Megan stood at the stove stirring the rice and thinking about her decision to leave home. One day in and she was already bored. Even if she’d told Justin and Kyra she was coming, they still would have had to work. Most people couldn’t take three or four weeks off and not lose their jobs.
Technically, Megan was not on vacation. She told her boss she’d call in and keep in touch with her clients. Being the top sales agent for their area, he couldn’t say no to her. Which was exactly what she was counting on.
But spending all day without a schedule and without calls to make had her ready to pull her hair out. Megan liked people. She liked to talk to people. Being alone with her thoughts was dangerous because she always ended up making poor decisions. Like the time she decided to give herself bangs. Very bad idea.
Howler let out a yelp and scared Megan. He raced to the door and howled at it. Megan clamped a hand over her ears and called out to him to stop yelling.
Then she heard the keys in the door.
“You are such a crazy dog,” Kyra said as soon as the door opened. “We’re right here.”
She gently moved Howler from in front of the door and made room for Justin to walk in after her. His hand lingered on her hip as he walked by. Justin rubbed Howler’s head and sniffed the air.
“Man, it smells better in here than usual. Most of the time, when we get home, it smells like his farts,” Justin joked. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a veggie from the tray Megan took out of the oven a few minutes earlier.
“I noticed,” she said with a scowl. “I opened the back door to air the place out. He is a fart machine.”
Kyra chuckled. “Just be glad he doesn’t sleep in your bed.”
“Nope. You two can keep him in yours. Thanks again for letting me stay here. I really should have called,” Megan said.
Kyra shook her head and waved a hand. “No, you shouldn’t have. You are always welcome here. I’m sorry we didn’t have the guest room set up for you.”
“It’s fine. I don’t need much.” The guest room doubled as Justin’s home gym. Megan didn’t mind sleeping in there, but she felt like she was invading their space. She was, but being in a room that wasn’t designed for guests made her feel worse. Especially when they didn’t know why she was really there.
“I’ll move some stuff around so you have more space,” Justin said. “I’ve been meaning to clear that room out, anyway.”
Megan smiled at her brother and turned off the heat under the rice. Justin was a monster of a man. He was always big, tall, and strong. The only reason people thought they were blood siblings growing up was because they were both big people, but her big wasn’t the same as his. She had blonde hair to his dark. She had curves to his muscles. She had green eyes to his dark ones. Megan didn’t blend in with her adoptive family at all, but Justin always made her feel like there was no difference between them.
Tears sprang to her eyes. Damn hormones. She focused on the rice instead of on how much it meant to her that her brother was being so sweet. She wasn’t surprised by it, but after things with Stuart, Megan was raw and emotional.
“I’m going to get changed,” Kyra said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Megan nodded as Kyra’s soft footsteps and Howler’s nails moved away from the kitchen. She was sure Kyra was trying to give Megan and Justin time alone. All she had to do was wait for her brother to say something.
“Is everything okay?” he asked. Right on schedule.
Megan sucked in a deep breath and forced her emotions down. She was getting good at that. “Yeah. I’m just happy for you. After Jessie, I wasn’t sure if you’d let someone else in. Kyra is perfect for you. She’s amazing. And I’m really happy for you.”
“And that’s why you’re crying?” Justin asked.
Megan sighed and tried to laugh. She turned to face her brother. “It is. I know you hate it when I cry, so I’m trying not to show you.”
Justin walked over and pulled Megan into his arms. He held her tight. His big body made her feel like less of a freak. He was big, too. She was normal with her brother around.
“I have missed too much with you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“You had a life to live,” Megan said, pulling back. Yes, she missed her brother like one would miss a limb, but she wasn’t going to make him feel guilty for living his life. He had every right to choose what he wanted to do.
“I also had a sister who needed me.”
Megan smiled at him. “I’m still here.”
Justin’s eyes narrowed. “Do you need me now?”
Megan nodded solemnly. “Yes. I need you to move so I can get a platter and we can eat dinner.”
Justin chuckled like Megan hoped he would. He grabbed the platter from the cabinet behind him and handed it to her. “I’ll let Kyra know it’s safe to come out again.”
Megan nodded as Justin went down the hall. She took a deep breath, feeling both painfully guilty and unimaginably relieved that her brother bought her lies. One day, she was going to need to tell him about the baby, but she wasn’t ready. One day she would be.
Mason and Dex parked in front of the firefighter’s house first thing the next morning. Mason looked up at it. A bike was on its side on the front lawn. Chairs lined the porch. A welcome mat sat in front of the door. The steel blue color was offset by bright white windows and a cheery yellow door.
“Looks ordinary,” Dex said.
