It had been more than a day and a half since Hill had run out of the house. She had hoped he’d be back as soon as Jax left, but he hadn’t been. She’d been tempted to go out and look for him right then and there but was afraid to leave the house in case he showed up.
Instead she’d broken down and called her dad over, spelled out everything that had happened over the past week and a half with Hill. And some of what had happened with Jax. Not everything, though. She’d left out the intimate points, the parts that crushed her heart, how she’d fallen in love with the damned man and how he’d turned her world upside down. Then how he’d smashed it to bits—her dad didn’t need to know any of that. Whatever she had expected him to say, you could have knocked her over when her dad agreed with Jax.
“The boy needs structure, Mar. Not that what you did wasn’t admirable,” her dad had said with a comforting hug.
She’d tensed up like she had when she was a kid and her dad was telling her what she needed to hear, not what she wanted to hear. Then just as quickly, she’d deflated and sat hunched over a tepid cup of tea. “But—”
“But nothing.” Glen Llewellyn had sat across from her at the table, looked at her with the love he’d always shown her and her siblings. He hadn’t held anything back. “Yeah, you did good, but you only half-assed it. You didn’t give the boy the kind of commitment he needs. There are people and policies in place for a reason that can help a kid like that.”
Marissa had glared up at her dad. “Like it helped Mom.”
“You mom didn’t want to be helped. There’s a huge difference.” When she and Marlie had turned fifteen, their dad had confessed that when their mom had run off and ended up on the street, he’d convinced her to go to one of the homeless shelters to get help. At first she’d gone and seemed to be doing better, but she’d relapsed and eventually they’d all lost track of her.
The system had failed her mom as far as Marissa was concerned. She hadn’t put much stock in it for Hill but until her father had come over and she’d talked it out with him, she hadn’t even been aware that her prejudice blinded her to the help she could have gotten for Hill.
Even more, Jax had been right. She could have stepped up even further and agreed to be Hill’s legal guardian, but she hadn’t done that. Sure she’d looked into it, once, in an internet search. Half-assed was right, though she couldn’t bring herself to admit that aloud to her dad.
“I am sick to my stomach.” She’d stood and moved over to the corner of the room.
“Worry will do that.”
It was more than worry. It was guilt. Guilt ate at every fiber of her being. “I need to get out of here. Dad—” she turned, gripped the back of the chair he was sitting in “—would you stay here? In case he comes back? I want to, need to, go out there and look for him.”
Her father had agreed.
“I’ll be… I don’t know.” She’d waved at him as she snapped up her purse and headed out the door.
For hours she’d driven around Oak Hollow. She’d gone to the overpass three times, only to find it empty. She’d gone up to the high school and just about any other place she could think of that he might have run to. But it was as if Hill had just vanished.
She’d even called Lexi. The girl was upset but swore she didn’t know where Hill was.
When Hill hadn’t returned to her house and she hadn’t found him, she’d had no choice but to get back to her routine. She had a business to run and couldn’t push it off on the other employees.
Sleep had not come easily. With every noise and creak of the house, Marissa thought Hill had come back. She was dragging at work all day Thursday. Friday was no better. Coffee and too many sweets kept her moving if not completely functioning properly. Were it not for the rest of Callie Carlisle’s order she might have called Kya to cover her shift and played hooky. As it was, she’d screwed up so many batches of cupcakes that she’d had to write out the process she usually did by rote.
Somehow, she got through her morning routine and finally managed to finish the last of the bridal-shower order. By lunch the caffeine had taken its toll and she was antsy and irritable. When the bell over the door rang she nearly growled aloud, but refrained, trying for the minimal customer service. At least until she saw who the customer was.
Marissa looked up and did a double take. “Bunny?”
Bunny Carlisle waltzed into the cupcake shop, her nose turned up every which way she looked.
Marissa fought back the urge to fidget and squirm. She was a grown woman and this was her shop. “Can I help?”
Bunny pulled a white envelope from her purse and waved it at her. “Callie asked me to drop this off.”
“Callie did.” Marissa couldn’t imagine Callie sending Bunny Carlisle her way. She took the envelope and opened it to find a check for the bridal-shower order. “Thank you.”
Bunny gave a brief nod, but her gaze was riveted to the case in front of her.
“Would you like to try one? What’s your favorite flavor?”
Bunny looked up, her eyes wide. “Oh, I couldn’t.”
