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“Get the fuck out of my office and stay away from my girl.” I gritted out, my jaw aching from how hard I was grinding my molars.
She scoffed. “Your girl? You have been gay your whole life. Now suddenly, you are interested in a little nobody? It’s disgusting, you know? Showing off your perversions to the whole town. Making out in public with not only a man but a woman in the very next breath.” She clenched and unclenched her fists. “It’s unnatural.”
“What you are really saying is that I should have dumped the man I love for you years ago. The only reason you stopped pursuing me was because you thought you couldn’t turn me away from being gay. Now that you see that I love a woman, too, your fragile ego can’t handle it. The real issue is I never wantedyou.“ I slammed my hands down on my desk, wrinkling papers and sending my pen flying to the floor. “Get the fuck out of my officenowbefore I file a restraining order against you.”
She backed away to the door, her face full of fury at my words. “She’s nothing,” she spat out. “A little nobody whose only worth is to a serial killer.”
“A serial killer that you probably brought straight into this town. If he gets a hold of Casey, it won’t be his hands covered in blood. It will be yours.”
There was the briefest flash of regret in her eyes, but it was gone again in a blink, replaced by her usual self-assured cockiness. Without another word, she finally turned to leave. I called out to her before she took more than one step.
“Detective Holbrook?” She paused without looking back, her back going stiff as I spoke. “Casey isn’t nothing. She’severything.”She relaxed her shoulders and walked away with a shake of her head.
I ignored the stares coming from all the officers that had stopped whatever they had been doing to watch the show and dropped heavily back into my chair. I reached for the file, already knowing what was in it but hoping I was wrong.
I flipped the cover open to see an official database search listing her full name, address, place of employment, everything. I cursed and slammed the file shut, standing up quickly, and grabbed my service weapon from my top drawer. I stuck it into the holder under my arm but paused as my eye caught on something. In the same drawer was a device that I’d used once before on someone that had been an informant on a drug case I’d worked a year ago. That case had been a big deal and resulted in the confiscation of a warehouse full of narcotics and placed several people behind bars. It had earned me a medal given by the mayor.
I scooped up the tracker and stalked out of my office, heading straight for the doors, ignoring every look from the officers as I passed, waving my hand dismissively as Jared called my name. I had only one focus at the moment—getting to Casey.
When I shoved my way through the door and out into the sweltering heat, I heard footsteps coming up from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, not stopping on my way to the car.
“What?” I barked out.
“What do you need, detective?” Jared asked, his tone serious, ready to help in whatever way I might have needed.
I paused with my hand on the door. “I need you to keep an eye out for a man that is new to town. I don’t know what he looks like. Fuck!” I paused and pinched the bridge of my nose. “There is a folder on my desk. The report inside it is the one for Casey Rivers. Check the date of the report. He would have arrived anytime within twenty-four hours of it being run.” I looked at him as he stood there, sensing the seriousness of the situation. “See what you can find in the FBI database about the Castle Killer. If you have to, call the fuckers and talk to someone. They have to have more information than what the media knows.”
He nodded and backed away. “Consider it done.” He looked like he wanted to say more but just gave a nod and turned around to head inside. We both watched as Detective Holbrook stepped outside. As he passed her, he shook his head but didn’t say a word.
I grunted and got in my car, not giving her another glance. I didn’t know if she felt bad for putting Casey’s life in danger over some petty jealousy that went back more than a decade, and I really didn’t give a shit. The only thing that mattered at the moment was getting my eyes on my girl and making sure she was okay.
I pulled up to the diner in record time and slammed out of the car and jogged to the door of the diner flinging it open, my eyes scanning quickly. Relief settled in when I heard her familiar laugh as she stepped through the kitchen’s swinging door, probably at some joke my dad had told her. My muscles lost some of their rigidness, but I couldn’t completely relax. She was still in imminent danger and needed eyes on her every move until the fucker was caught. I thought back to Jared. He would be a perfect solution for the eyes.
I watched as she glided over to the table and set plates in front of the customers with a smile. She had already gotten over her nerves about being a server and was more relaxed, stepping into the role like a veteran.
“Hey, son. What brings you in at this hour?” My mom walked up to me with a smile. I had to tear my eyes away from Casey to greet Mom, giving her the usual kiss I placed on her cheek.
“Just checking on my girl.” She studied me as only a mom can do and grabbed my arm, dragging me into the back with her. Once we were standing near the large griddle my dad was cooking on, she crossed her arms and glared at me. “Spill it.”
Dad looked over briefly before turning his concentration back to the food. I knew he would be paying attention to every word, though.
“Casey’s in danger. To make it quick, she’s on the run from a serial killer. You’ll find all the information if you search for Castle Killer on the internet. But just know, while she used to be safe here, someone in the police department took it upon themselves and ran an official report. The killer will now know which town she’s hiding out in. I expect he’s on his way, if he’s not here already.”
I paced away, running my hands through my hair in agitation. I spun back to face her.
“Has anyone been in that you’ve never seen before? A man? It doesn’t matter what he looks like. Any man that is new to town.” She was already shaking her head, her eyes filled with fear and glossy from tears.
Dad plated the food from the grill with a lot less finesse than he usually showed and dropped it onto the counter. “We will keep that little girl safe, son.” I nodded but couldn’t voice my agreement. We all knew that was an impossible promise to keep.
“Oh, that poor girl. I knew she was running from something. I just never thought…” Mom brought her hands to her lips and choked on a sob as Dad took her in his big arms.
“I need to call Brent,” I muttered. He was going to go ape shit, and it was going to take everything in me to keep him calm. I turned to walk back into the dining room when the door swung open and Casey walked through. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, but the smile on her lips dropped when she took in the three of us.
“No.” She shook her head and began to tremble. She looked at my mom, who was quickly wiping her face but couldn’t hide the worry in her eyes. “You know?”
Mom reached out a hand. “Casey, sweetheart…”
Casey stayed where she was and looked up at me with sad resignation as she hugged herself. “He knows where I am, doesn’t he?”