Mason nodded and got out of the SUV. He had the same thought. People who ran into trouble usually had a mark that was obvious. So far, they hadn’t found anything on the guy. Nothing that would help them learn why he was missing and where he went.
Mason followed Dex to the door and waited for someone to answer. The wife knew they were coming. It only took a few seconds before the door swung open and a tired-looking woman tried to force a smile at them.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m Ryker Hamilton, this is Mason O’Connor. Are you Mrs. Allen?”
She nodded and took a step back. “I am. Please, call me Stacey.”
“Stacey, nice to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to talk to us.”
She nodded again. “Anything to find my husband.” She led them to the kitchen and gestured to the well-worn table for four. A high chair was strapped into one of the seats, the others had placemats in front of the chairs. The laminated surface was chipped and peeling away from the metal-wrapped edge. Beefy blocks that were obviously add-ins held it up, but it fit in with the rest of the tired-looking kitchen.
Dex and Mason sat gingerly on the chairs. Mason wasn’t sure it would hold him, but he didn’t want to be rude either. Mrs. Allen walked to the stove and lifted a tea kettle.
“Would either of you like something to drink? I have tea, coffee, water—”
“We’re fine,” Dex said. “Thank you. Are your kids home?”
She shook her head. “My oldest is at school, and the baby is at daycare. They’re young enough that they don’t realize their daddy has been gone longer than would be normal. I don’t want them to worry.”
“Do you have any idea where he could be, Mrs. Allen?” Dex asked.
She shook her head and huffed a laugh. “If I knew, don’t you think I would have found him by now? I’ve taken off the last two days from work so I could look for him. I’ve called hospitals and the police station. I’ve checked with border patrol. I’ve done everything I can think of to track down my husband, but I can’t find him.”
“I’m sorry,” Mason said. “Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t. And I don’t know of any affairs or any friends who would be harboring him. We have a good life. It’s not perfect, but we’re happy. He wouldn’t just vanish like this. Something happened to him. And everyone is treating me like I’m missing something. Like I’m holding back from telling everyone where he is. I’m the one who called to find out what happened to him. I’m the one who reported him missing.”
“We’re not accusing you of anything, Mrs. Allen,” Dex said.
“Well, it doesn’t feel that way.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her lip between her teeth. Her entire body trembled. A tear streaked down her cheek and she hurried to wipe it away.
“Mrs. Allen, I understand what you’re going through. I know you’re scared. When something happens to someone, the spouse is always the first suspect. It might not be fair, but it’s the truth. And in cases like this one, when there’s no reason for him to disappear, the spouse is looked at even more closely. That doesn’t mean we think you had something to do with your husband’s disappearance, but we are trying to find him. That’s our goal,” Mason told her.
“So am I,” she said firmly. She glared at him. “I love my husband. He means everything to me. If I had any idea…”
“Mrs. Allen, if you think of anything that could help us, please give me a call,” Dex said. He stood, and Mason followed his lead. They let themselves out, leaving her to cry alone in her kitchen.
“Fucking hell, that was rough,” Dex said when they were in the SUV.
“Do you believe her?” Mason asked.
Dex nodded. “Yeah. She’s shaken up, but she’s not acting like a woman who was abused or who is worried about what we’ll find. She seems worried about her husband, and that’s it.”
Mason drew a breath. “That was the feeling I got, too. Now what?”
“Now we go talk to his friend. The guy who covered for him. It didn’t sound like the first time, so we’re going to find out what he knows,” Dex said.
Mason nodded and stared out the window as Dex drove. The two houses were close, likely walking distance. No major roads between them, just a few turns through the neighborhood.
“That’s interesting. They live really close,” Mason said.
“Yeah, they do,” Dex agreed. “I’m not sure it’s significant, but we’re not counting anything as coincidence here.”
Mason followed Dex to another door and waited for another person to grant them entry. He looked a little less happy to see them on his doorstep.
“Mr. Wright, we spoke on the phone. I’m Ryker Hamilton, and this is my teammate, Mason O’Connor,” Dex said.
Braden Wright eyed them both, then ran a hand over his dark hair and stepped back. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and led the way to his kitchen. It was smaller than Mrs. Allen’s. Instead of a table littered with placemats and a living room overwhelmed by toys, Mr. Wright’s home screamed bachelor with dark leather furniture in the living room and beer bottles and pizza boxes on the kitchen countertops. He didn’t offer them a drink or a seat, just leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.
“Do you know where Mr. Allen is?” Dex asked.
Braden looked surprised by the direct question. He pulled back just barely, a small enough move that Mason would have missed it if he wasn’t watching the other man. “No. If I did, I would have told the cops who were here and Stacey and our bosses.”