“Sure you can. What’s your favorite?” Marissa opened the back of the case. Her hand hovered near the strawberry where Bunny’s gaze was glued. “Strawberry is Jax’s favorite.” Before Bunny could answer, she plucked out a strawberry. “Here, try this.” She set the cupcake down. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Sure, thank you.” Bunny slowly peeled back the paper on the corner of the cupcake. Her eyes rolled back into her head when she bit into the sweet treat. “This is heavenly.” Bunny seemed almost as surprised by her admission as Marissa was. She straightened her shoulders and returned to the prim and refined Bunny most people were used to. “You’re very good at what you do.”
Marissa’s breath caught in her throat for a moment. “Thank you.” That was high praise coming from one of Oak Hollow’s elite.
Bunny nodded and finished her cupcake. Marissa boxed up four more strawberry cupcakes. “For later.” She slid the box across the counter to Bunny. When Bunny reached for her handbag, Marissa waved it away. “On the house.”
Bunny scooped up the box and her coffee cup, and with one of her famous nose-in-the-air nods, left the shop.
“I think I just made a new friend. Sort of,” Marissa said aloud in the empty store. When she went to put the check in the cash drawer, a note fluttered out from behind it.
Marissa picked it up and read, You’ll find a way to my mother’s heart if you just wave a cupcake or two under her nose. She’s addicted to them now. Love, Callie.
Marissa shook her head and snorted. “Ever the matchmaker, even when it’s just for friends.” She made a mental note to call Callie later and thank her.
Half an hour later another of the Carlisle clan came into the shop.
“You missed your mom by about half an hour,” she said to Jax when he approached the counter literally hat in hand.
“My mom was here? Why?”
“Cupcakes and coffee. Why else would she be here?” She leaned her hip against the counter. “I think she and I crossed an impasse. Her favorite is strawberry. Like yours.”
Marissa was happy to see him despite the anger still seething under the surface. She wasn’t ready to fall back into their routine, though. “What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms over her chest. It hadn’t been long enough since he’d left her house, not long enough since he upended her world. Whether he was right or not.
His eyes softened as his gaze swept over her slightly untidy “uniform.” She’d run out of the house that morning without packing an extra shirt or two—to replace the one she had on—on the off chance she spilled flour all over herself. Which she had. Twice.
“How are you doing?” he asked when he finally spoke.
“What do you care?” She waved away her comment. “Hill is still missing.”
Jax sighed. “I was afraid of that. He hasn’t been at school. You haven’t seen him at all?”
“He missed school?” The coffee rolled in her stomach. School was the one thing Hill had for himself. Had done for himself. Something he was proud of, something that kept him going day in and day out. The only reason he’d miss school now, was if he was afraid Jax would catch him there.
“God, this sucks.” She pounded her fist on her hip. “I should never have trusted you.” The words slipped out. She hadn’t meant to say them aloud. Hadn’t even meant them, but she hurt and it was easier to hurt him in return than to admit how royally she had screwed up.
Accurate or not, the words hit their mark judging by the pallor that came over Jax’s face.
She wanted to apologize. But she couldn’t. She wanted to bury her face in Jax’s neck, wanted to have him wrap his arms around her and comfort her, tell her they’d find Hill and everything would be okay. She couldn’t turn to the one person she needed the most, the one she loved the most. She was so confused and torn up that it all made her too damn angry and ashamed to admit anything to Jax.
“No, I have not seen him. Thanks to you.”
Jax pulled out his notebook and made a couple of notes. “I’m sorry things turned out the way they did.”
“Whatever.” She turned her back on Jax to straighten a napkin holder on one of the tables. “You know, it’s not whatever.” She turned back. “I was taking care of Hill and I was doing the best I could. I didn’t see anyone else stepping up to help him out. Maybe I didn’t do enough, but I tried.”
Jax stepped closer to her, looked as if he was about to reach out, but stopped himself at the last moment. “I never said what you did wasn’t great. Hell, Marissa, everyone else who knew the boy was homeless left him to fend for himself. And the more I look into this, the more I see there were plenty of people who knew long before you did.” He took a deep breath. “I am trying to help him, for what it’s worth.”
“Your kind of help,” she scoffed. “Locking up a scared, teenage boy who’s been abandoned, yeah that’s oh, so helpful.”
“It is. He broke the law. He needs to be accountable for that. But he can also be helped. The two don’t have to be mutually exclusive. With his cooperation, he can get this behind him. He can have a home and a future. He won’t have to hide from authorities. That can’t be easy on a kid.” Jax walked to the door. “We arrested some of the young men involved. One of them hasn’t said much, but one confirmed everything Hill said. By the way, Bryant Travers is still out there.”
Marissa’s spine straightened. The guy who’d threatened her hadn’t been picked up yet? A shiver raced down her spine.
