Page 25 of Keeping Collette

As she met his gaze, the sadness had manifested into tears. They clung to the edge of her lashes. “It is, and I know it’s going to be the last one we share.”

It would be easy to assure her that may not be the case, but Deal feared it was. “I’m sorry.”

She sniffed and lifted her head and looked at the ceiling, as if that would pour the tears back inside of her. “There are moments in my day when I feel it in my bones that she’s gone. That she’s the killer’s next victim. Or that she was kidnapped and is now experiencing horrific things at the hands of terrible people.” She looked back at him, the pain in her eyes so vivid he could almost touch it. “Then a little while later, I feel certain that we’re going to find her, and it’s just pure coincidence that she was there, and she’s off somewhere doing something, and not thinking about me or anyone else. But that’s so not Courtney. She always rang me and told me what she was doing.”

Collette’s bouts of hopefulness and hopelessness were completely normal for her to experience. “We’ll get answers for you. One way or another. We’ll find out what happened to her. And believe me, we’re just as frustrated, but Cass will find something. She won’t rest until she does.”

“I know, and I appreciate everything y’all are doing. I don’t want to put pressure on Cass; I’m sure she’s got more important things to do than look for my sister.”

A knock at her door had him standing before she could. “You stay here, I’ll get the food.”

“You still wanting to surprise me, huh?” she teased, and he was pleased that she still had that spark inside of her, given everything she’d just shared with him.

“Yep.” He made his way to collect the food, thanking the driver before closing the door. His stomach grumbled in appreciation of the aroma emanating from the goodies inside the paper bag.

Collette was in her kitchen getting out plates and utensils. “Ahh, the brown bag of goodness has arrived.”

Deal laughed. “Brown bag of goodness? Where did that come from?”

“Courtney,” she said softly. “She said it one time when we got some burgers, and it’s stuck with me ever since.”

Without thought, he went over to her and pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss on top of her head. Her body melted into his. He’d never been one for giving hugs—hell, he’d never been one for relationships—but this moment, having Collette close, it was right. If only it was under different circumstances.

He could give her platitudes. Tell her that everything would be okay. But he couldn’t, and he wouldn’t. Because they weren’t his to give. Even, if by some miracle, they were able to find Courtney and she was alive, her sister would never be the same again. The trauma of what she’d been through—whatever it might be—would be hard to get over. It would be impossible for her to forget.

Jag’s partner, Steff, had been to hell and back, and even with Jag’s love, there were moments where she still suffered flashbacks to what she’d been through. She’d have panic attacks where only Jag was able to bring her back. Steff would never go back to the woman she’d been before she’d been taken. But Jag loved her for who she was, and she was thriving from his devotion.

Stepping back, he opened the bag and began to remove the containers. The aroma of fragrant Chinese food permeated the air, and his stomach grumbled in appreciation.

“Oh yum, Chinese.” Collette brushed her fingers across his back as she walked past, and he enjoyed the touch. Surprised that she’d done it.

By the time he had all the lids off the various containers, Collette had set out bowls, plates, and spoons for serving, along with forks.

He was pleased to see Collette fill her bowl with rice and some of the kung pao chicken, and sweet and sour pork, while adding some egg rolls as well.

They didn’t say much as they sat at the small table in her dining area. The silence compatible.

For the first time since he’d met her, some of the lines of strain had disappeared from her face. The purple half-moons of tiredness were still prominent beneath her eyes. It would take a long time before they went away.

The shrill of his phone broke the silence, and he was tempted to ignore it, but the flash of hope in Collette’s gaze had him pulling it from his pocket, noting Irish’s name flashing on the screen.

Why was he calling? Irish was the one guy who tended to avoid contact out of hours with everyone. No one minded, as they all knew he would prefer to spend time with Cass than talking to them.

The food he’d eaten settled into a lump in his belly, a sense of foreboding consuming him.

“Sorry I’ve got to take this.”

“It’s fine.”

He got up from the table and moved closer to the front door. Collette’s apartment wasn’t huge, but this would give him a little hint of privacy while he dealt with whatever Irish was about to tell him.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Deal, are you with Collette?”

Considering that all their phones were able to be tracked by Cass, Deal figured the question was a moot point—Irish would know exactly where he was, and he said as much. “I am.”

“Good.” Irish paused, nothing unusual for the man considering he kept his words to a minimum whenever he spoke to anyone.