"That's a nice f.u.c.king car," Teddy said, his voice much clearer now. "That was in Freyview? No wonder you're suspicious."

"They have her," Jackson confessed. "I left for f.u.c.king twenty minutes tops and he just strolled in and took her."

"I'll find the car, Jackson. Just give me a few minutes to tap into the satellites."

Jackson could hear rustling on the other end of the line. "I'll call you once I find it," Teddy said.

Jackson hung up and immediately dialed Giles.

"I was talking to Haffey," Giles said when he answered. "I've been waiting for your call."

"He took Lexie and the f.u.c.king files we found on him," Jackson said angrily as he paced back and forth. Evan had helped Cherry to her feet and she was now sitting on the sofa with a bag of frozen peas pressed against her forehead. "We had just found everything we f.u.c.king needed to crush that motherf.u.c.ker and he took it." Jackson practically growled he was so angry.

"Guess I can't be surprised. What happened?" Giles asked.

"It doesn't matter. I'm gonna fix it. I took a few pictures of the files. There's enough there to get what we need on Rosh, but unfortunately that's only part of the story for Stodden..." Jackson trailed off. "I'm sorry, Giles. I had it all and I let him walk away with it."

"Do what you need to do, Jackson. Stodden has our hands tied right now with her brother taken hostage. Haffey won't let anyone make a move; not even our precinct. There's no way of knowing if Stodden has anyone else on the inside, so Haffey won't take any chances. I can't even place a warrant for Rosh because he's tied too closely to it all. You'll be on your own."

"That's the way I like it, you know that," Jackson answered truthfully.

"I can send Teddy and Dane. Set you up with the proper equipment. We may not officially be able to make a move but we sure is h.e.l.l aren't going to let Stodden win. Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Giles."

"Send me what you have. I need to see it with my own eyes."

"I will," Jackson confirmed.

"You'll be on your own until Haffey's brother is extracted."

"Understood." Jackson hit end.

Jackson looked at Evan and Cherry both sitting on the sofa. They were staring at him expectantly. "I need you to take Cherry to the hospital. She'll need st.i.tches," Jackson said to Evan.

"I'm fine," Cherry insisted. "How're we gonna find Lexie?"

"You are going to the hospital. The best thing for you both to do is stay here. I'm waiting on Teddy to find me a location and then I'm leaving."

"You're just going after her yourself?" Evan asked. "Why don't you call in the entire police force to take Stodden down?"

"We need Stodden to think we're playing by his rules. He, unfortunately, still holds the winning hand," Jackson said, tapping his finger on the side of his phone, anxious for Teddy's call. "This is not a f.u.c.king game of cops and robbers."

"Just thought that after what happened last time you'd need all the help you can get," Evan said, pushing off the sofa.

"Well, sometimes you need to work with what you have," Jackson responded.

"What if*" Evan began.

"Don't even suggest you're coming. You are going to that f.u.c.king rehab place. You're no good to us like this." Jackson waved his hand. "As soon as you get within distance of any type of drug, you'll lose your f.u.c.king head and you know it."

Evan closed his mouth and stared at Jackson. "I f.u.c.king hate standing on the sidelines being helpless."

"Good, maybe it will be enough to keep you clean so you're not dead weight," Jackson spat angrily and he immediately regretted it. Jackson raked his hands down his face. "f.u.c.k, sorry. I'm just angry as s.h.i.t right now."

"Don't apologize. We all know it's true," Evan confessed.

Jackson had to admit he had a lot of respect for Evan. He had only known him a short while and he had gone through two rounds of withdrawal and stayed determined through it all despite the torture. He knew the strength it took to accomplish what he had. Jackson had seen many men waste away from drugs, unable to face what it took to curb it.

Cherry took Evan's hand and squeezed tightly, offering comfort.

"Just say you'll bring Lexie home," Evan demanded.

"I will," Jackson said. "I will bring her home and end this. I won't let Stodden win."

"Good, that's the one thing I like about you is the fact that you do what you'll say you'll do," Evan admitted.

"I haven't figured out what I like about you yet," Jackson said without conviction.

Evan smirked and shook his head. "You can't just walk away when this is over anymore, you know that, right?" Evan said.

"I know," Jackson acknowledged.

Jackson's phone barely started ringing before he accepted the call. "What do you have for me?"

"I found it," Teddy said.

CHAPTER.

TWENTY-TWO.