“We’ll find him. Soon.” Jax gave her a long look, then walked out the door.
She balled her fists and fought off the urge to scream. Scream until her throat ached. Scream until her lungs collapsed. But it wouldn’t solve anything. It wouldn’t make anything better.
The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur. She helped customers as they came in, maybe, there were times she wasn’t even sure. When Kya arrived, Marissa hid in her office. Hid, because she’d caught a glimpse of her reflection in the appliances or the windows and she hated to see herself. Her dad was right. And Jax was right. Hill needed more, Hill needed forever, not just while she could. And she had only half-assed it.
Not that it mattered anymore since Hill had run away.
Her stomach pitched every time she thought of him out there all alone.
Marissa spent the evening looking up agencies online to see what she could do, how she could take the next step that Hill needed—assuming she could find him and he’d trust her again.
She’d barely lifted her gaze from her computer when Kya locked up after closing time and said her goodbyes. When Marissa’s eyes started to cross, she leaned back in her chair, startled to realize it was close to ten. She groaned and rubbed her neck as she looked at the old sofa. She had to be back up and out the door early the next morning for Callie’s bridal shower. She debated staying in the shop and saving some time, but her comfy bed at home beckoned. That and a shower were more enticing than the few extra minutes of sleep.
Marissa gathered up her bag and turned out the lights in the back. She had her keys in her hand as she stepped out the back door. She was poised to lock the back door when the hair on the back of her neck stood. She froze, unsure of what was off. No noise sounded out of place, nothing had caught her eye when she’d come out, but dread and unease rippled through her so much that she had a quick mental flash of calling Jax.
That thought alone made her reach for the door to go back inside. Before she could grab it, something slammed into her back. She was pushed up against the door. The side of her head made harsh contact with the cool metal. Her ears rang and her vision blurred for a moment. She tried to push away to get her bearings, but something heavy—a person she realized—held her in place.
“Where is he?”
The whispered question startled her. It took her a moment just to make sense of the words and acknowledge that someone—a man—was speaking to her. She began to shake. “Where is who?”
A sharp pain radiated from her upper arm as the man behind her ruthlessly dug his fingers into her.
“Don’t play stupid, bitch.”
Marissa tried to turn her head to see who was behind her, but the man dug his fingers into her arm harder and shoved her against the door again. Her bag hung from her other arm. Her cell was in there, and any number of items she could use to defend herself, but the way her shoulder pressed into door, there was no way she’d be able to get into it. She needed to free herself.
God, she needed Jax.
They may be at odds but he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. Or anyone else, for that matter. Including a scared teenage boy. He would help Hill. When he found him.
All of a sudden, Jax’s parting words rang in her ears. He’d warned her that Bryant Travers was on the loose. They had picked up the other guys but hadn’t found him. But he’d found her. She clenched her eyes shut.
Travers growled in her ear. His warm breath feathered over her cheek and she fought back a shudder. The sound of a car driving by startled him. He pressed up against her.
The patrols out front of the shop had increased tenfold. Marissa suspected Jax had hoped Hill would come back to the shop and he could snap him up. For that alone, she was glad that Hill hadn’t come looking for her. She’d help him do the right thing, and they’d face it together.
Now, however, she wished they were watching her moves more closely.
When the threat passed, Travers eased back slightly. “Hill.” The hand on her arm tightened. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie to me, bitch.”
“I don’t know. We had a fight.”
The man jerked her around and slammed her against the door. Even with the dim light illuminating the small lot, she recognized the young man from the few times he’d come by the shop. Travers towered over her.
He grabbed her other arm and pinned her in place. “Do I look stupid to you? I know you talked him into going to your boyfriend. Greg and Cooper’ve already been hauled in.” He shook her.
Before she could stop herself, she gave a sharp cry as the back of her head hit the door.
Bryant glanced over his shoulder, his gaze darting around the empty lot, then zeroed back in on her. His pupils were almost as big as the light blue rings around it. He bared his teeth with a snarl.
She started shaking. “He ran off.” It was the truth, whether Travers believed her or not. But even if she had known where Hill was, she sure as hell wouldn’t tell Travers. “I haven’t seen him in days.”
Bryant narrowed his gaze. “He should come sniffing around here before too long.” He released her arms and jerked his chin toward the shop. “Let’s go inside and wait.”
* * *
Jax rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was half past ten and he’d been at it since just after dawn. He’d been going over all the old case files for break-ins over the past few years. Every single one of them were as Hill, and then Cooper had laid out, and he could tie the small gang to them all. It was more than a relief in one way. He’d be able to close the majority of their open cases going back several years. At the same time, he hated the trouble that would heap down on Hill. He’d been young when he committed the break-ins with Travers, so that would go in his favor. And he had stopped—which Cooper corroborated.
