Grabbing the tablet again, I scroll through the cameras until I find all four girls back in the living room with full wine glasses.
“Fuck Valentine’s Day,” Willow, one of Tate’s friends, says, holding her glass up in the air and Mia does the same.
“Here, here.”
Tate thrusts her glass above her head, almost spilling it on the white couch before pulling it back down and chugging half of it. My brow shoots up and I watch her as she leans back in the couch, a frown etched into her face. What the hell is up with her tonight?
A large part of me wants to jump out of this van and run in there to make sure she’s okay but I can’t do that. Damn it, this is so complicated. What happens when she finally finds out that I’ve been lying to her and spying on her all this time? She’ll hate me. The thought makes my chest ache and I rub over my t-shirt, trying to make it go away.
“Tate, what’s up with you tonight?” Lexi asks and I perk up, turning the volume up all the way on the tablet.
She shakes her head. “Nothing.”
“Uh, yeah right. Something is definitely wrong with you,” Mia says, plopping down next to her on the couch and pushing her hair out of her face. My fingers itch to do the same and I blow out a breath.
“It’s stupid.”
A wry smile stretches across Mia’s face. “Oh, so it’s a guy then.”
Tate nods but doesn’t say anything. I know she’s talking about me, though, and the thought that I’ve caused her any upset doesn’t sit well with me. Or maybe it’s not me. Is it possible that she’s been talking to someone else, too? The thought makes me growl.
“Is it the guy you had lunch with yesterday?”
Tate pushes her hand away and grabs her wine glass off the end table, chugging the rest before setting it on the end table. “It’s been so fucking long since I’ve felt like this about anyone and when I do, he’s the worst possible guy for me.”
I toss the tablet across the car and it hits the window before landing with a thump on the passenger seat. Thank God for the case Streak insisted I put on it.
“How is he the worst guy for you?” someone asks and as much as I want to turn it off, I can’t force myself to reach across the van and do it.
“Yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t say no to that yummy man,” Mia says. “That bad boy vibe just does it for me.”
“Me, too,” Tate adds. “That’s the problem. After high school and the pregnancy scare, I told myself when I decided to date again, I would pick a better guy. The kind of man that wouldn’t lie to me or cheat on me, the kind that would treat me like his whole world.”
I reach across the van, grabbing the tablet because I can’t not look at her any longer.
“And this guy can’t be that?”
“He’s the type that never sleeps with a girl more than a couple times and calls them all “baby” or “sweetheart” because he can’t be bothered to remember their names. He’s the kind of guy that always got me in trouble before and I want more than that now.”
Her words are spot on and they hit a mark she didn’t even realize she was aiming for. I suck in a breath, fighting back the memories but they flood in anyway – reminding me why I promised myself I would never get serious with a woman again. If I close my eyes, I can still smell the scent of that little church packed full of flowers as I stood in front of family and friends, waiting for a bride that was never coming.
My phone rings, snapping me out of my daze, and I turn the volume on the tablet down so I can answer it and drop it in the seat next to me. My baby sister Rowan’s name pops up on the screen and I groan.
“What do you want?” I ask, sounding annoyed despite the smile on my face.
“Well, it’s nice to talk to you, too, old man. Happy Valentine’s Day. You spending it with someone special?”
Rolling my eyes, I grab the tablet and watch Tate as she continues talking to her friends. I wish I knew what she was saying. “Very funny, Ro. You know that I don’t do that anymore.”
“Damn. I was really hoping this might be the year that a woman knocked you on your ass and made you realize what a fool you are.”
I know she’s teasing but the moment the words left her mouth, I pictured Tate. “Don’t count on that, baby sister.”
“Some day, Linc. Some day.”
“Yeah, yeah. What’s up with you? Did you need something?” I ask, glancing to the side mirror as a car drives past the van.
“Nope. Just wanted to talk to you. It’s been awhile.”
I nod. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy. How are you? How’s Mom?”
“We’re good, Linc. You should stop worrying so much.”
Sighing, I rub my hand over my face. “Taking care of the two of you is my responsibility.”
“No,” she snaps. “It’s not. You were a kid the same as Nora and me when Dad died. It’s not all on you and besides, I’m an adult now. I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can but you have to know that I’m always here for you. All it takes is a text or phone call, Ro, and I’ll be on the next plane to Alaska. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
She sighs. “When are you going to stop blaming yourself, Lincoln? You couldn’t have known.”
Tears sting my eyes and I shake my head as I ball up my fist. “Enough.”
“You’re right. I didn’t call to fight with you. Come home soon, okay? We miss you.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good. I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing then. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Ro. I’ll talk to you later.”
Hanging up, I release a sigh and lean back in my seat as I try to stamp down all the memories that Rowan brought up before grabbing the tablet and turning the volume up.
“Boys are stupid!” Lexi shouts, holding up another glass of wine and all the other girls follow suit. There’s one empty bottle laying on its side on the coffee table and the second is halfway gone already.
“Aw, hell,” I mutter. Tate is going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow. Though, the thought of nursing her back to health is appealing. With a smile teasing my lips, I scan the neighborhood again and jerk to a stop when I see a man sitting in his car behind me. From my vantage point, it seems like he’s watching Tate’s house as well but I can’t tell for sure. I reach for the door handle before thinking better of it and grabbing my phone to snap a picture of his license plate.
Blaze still wants me watching her and truthfully, I’m not ready to give her up yet so I can’t confront him out here without a damn good explanation for why I’m also sitting outside her house. One thing is for sure, though, I’m not leaving until I know she’s safe.
* * * *
“Hey, guys. Thanks for coming,” Rodriguez says, holding his hand up in greeting as Storm and I walk into the small apartment. We’ve been working with Detective Rodriguez for a couple years now so when he called us for help with a case, we jumped into action. I do a quick scan of the apartment for Laney, the girl he called us here to watch over, but I don’t see here.