I saw Tiny step forward, Polizi step back. It felt like a vice had surrounded my chest, squeezing the air out of me while my head pounded.

She was taking too long to answer.

Why the fuck wasn’t she answering?

Finally, I got the nerve to face her.

She was watching me, a perfect frown on her beautiful face. “No,” she whispered. “I’m still a virgin.”

*

The doc took the tests he needed, assuring her the entire time that it would in no way put her in danger. Tiny stayed quiet, his back pressed against the corner of the room. But his eyebrows were drawn, watching me intently. Not just me… but me with Bailey.

Polizi’s voice pulled me out of my daze. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you,” he said, zipping his bag closed. “Have lots of water, and have Nate close in case it gets worse.” He turned to me. “A word?”

I nodded and walked him to the front door.

His voice was a quiet murmur when he asked, “How are you holding up?”

“Fine,” I lied.

“It’s a lot to take on. All of this. Especially in your condition.”

“I said I’m fine,” I clipped.

He pressed his lips tight and nodded once. “And your meds? Do you need another script?”

I rubbed my jaw as I looked down the hallway to Bailey’s closed door. “Yeah. I’m low.”

“I’ll bring it by tomorrow when I check in on her. Keep an eye on your stress level, Nate. It’s not good for your heart.”

“I’m fine,” I said for the third time.

“Ready?” Tiny called out, approaching us.

Polizi nodded and gave me one last look before opening the door and walking toward the car.

Tiny waited until Polizi was out of earshot before saying, “Take the day off tomorrow. I’ll handle everything. The day after—you and I need to talk.”

I knew the questions were there, but he’d wait. He knew better than to bring them up during such a time. But there was no possible way he could tell how I truly felt:

Bailey had become my drug.

My addiction.

My escape.

My salvation.

My curious fascination turned obsessive infatuation.

 

 

15

 

Bailey

I woke up the next morning to Nate sitting in a chair on the side of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped in front of him. His eyes were downcast, focused on his thumbs circling each other.

It was the same position he was in when I fell asleep. “Have you been here the entire time?” I asked.

His eyes met mine. “Yes.”

“Why?”

He ignored my question and stood up. “Do you think you can eat?”

I nodded.

“I’ll bring you some food.”

*

The day passed, and he barely left my side. Even when I took a shower, he waited just outside the door. When I was done, he helped me back to my room and into my bed. I didn’t need the help, I was feeling a lot better, but I took it anyway. It was as if he needed to know he was doing something, anything, to save me. We didn’t talk much, and when we did, it was him asking me how I felt. At some point in the afternoon, his phone rang. Tiny and Doctor Polizi were on their way over.

The doctor asked me some questions, took some more tests and then spoke privately to Nate afterward. Tiny used the opportunity to sit on the bed with me. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Good.”

“That’s good. Make sure you tell Nate if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay.”

He got up and sat on the chair Nate had been using. Then he looked down at me; his lips curled into a sad smile. It looked strange on him, this big burly guy who had barely spoken to me. “Bailey, Nate’s a good guy. He’s my best friend and the best man I know. And he cares about you… more than he’s probably letting on.” He looked over at the door as if making sure his words couldn’t be heard. “I know it’s hard, you being in here and not knowing what’s happening out there, but some stuff went down today, and I haven’t told him yet. I’m going to need him to step out for a bit to handle it. Will you be okay without him?”

“Is the stuff about me?”

“Yes,” he said flatly. “But it’s nothing you need to worry about. We’ll take care of it. I know you’re struggling, and now’s probably not the best time to be calling in a favor from you.”

“What do you need?”

“Nate—he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. He can’t help it. And he can’t help caring about you the way he does. If there’s anything you can do to relieve some of his worries, then I need you to do it. For him, Bailey. I need you to do it for him.”

Nate

Bailey smiled up at me, a sight that made my stomach flip.

“Are you sure?” I asked her.

“Of course. I’ll be fine. Go do your thing.”

My lips pressed tight as I glanced over at Tiny, pleading with him to just take care of whatever needed to be done. Even though he said it was urgent, and something I had to deal with on my own, I knew it wouldn’t be as important as Bailey.

She added, “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll just stay in bed until you get back. I won’t move.” She drew a cross over her heart with her finger. “Swear.”

“Give us a minute,” I told Tiny.

Once he’d stepped out of the room, I sat down on the edge of her bed, watching her smile get wider. “Are you sure?” I asked again.

She nudged me with her knee. “I’m sure. You’ve done so much already. I’ll be fine.”

I placed my hand on her forehead to check her temperature, or, at least, make it look that way. I just wanted a reason to touch her. “Okay.” I leaned down, seeing her eyes close just before my lips met her forehead. “I’ll be back soon.”

I left the house smiling, but the smile was wiped the second I got in Tiny’s car, and he handed me a piece of paper.

“When did this happen?” I asked, staring down at the missing persons report.

Bailey Anne Wright.

And her picture, the picture PJ had taken.

“Last night.”

My heart stopped. “Who filed it?”

“I’m working on it.”

Finally tearing my gaze away from the picture, I asked, “So where are we going?”

“To talk to PJ.”

*

We pulled up just outside Harwood’s Deli, where Tiny had gotten word that PJ was running his mouth about Bailey and dropping names that shouldn’t be dropped in the open. That’s when Jerry, the owner, called Tiny and asked him politely to get the man out of his store. Which was odd, because PJ and Jerry were friends, and they spent a lot of time together considering the deli was PJ’s territory.

Pulling my hood over my head, I stepped inside, surveying the almost empty store before eyeing Jerry. Luckily, he was on our payroll and understood what my presence meant. PJ got up from his stool at the counter. “Well, well, well. I wonder what it is that could possibly bring you to me?”

My jaw tightened as I looked him up and down. My gaze flicked over to the owner. “Close the shop, Jerry.”