“Has he ever disappeared like this before?” Mason asked.
Braden shook his head, but he avoided their gazes. Mason and Dex exchanged one of their own.
“I’d like you to listen to this, Mr. Wright,” Dex said. He pulled out his phone and hit play on the recording Braden left on Wray Allen’s phone.
As the message played, Braden’s shoulders bunched up tighter and tighter around his ears until Mason wasn’t even sure he could hear his own voice in the kitchen.
“Can you explain this?” Dex asked.
Braden sighed and shook his head. “Wray is a good guy. One of the best I know. We grew up together, went to college together, played ball together, joined the station together. He’s a good guy.”
“But?”
“He’s a little spacey at times. He’s gone out on weekend benders and passed out in his truck. He’s taken off for a few days to go fishing and was gone a week. He turns off his phone and disconnects and doesn’t realize how much time’s gone by.”
“If that’s true, why doesn’t his wife know where he is? Why didn’t she say he does this?”
Braden sighed again and looked up at them. “Because she doesn’t know.”
“How is that possible?” Mason asked.
“We’re firefighters. We work weird hours. We’re on shift for a day or two, and sometimes we trade shifts with other firefighters and end up working for a few days. If Stacey can’t reach him, she calls me. I cover for him.”
“How many times has this happened?” Dex asked.
Braden shrugged. “Not too many. Maybe once a year or so. Maybe more.”
“Where does he usually go?” Mason crossed his arms and studied the other man, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not.
“It depends. Most of the time, I don’t ask.”
“Your best friend disappears for up to a week, you cover for him with his wife and work, and you don’t bother to ask where he is?” Dex clarified.
Braden huffed a breath. “Look, our lives run on trust. If we don’t trust each other, we die. It might sound crazy to outsiders, but if Wray was really in trouble, I have to believe he would tell me.”
“Except he might be. He’s been missing for days and no one knows where he is. You’re the only one who knows that he disappears like this and you don’t know where he is. How are you so sure everything is fine?”
“Because it always is. He’s safe and he’ll be back soon. I’m sure of it.”
“I’m still stuck on his wife not knowing,” Mason said. “He’s gone for as long as a week and she doesn’t even realize?”
Braden nodded. “She’s busy with the kids. And I cover for him. Plus, he works a lot of extra hours, anyway. The guys all know if they have vacation, Wray will usually cover for them, so he ends up working an extra shift or two almost every week.”
“That’s a lot of extra time,” Dex said.
Braden shrugged. “It’s good money.”
“Do they have money problems?” Mason asked.
“Probably. I mean, they have two kids, so I guess, but we don’t talk about stuff like that.”
“What do you talk about?” Mason asked.
Braden shrugged. “Women. Work. Sports. I don’t know. What do guys talk about?”
“Your message said you were getting sick of covering for him. Does that mean you’ve been doing it more and more lately?” Dex asked.
Braden nodded reluctantly. “Yeah. I mean, not like a ton, but it’s only been a few weeks since the last time he disappeared.”
“Where did he go that time?”
Braden glared at Mason.
“When was this?” Dex asked, drawing Braden’s attention to him.
Braden stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. Three weeks ago, maybe four.”
“Can you narrow it down? What else was going on around then?”
Braden sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. “We worked a double, and we were exhausted. One of the guys on another shift asked Wray if he could cover him for some vacation that weekend. We’d just had a rough two days with that structure fire down on Seventh. When was that?”
“We can look it up,” Dex said. “So, it was after that?”
“Yeah. We worked the night of the structure fire and the next night. He came in that weekend to cover and must have left from that shift. He missed our next shift but was back for our weekend.”
Dex scribbled the timeline in a notepad while Braden talked. When he finished, Dex looked up. “Thank you. We’ll look into this and see what we can find. We appreciate your time today.”
Braden nodded and yawned. He followed Mason and Dex to the door and closed it behind them without a word before they made it off his porch.
“He was pleasant,” Mason said.
Dex chuckled. “A tired firefighter with a missing best friend isn’t going to be in a great mood.”
“No, but he could have been helpful. I think he’s full of shit.”
“Me, too. But he gave us a lead. We know another time Mr. Allen vanished without a trace. Maybe if we can find something about that adventure, we can uncover this one. And then we can convince him to let his wife know when he’s skipping town because he’s going to lose more than just his job for this if he’s not careful.”
“Sounds like he should have already. Can you imagine if someone did this in the Teams?”
Dex laughed. “They’d be court-martialed. And so would their buddy.”
“Yep. Different world here.”
“That’s for sure.”
