Chapter 18

18

D ean handed Elsie a cup of tea then fell onto the sofa beside her. The day pressed down on him like a two-ton weight on his shoulders. He’d replayed his conversation with Justin’s mom over and over on the drive home, but no new nugget of information came to the surface. Nothing erased the sorrow he’d witnessed in Jackie’s eyes.

Elsie curled her legs under her and took a sip of her tea. “That sucked.”

She hadn’t spoken much during the ride back to his place, and he’d been too consumed with his own thoughts to coax out conversation. Nothing else she said could’ve summed up their encounter with Jackie Thomas better.

Sighing, he leaned his head on the back of the couch and studied the subtle white swirls on the ceiling. “Yeah, it did. Nothing worse than delivering bad news. Chances are high things will only get worse for her.”

“She seemed like a nice lady. Just like her mom. Makes you wonder how Justin turned down such a dark path.”

Dean shrugged and shifted to face her. “Who knows why people end up the way they do. Something inside them that just isn’t right, or something happens that knocks them on their ass and they don’t know how to get back up.”

Indignation scrunched her nose. “Sorry but that’s bullshit. We all have things that happen in our lives that are beyond our control, but that’s not an excuse to do bad things. To hurt people. To take and take with no regard to how it affects others.”

He squeezed her knee and offered her a small smile. “You’re absolutely right. Unfortunately, not everyone looks at life the same way you do. If they did, the world would be a much better place.”

A knock on the door stole his attention and brought him to his feet. The last thing he wanted was to rehash details with Sadie and Tommy, but they’d texted earlier to ask for a few minutes. “You ready for this?”

“I don’t think I have a choice.” Elsie set her teacup on the end table and sat up straight. “Who knows. Maybe they have some good news and wanted to share in person.”

Her continued optimism sank low in his gut. As much as he’d urged her to keep hope, things weren’t looking good for Mila.

“You never know.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before answering the door.

Tommy and Sadie stood side by side in their matching deputy’s uniforms.

“Hope you’re hungry,” Tommy said, lifting a large pizza box in his hands. “We’re starving. Thought we’d bring dinner.”

“Thanks. Come on in.” Dean waited for them to enter then closed the door and led the way to the kitchen. “We haven’t eaten much today. Neither one of us has had an appetite.”

“That’s understandable, but you have to keep up your energy. No one is worth a damn if they aren’t taking care of themselves,” Sadie said. “That’s also why we brought pizza. According to Amelia, no one can say no to pizza.”

Elsie laughed and met them in the kitchen. “She’s a smart kid. You better save her a slice, or she’ll be mad.”

Tommy set the box on the counter and lifted the lid. “She’s being spoiled by Mrs. Collins. She’ll be fine if we polish off this whole thing.”

Chuckling, Dean gathered plates and placed them by the box. “Good thing because I can’t pass up Prato’s. Best pizza in town. Hell, even when I lived in California, I craved this stuff.” He placed two slices on a plate and handed it to Elsie.

“Thanks. Not sure if I can eat all this though.”

“Listen to Amelia,” Sadie said in a sing-song voice. “Can’t say no.”

Appreciation for Sadie’s gentle prodding tightened his chest. Elsie hadn’t eaten much the last two days. He didn’t want to make a big deal of it, she was a grown woman who understood what she needed, but that didn’t stop him from worrying.

Dean set out glasses, filling two for him and Elsie with water, then balanced the cups with his plate filled with pizza as he made his way to the table. He sat next to Elsie and waited for his guests to get settled before digging in. Warm cheese spread onto his tongue, and he closed his eyes on a moan. “So good.”

Comfortable silence settled around them as they ate. Their problems weren’t going anywhere. Might as well enjoy a warm meal before dissecting all the ugliness they’d uncovered.

Finally full, Dean shoved his plate toward the center of the table so he wouldn’t keep eating what little remained. “Thanks for that. I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

“Same,” Elsie said. She picked a pepperoni off the plate and popped it in her mouth, licking the marinara off her fingers.

His stomach muscles clenched. He focused on Tommy across the table from him. “I guess it’s time to get down to business. What brings you two here?”

Tommy took a sip of water then cleared his throat. “Honestly, we wanted to check in and see how you two are holding up. We’re treading water over at the station, searching for anything to lead us to Mila.”

“We spoke with Malcom Miller’s sister,” Sadie said. “She shed a little more light on her brother. The house was left to her when their mother passed away, and she let Malcom crash there whenever. Said she’d rather he stay in Tennessee than bother her and her family in Alabama.”

“Did she have any information about the poker stuff we found?” Elsie asked.

“Malcom’s more of an entrepreneur than a gambler.” Tommy picked up the line of conversation. “Always looking for a big score. His sister mentioned he’d always hosted card games for friends and tried to make it bigger and bigger.”

Dean wiped his face with a napkin then tossed it on his empty plate. “How did he have money to fund this type of game? Based on what we found, he and Justin were bringing in a lot of cash. That means either a lot of high rollers were joining the game, or they have a large number of players. Either way, they’d need startup money to fund the operation. A channel of some sort to get the word out to the right people about illegal gambling.”

“Malcom’s held a job as a long-haul trucker,” Sadie said. “I spoke with his former employer. He never had trouble with Malcom. He was reliable and kept his nose clean, most of that we knew based on his background. Sounds like he found other people to do his dirty work, which is where Justin Pauly comes in.”

