“Kincaid interviewed Ellie and then sent her phone to get analyzed. That’s it, that’s all we got.”
Ryker sighs. “What do you need from me?”
I place my hands on my waist, trying to get my breathing to slow. “I want access to every traffic camera, every doorbell camera, anything that could get us a visual on a plate.”
Ryker nods. “Done.” He clasps his hands over the desk. “But it’s all going to Kincaid. You’re too close to this, I can’t have your emotions messing with the investigation. This isn’t coming from me, it’s a direct order from Sergeant Vorheis.”
“You’ve got to?—”
Ryker raises his hand. “Look, I get it. If it were Claire, I’d be losing my shit. But you’ve got to let the investigation roll out properly. One misstep, and you could lose the chance to put whoever is doing this behind bars.”
I nod, balling up my fists to keep my frustration under control. “Understood,” I grit.
“Good,” Ryker says, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Now go home and get some rest. You’re no good to anyone running on fumes.”
Rest is the last thing on my mind, but I nod and head for the door.
CHAPTER 51
Elyse
ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME
PRESENT
This is by far the worst outfit I’ve ever worn to a wedding. I’m wearing my signature all-black, but my pants are wrinkled, my blouse is faded and looks more gray than black, and my hair is in a messy top knot. If my appearance is any indication as to how things are going, it’s clear they’re not going well.
After Dominic picked me up from my parents’ house last night, there’s been an undercurrent of tension. Dominic is on edge and I’m barely keeping it together. Before, I was able to brush aside what was happening, but I can’t anymore, and I think it’s starting to fracture my psyche piece by piece.
Life goes on though, we can’t stop everything because of what’s going on. And today I need to focus on my job.
Behind me, I can feel Dominic’s presence. He’s leaning casually against the wall near the entrance, his arms crossed, but I know better than to think he’s relaxed. His eyes are scanning the room constantly, pensive and alert, taking in everydetail. Even when he looks at me, his gaze softens for only a second before focusing back to the crowd.
We still haven’t talked about how he reacted when he found out I left without Gavin. I understand his anger, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to put up with being spoken to that way. I would’ve preferred to discuss it after he picked me up, but it was already late, and I was way too exhausted to have a real conversation by that point.
So, now we’re doing this weird tip-toe of being overly polite, talking around the problem, but very aware it needs to be dealt with.
He hasn’t left my side all morning—only adding to the tension between us. After what happened, I can’t bring myself to be annoyed. If anything, I feel safer knowing he’s here, even if his watchfulness is a constant reminder of the fear curling in the pit of my stomach.
“Elyse!” my bride, Valerie’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She’s walking toward me, her perfectly curled hair bouncing slightly with each step. She’s holding her bouquet with her nose scrunched. “Do you think the florist has anything fresher? These look a little…wilted.”
I offer her a reassuring smile, stepping closer to inspect the flowers. “Let me check. We’ll make sure everything is just right.”
She nods, her panic easing slightly, and I head toward the table where the florist is putting together some last-minute arrangements. As I walk, Dominic falls into step behind me, his long strides matching my shorter, brisk ones.
I glance over my shoulder. “You know you don’t have to follow me everywhere, right?”
His lips quirk into a faint smile, but his eyes are sad, worried. “I do, actually.”
My gaze scans the room, looking around for anyone listening. “Nothing is going to happen here,” I say under my breath. “Between you and security and the gate being closed to outsiders, the likelihood of an incident is small.”
He lets out a breath, and all it does is reveal how tired I know he is. “Small or not, I think if I let you out of my sight, I’d have some kind of breakdown. Right now, it’s more for me than it is for you.”
My lungs squeeze around the sudden rush of warmth. Even when I’m mad at him—even with all this shit going on—he still manages to send my heart thrumming.
“Okay,” is all I manage.
If I said much more, I think my emotions would get the best of me, and now isn’t the time. I have a wedding to run.