Nate "Are you sure you're ready for this? We have time," Nate asked as he pulled to a stop in front of the address Officer Jordan Carlton had given them. Stephanie had her hands balled in her lap, her fingers completely white from clasping them so tightly. She stared up at the blue house with white shutters. A perfectly manicured garden lined the front of the house with white and violet flowers. A lone pink bicycle with training wheels was parked on the gra.s.s. The ta.s.sels on the end of the handles fluttered in the breeze.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Stephanie asked, her gaze lingering on the bike.

"Positive," Nate a.s.sured her. "That's the right house number." He pointed toward the mailbox at the end of the driveway. Nate knew that seeing the bicycle had thrown her off. In all of their talks leading up to this moment there had never been any mention that the owner of the ring could have been a mother. The idea of children being involved made the terrible situation that much worse.

Stephanie took a deep breath but remained quiet. Nate didn't want to rush her. She was already fragile from the trauma that was still an open wound. He could see the pain she still suffered every time he looked into her soulful brown eyes. He didn't know the first thing about consoling people. He had spent his entire life trying to survive one day at a time, only trusting a select few people.

Since he and Stephanie discovered their connection through pain and loss, she had begun to desire his company. It was the first time in his life that someone turned to him or sought him out for emotional support. The feelings she invoked in him were almost painful as they swelled too big for him to contain. He knew pain well, rejection and loneliness were familiar to him from a past of people turning away from him. When Stephanie grabbed his hand for comfort and curled into his side, this was strange. He didn't know this language as he desperately tried to navigate through this unknown territory. He was suddenly terrified about letting her down. The only thing he knew for certain was he wanted to be something solid for her to hold onto when she needed him.

He didn't understand it but every moment with Stephanie felt like she was slowly chipping away at the walls he had built up over the years. He was terrified what would happen when those barriers finally gave. He had no idea what was waiting on the inside. He knew eventually he would have to face it.

"They wouldn't have said yes to this meeting if they didn't want you to come. I think knowing that something good came out of this situation might help them. I know it helped me," Nate admitted. "You helped me." It felt strange to admit it, but he needed her just as much as she needed him.

Stephanie gave him a sad smile. She reached for his hand, wrapping her fingers around his and squeezed tightly. He didn't understand how a simple touch could feel like it did, but he hoped she never let go. People like Stephanie normally didn't want to acknowledge people like him. He had spent his life doing things that terrified most people. It was the first time he wished he was something more. He wanted to be better for her so he could be the person she needed him to be. Instead he found himself being scared that she would eventually see exactly what he was and run from him like everyone else did. He was no more than a criminal that had nothing to show for his life.

"Okay, I think I'm ready," Stephanie said with a nod of her head.

Nate walked around the car and opened her door."

Maybe I'm not ready," she said nervously. Nate held her door open but she remained frozen in her seat, twisting the ring around her finger.

The front door of the house opened and an older gentleman with white hair gave them a small wave.

Nate held out his hand. "I won't leave your side," Nate promised.

Stephanie looked between him and the man awaiting them. "Okay." Stephanie slid her hand into his and stepped out of the car. Stephanie tucked herself into Nate's side as they began walking toward the house. "I think I'm gonna throw up," Stephanie whispered.

"Seriously?" Nate questioned, trying to be polite and offer a smile toward the man holding the door open for them. Stephanie darted from his arms back toward the curb and threw up on the side of the road, just missing the car.

"We'll just be a moment," Nate called to the man, who nodded and closed the door softly.

Stephanie was leaning on her knees with her eyes squeezed shut. "I'm so embarra.s.sed," she whispered. "I don't know if I can do this."

Nate grabbed a few napkins that were tucked in the glovebox of his car. He pa.s.sed them to her and placed his hand on her back gently. "Do you want me to go in and talk to them for you?" he offered.

Stephanie shook her head and took a long slow breath. "No. I want to do this...I do," she said.

The door opened again and Nate turned to see the man had returned with a gla.s.s of water in his hand. He walked down the front steps and approached them slowly.

He wore a short sleeve b.u.t.ton up shirt with khaki shorts. His gray hair was brushed back neatly and he had a sense of peace about his presence. The tension visibly drained from Stephanie as she faced him.

"I thought you could use a gla.s.s of water," the man said as he offered it. Stephanie accepted it with a shaky hand. The man smiled at the both of them. "I'm Mark, Brianna's father." His smile didn't reach his eyes when he mentioned his daughter.

"Nice to meet you, Mark." Nate shook his hand.

"Yes, nice to meet you," Stephanie said as she took a sip of the water. "I'm so sorry about..."

The man waved his hand in dismissal toward the street. "Don't worry about it, my dear. Come inside and have a seat. We can make you some coffee or tea, whichever you prefer."

"That would be lovely. Thank you."

