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When Lucas allowed himself to crash, he crashed hard.
Was it something about being back in Hamlet? Like his wife, did he subconsciously revert back to the man he was three years ago before his life changed? It was for the better, no doubt, and he finally had everything he wanted… but Hamlet had its way of dragging you back through the past, no matter what.
Before they separated for the night, Rick told Lucas that he would knock on the guest room door with a fifteen-minute warning before he was heading back out. Kade had called in a couple of favors from his contacts on the outside and, by mid-morning, he would be back in Hamlet with a set of drones.
He wasn’t sure if they would work or if Hamlet’s weak internet signal would stifle the tech from working, but Lucas agreed that it was worth a shot. They already had patrollers driving around, local Hamlet pups—like Phil Granger’s dog, Shelby—chasing Maria’s scent, and plenty of villagers combing the woods and the mountains on foot.
It’s been for days now that Maria was missing. Without any other leads to go on apart from the twisted nursery rhyme scrawled on the back of Lucas’s business card, there were whispers that she must’ve been taken out of Hamlet. After all, with the entire population aware she was gone, someone should’ve heardsomethingby now, right?
But that was another thing about being back in Hamlet. Inside of its narrow borders, it was easy to forget that the rest of the world existed. Maria had to be tucked away somewhere between the gulley in the mountains because, as far as so many of his former neighbors believed, she couldn’t be anywhere else.
The drones would give them a better angle. Lucas was looking forward to it, and when a few hours down turned into the whole night, it didn’t bother him or have him doing another fruitless search of Ophelia. Kade had a ten o’clock meeting with his contact about an hour out of Hamlet. Depending on how long it took, he’d be back in Hamlet a little after eleven.
When he was jolted from sleep by Tessa’s gentle hand, once he realized he was awake, his internal clock told him it was barely nine now. Disregarding the communicator on the nightstand, he grabbed his useless phone from next to it. 10:03, just like he thought—and much, much later than he usually slept.
“Luc, baby,” murmured Tessa. “Someone’s at the door.”
Ah. That must’ve been what initially had him stirring.
“It must be Rick,” he began, a loud banging knock sounding against the door cutting him off. He laid his phone back down. “And I must have slept through his fifteen minute warning.”
Shoving his covers away from him, he climbed out of bed. He was shirtless with only a low-slung pair of grey sweatpants on. Figuring he was decent enough, he pulled open the door.
Just like he thought, it was Rick. His rich brown hair was missed, the slight curl on one side flat as though he’d just woken up, too.
His face was tight as he held up his radio, showing it off to Lucas.
“Sly got a buzz. It’s about Maria. He wants us at the station house now to discuss it.”
That’s all Lucas needed to hear. “Give me three to piss and change. I’ll be right out.”
Rick gave him a solemn nod. “I’ll let Grace know we’re leaving. Meet me by the front door.”
Lucas usually bristled whenever someone tried to tell him what to do. This time? He let it pass. “I will.”
The deputy disappeared from the doorway right as he sensed his wife moving toward his back.
“Lucas—”
Turning to face her, he closed the gap between them before taking Tessa’s chin in between his fingers. Tilting her head back, her golden eyes glittering with emotion as her lips parted, he bowed his head, taking a quick kiss.
At the beginning of their relationship—when she was still Sullivan’s, and Lucas was already plotting just how far he’d go to change that—she would worry about ridiculous things like leg hair or morning breath. Maybe another man… a less worthy man… would be bothered by that, but when Lucas loved, he lovedhard. There wasn’t a single part of his wife he wouldn’t devour if given the chance.
She was his, and he would do anything and everything he could to make sure she always was.
“Stay here,” he told her, tweaking her chin before letting her go.
“I promise,” she said breathlessly. “But, Luc… be safe. For me?”
“Always,” he vowed. Then, allowing him one second more to peer down into her gorgeous face, he said, “Would you grab me a change of clothes? And my keys, too, baby?”
“Of course.”
Tessa had the fresh clothes ready to pass off to him through the bathroom door once he’d finished relieving himself and washing his hands. Changing quick, he handed her his sleep clothes, kissed her on the tops of her curls one last time, then joined Rick by the door.
The deputy hadn’t even bothered pulling on his uniform. Wearing a flannel shirt, jeans a darker shade than Lucas’s, his holster and his radio, he had his keys dangling from his meaty grip.
Lucas jerked his chin at him. “We’re meeting at the station house?”
