ve seen each other.”

Eli returned my hug with a gentle squeeze. “Well, B, I suppose that’s the downside of not living under the same roof.”

When I didn’t let go right away, Eli wasn’t bothered and continued to hold me close.

“B, I know it’s been a little while, but when did you acquire a lion pretending to be a dog?” Eli whispered.

Laughing, I released my hold and took a step back. “Elee, meet Waffles, my personal medical alert guard dog. Oh, and Nugget, he is a trained psychiatric service dog who is struggling with his self-confidence.”

“Is a service dog allowed to work if they have an issue like that?” Eli questioned.

Gareth snorted, trying to cover up his laugh. “I should have known the deal for Waffles was too good to be true. Turns out it’s because Waffles and Nugget are a package deal. This little tyrant does his job perfectly as long as Waffles is around to give him the support he needs.”

Eli blinked a few times, processing that information. “So a service dog has his own emotional support animal?”

“Pretty much,” I agreed. “But Hank says there is still hope Nugget might work through his issues, and if that happens, he might pick his own person to help one day.”