They followed Mark inside. The house was in an older section of Belhaven, where the houses had lots of character from age. This particular house was impressively well-maintained. Thick moldings framed the walls and rich paint colors paired with accent wallpaper complimented its age, but also brought it into the present.

Mark led them into the main sitting area just off the foyer. A man in his early forties and a white-haired woman stood inside the room. Their conversation hushed as soon as they saw Nate and Stephanie walk in behind Mark.

The woman's face lit up immediately. "h.e.l.lo and welcome," the woman said.

"Millie and Alden, this is Stephanie and Nate," Mark introduced everyone.

"Very nice to meet you both." Millie stepped forward and shook Nate's hand before she took both of Stephanie's hands in hers. "I know the strength it must take to come here. We appreciate it." The woman's eyes filled with tears. "Brianna was our only child..." The woman covered her mouth with her hand and then placed it on her chest once she collected herself. "Please forgive me." She guided Stephanie toward the sofa. "Let me get us something to drink. Do you prefer tea or coffee?" Millie asked.

"Tea would be wonderful. Thank you, Millie," Stephanie managed quietly as she sat down.

"Yes, please," Nate added when Millie looked to him. Truth was he didn't drink either. Nate couldn't even recall ever having tea, but since the option of liquor wasn't suggested, he would take what he could get.

"Thank you for coming today," Alden said once his mother-in-law slipped out into the hall with Mark.

Nate's instincts had immediately perked up when he entered the room and set eyes on Alden. While Brianna's parents were sweet and welcoming, this man was something altogether different. Nate had lived among criminals his entire life and could tell when someone was corrupt. He knew the feeling well because he was infected with the same twisted disease. He could feel it inside of him, taunting him since he crossed the line so many years ago. No matter how many times you may wash your hands, you can never remove the blood; it stained for the duration of your life.

Alden sat down in an armchair facing Stephanie and Nate. "When Officer Carlton contacted me to inform me that you wanted to meet, you can imagine my surprise." Alden's gaze traveled to Nate and his eyes narrowed just enough for Nate to pick up on. Nate knew that Alden was trying to get a read on him because it's exactly what he was trying to do to him.

"Yes, I suppose it would be a bit of a shock. I know how painful this is for you..." Stephanie began.

"On the contrary, having you here might mean that we finally have our answers to what happened to Brianna. The officers have been very vague," Alden said as he leaned back in his chair. "Until recently, we believed that Brianna abandoned us."

Mark and Millie walked in to the room, catching the conversation, and their faces fell.

"Brianna's behavior became erratic the last few months she was with us. We were still holding out hope that she would return, until of course, when the officers showed up at our door after Terence Masten was arrested. Brianna's body was identified as one of his victims." Alden placed his hand over his mouth in a show of emotional distress.

Nate studied Alden, trying to find holes in his story.

"The whole thing has been hard to understand," Millie added.

Mark set the tray down on the coffee table and Millie picked up two dainty cups and pa.s.sed them to Nate and Stephanie before she walked over and placed her hand on Alden's shoulder.

Nate looked down at the cup. The handle seemed too small for his fingers. The size was more of a large shot gla.s.s as he decided to just set the base into the palm of his hand.

"It was truly a miracle that you survived. Knowing that some good has come out of this tragedy gives us solace," Mark said, sitting down in the chair next to Alden's.

Stephanie took a sip of her tea and held it in her lap. "I know there's nothing I can say that will make you feel better. I wish I could tell you what you want to know..." Stephanie trailed off when tears filled her eyes.

Millie pa.s.sed her some tissues. "She is with the Lord now," Millie said, wiping her own eyes. "She's not suffering anymore. We have that at least."

"No matter how hard I try to make sense of what happened, I know I can never understand. I will carry the scars with me for the rest of my life. I wish I could have known Brianna, but finding her ring meant so much to me. I want you to know that. Your daughter helped me more than I could ever put into words."

Millie sat down on the other side of Stephanie and pulled her into her arms. "Brianna would have loved knowing she helped you. She was so kind-hearted."

Stephanie wrapped her fingers around the ring on her finger, twisting it one last time before she slipped it off her finger and pa.s.sed it to Millie. Millie took it in her hand and ran her finger over the band. "I wanted to return it. That's why I'm here today," Stephanie said.

"As soon as we saw the picture the officer sent we knew it was hers," Millie said thoughtfully. "She had it made. It's one of a kind."

"I want you to have it so it can also bring you comfort when you need it."

Everyone turned toward the hallway when they heard shuffling. A small girl appeared in the doorway that looked no more than four years old. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in hair ties and she wore a blue dress with tiny flowers scattered over the material.