“But how does that tie in with Mila?” Elsie asked. “And don’t try and tell me that my roommate had some secret life working with an illegal gambling ring, finding poker players to fill some game at Town Tavern. I would know.”

Tommy shook his head. “Chances of that are highly unlikely. We’re assuming Mila went to check on Mrs. Pauly and saw something she shouldn’t. But we won’t know for sure until we find Justin and Mila.”

Dean considered the new information, struggling to figure out what the missing angle was that would point to the key. “Malcom had to have done this before. We need to find other people connected to him, Justin, or the poker games. Someone who can break this thing wide open with more information.”

Elsie straightened. “Ashley mentioned getting a call that people were trying to get into Town Tavern in the middle of the night. What about camera footage? Maybe someone can be identified. Someone who’d tell us what we need to know.”

Dean rested a hand on Elsie’s and squeezed. Her idea might give them what they needed to find Mila, he just hoped that when they finally found her, she’d still be alive.

Elsie placed the last dirty plate in the dishwasher then wiped her hands on the towel draped around the oven handle. The impromptu dinner had eaten up a large chunk of time, but she and Dean still had an hour before they had to meet her parents and Jimmy.

Dean came in from the back door after depositing the trash in the bin. “Thanks for cleaning.”

“No problem. Mila and I are seldom home at the same time, so I’m used to being the only one tidying up after a meal. Having an extra set of hands always makes things quicker. Jimmy helps as much as he can, but sometimes he creates more of a mess.” She let out a long sigh. “I can’t wait to hug him.”

Dean placed an arm on either side of her, bracing the heels of his hands on the counter. “I’m sure he’s just as excited to see you.”

She rested her forehead on his chest and breathed in the smell of him. The familiar hints of sandalwood and citrus still clung to his skin after a long day. “What do you think about what Sadie and Tommy came to tell us?”

“I think they stopped by more to see how you’re doing than to give us any real information. I agree with their train of thought—that Mila saw something at Mrs. Pauly’s house and Justin acted on impulse. It makes sense.”

“But where would he take her? His mom’s convinced he wouldn’t hurt anyone. If that’s true, maybe he took her somewhere until he figured out his next move. I mean, she has to be somewhere. ” Her voice cracked. She wasn’t an idiot. She understood that Justin might have hurt her and tossed her body in a place they may never find.

But even if that was the case, Justin hadn’t just vanished. And once they found him, she’d have all the answers—even if they were hard to learn.

“Hey,” he said. “Look at me.”

She tilted her chin to stare directly into his eyes.

“We’ll figure this all out, okay?” His warm breath tickled her cheeks.

Gone were his promises of bringing Mila home safely, but she needed that hard, cold truth right now. Not empty promises of happily ever afters that may not come to fruition. But she’d fall apart if she allowed her mind to walk down that path.

“Okay,” she said. “But not right now. Right now, I just want to forget all the ugliness we’ve witnessed. I want to put all the fear and worry away and find a way to just feel good. To remember that there is still a world around me I want to experience.”

Heat flashed in his eyes. His tongue licked out to wet his bottom lip. “I have a few ideas on how we can do that.”

She grinned, desire flaring to life inside her. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he echoed then dropped his hands to her hips, hoisting her up to sit on the counter.

Her legs went instinctively around his waist, her arms looped around his neck.

He groaned as her middle pressed against his.

She grinned, loving the sense of feminine power that washed over her. She didn’t have a ton of experience with men, but instinct told her Dean was about to awaken something inside her. Something that would make her forget all her pain—at least for a little while. “I’d love if you can show me those ideas. I have a funny feeling they just might help me relax a little.”

His groan morphed into a growl and he swooped forward, taking her mouth in his. His tongue pressed through her lips, deepening the kiss.

She squeezed her legs tighter around him, bringing him closer. Raw, hot lust shot like flames through her body. Tingles of excitement burst along her skin. Her breath became ragged, and she fisted the back of his shirt in her hands. She wanted it off, wanted all barriers between them to disappear.

Breaking away, she dipped her hands under his shirt and worked the fabric up his torso before slipping it over his head and tossing it to the floor. Rock hard muscles stared back at her, and her palms rested on his chest. Her fingers itched to roam the rest of his body, to find out what lay beneath his clothing.

He trapped her hands with one large palm while his other hand slid under the front of her shirt. “Two can play at that game,” he teased, his voice so low and husky it skimmed across her skin.

He trailed his fingertips up her side, sending shivers down her body, then flipped the cup of her bra down to release her breast. He flicked the pad of his thumb over her nipple, rolling the tender bud until it hardened.

Throwing back her head, she moaned.

Dean pressed kisses against her neck, up her jawline, until he found her mouth once more.

“Dean,” she whispered, flattening her palms against his cheeks.

His hand stilled, and she thought her body might scream out in protest. “What is it? Are you okay? Do you want to stop?”

She stared into his earnest eyes. Tenderness melted her insides. This was what she needed—what she wanted. A man who not only desired her, but cared enough about her to stop and make sure everything was all right for her. A man who wanted to give her everything, even if it meant he got less. A man who valued her for exactly who she was.

Her heart ached in a beautiful and terrifying way that told her she had fallen hard for Dean Kingston and there was no turning back.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I definitely don’t want to stop. I was just thinking maybe we should take this somewhere a little more comfortable.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Gripping her ass, he molded her against him and carried her down the hall to his bedroom.

She held on tight, her pulse thundering in her ears, and prepared to make love to the man of her dreams.