Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
This time, they were going to be taken down.
Detective Jennifer put her hands up to make everyone calm down.
“Alright, hold on. Everyone is angry and ready to take action, but that isn’t how things work. I need to process this evidence, and then a plan will be made,” Detective Jennifer explained. “We have to make sure we’re headed in the right direction.
As frustrating as that was to hear, she was right. There were legalities to consider, and if we wanted these guys to go down, things had to be done right.
“You’ll give us an update?” I asked her.
Detective Jennifer nodded.
“Leave your contact information with me. I’ll keep you in the loop,” she promised.
All we had to do was hold on a little longer. The end was near, but as the firefighters stood behind me and had my back, I couldn’t help but wonder what all was going to come to an end once everything was said and done.
Chapter 21
Zoe
Waiting was more torturous than we expected. It was only two days later, and my skin was crawling as I waited for an update from Detective Jennifer. How long did it take for evidence to be processed?
I strode into the kitchen, while Gabe, Garrett, Angus, and Jae hung out in my living room. This was only a temporary house for me to stay in while I worked here, but it certainly felt a little like home with the guys here. The entire crew had been in and out, switching spots as shifts came and went.
Their company really helped me get through those torturous hours. Just being in their presence relaxed me, even if my heart constantly raced around them. The thought of just leaving them behind after this case finished made my stomach twist. And not in a good way.
It just didn’t feel right, but what else could I do? Give up everything in North Carolina and move back here? Start all the way over?
“You guys are eating me out of the house,” I called out to them as I checked my empty refrigerator.
Jae appeared in the doorway.
“I can go get some groceries and whip us up something,” he offered, being as kind as always.
I walked over to him and placed my hand on his upper arm, giving him a grateful smile.
“We can just order something. I don’t want you going anywhere,” I replied. I missed every single one of them whenever they left to go to work.
Did they miss me too? Did they yearn for me like I did for them? And why was I such a damn coward to the point that I couldn’t ask them?
Jae took my hand and pressed a quick but sweet kiss against my inner wrist.
“You’re stuck with us,” he promised me.
He had no idea how much his words relieved me. My heart fluttered as we shared a smile with each other before heading out of the kitchen. The others were piled up on the couch as an action movie played on the television.
A wave of happiness washed over me, and I found myself swept up in the casual pleasure of this moment. It was so simple. So normal. But it made me so happy just having them here with me.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get something out of my car,” I called out before striding out of the house.
Sunshine beat down on me the moment I stepped out on the porch, but I didn’t get any farther than that. A white envelope was at my feet.
My heart stopped as I stared at it, noticing that the front was plain. No address. No sender. Dread churned in my stomach as I looked up and down the street, not seeing a soul.
This was something bad. I just had a feeling.
I reached down and picked it up, tearing through the adhesive to flip open the flap. I pulled out a white piece of paper with black pen writing on it, my heart sinking as I read the words.
Zoe Elizabeth Collins,
We know what you’ve been up to. We see everything that you do. Stop your investigation and leave town.
If you don’t comply, your firefighting friends will meet the same fate as your mother.
I lowered the letter with wide eyes, the paper starting to shake in my hand. My mother’s fate. The car crash that almost seemed intentional. No suspect found.
And like every other crime that the cartel committed, there were no suspects.
Bile rose up my throat as I stumbled back, my back hitting the door with a thud. No… it couldn’t be! After finding out that my mom was gathering evidence on them, did they send her a threat?
Did they act on the threat when she didn’t stop and kill her?
The urge to vomit hit me like a truck, my stomach aching as I grasped it with my hand. Tears welled up in my eyes as the letter crumpled in my fist, the entire world seeming to shift beneath my feet.