Bryant Travers had a juvie record. Jax couldn’t get it without a warrant, but he asked around, made some calls to people who might know what he’d been in trouble for. Most of it was typical pain-in-the-ass teen stunts. Graffiti. Vandalism. Nothing that would indicate he’d start breaking into businesses. But with his older brother in jail and two parents who hadn’t bothered to help him in any way, what chances did he have?
His mind flashed to Hill. The boy had been dealt nearly the same exact hand, had even admitted to being at the first few break-ins, but then he’d realized what he was doing, where his life was headed and backed away. Somehow Hill had maintained his grades in school, despite his living arrangements for well over a year. He was on track to be in the top five percent of his class, even. His teachers couldn’t say enough good things about him. When pressed, though, they admitted they assumed someone else was on top of his living situation, passing the buck off to the next person. He couldn’t imagine how Hill could have gotten by for so long, all by himself. All the while he’d been on the street.
Jax admired the boy.
And now, Jax needed to find him. As Jax had told Marissa, Hill needed to stand accountable for what he’d done wrong, but there was a lot that could be done to help him, as well. Jax had found several options open to Hill. Several avenues that Marissa could pursue if she wanted to become his legal guardian, make it official. And a few other ways if not. Hell, he was tempted to do it himself. Hill needed a break. Deserved a break.
If they could find him.
A knock at Jax’s door pulled him from his thoughts.
Ada’s shift had ended at least an hour earlier but she’d hung around and filed some paperwork for him. Said she was racking up some brownie points for raise time. “Chief?” she said when he glanced over at her.
Jax rolled his shoulders. “Yeah?”
“There’s a young man here to see you.”
Who would be looking for him so late on a Friday? She moved aside and Hill stepped through the doorway. “We’ve been looking for you.” Jax got to his feet, tried not to make the moves too jerky. “Marissa’s been…” Jax shook his head. Marissa would be torn. She wanted the boy found, but with him walking into the police station, Jax had to take him into custody.
“I came to turn myself in.” Hill held his gaze steady, stood straight.
Jax let out a breath. “You did the right thing.”
Hill shrugged. “I did what Marissa would want me to do.”
“She’s been torn up looking for you.” Jax couldn’t hide the emotion in his voice. He’d nearly been floored when he’d seen how haggard Marissa looked earlier that morning. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and comfort her. To tell her everything would be okay. At the time, he hadn’t been one hundred percent sure it would. A lot hinged on finding Hill. Hearing his side of the story again as the case unfolded. “Sit.” Jax motioned to the chair on the other side of his desk.
“Yes, sir.” Keeping his shoulders square, Hill took a seat. He didn’t slouch as the other guys had when they’d been hauled in. He held Jax’s gaze, kept a respectful attitude. “I was wondering…” His gaze fell for the first time. He swallowed heavily.
“Yes?”
Hill threaded his fingers together in his lap. “How is Marissa?”
It said a lot to Jax that the boy was here in his office, probably looking at a sentence—even if only probation—for his participation in the crimes, and his thoughts weren’t how he could get out or deny anything, but he was concerned for the woman who’d taken him in. The boy had character. And Marissa had been a good judge of it.
“She’ll be better now that she knows you’re okay.”
“Am I? Okay?”
Jax gave him a long considering look and nodded. “You will be.” Jax stood. “Sit tight for just a moment. You want a soda or something?”
When the boy shook his head, Jax went out into the hall and pulled out his cell phone. It might be against procedure, but he called Marissa. She’d want to know.
The phone rang and rang until finally the voice message came on. “Marissa, Hill came in. Please call me as soon as you can.”
When he hung up, he called one of his sister’s friends next. At Callie’s engagement party, he’d spoken to one of her bridesmaids, Susie Quatrain. She’d been a year ahead of Callie in school and now she worked for a big law firm in Fort Worth. It wouldn’t hurt to give her a call on Hill’s behalf.
He returned to his office. Hill hadn’t so much as twitched, it looked like.
“What do we do now, sir?” Hill asked when Jax say back in his seat.
Jax fought back a smile. The boy was a good kid. “We’ll call in CPS—they’ll need to be here since you don’t have a guardian.”
Panic flared in Hill’s eyes.
Jax leaned forward and held up his hand. “It will be okay. I’ve got it taken care of. You’re going to have to trust me.”
Jax had looked into emergency guardianship if Marissa was interested. He had a few favors he could pull in—one of the few times he’d been thankful for growing up a part of the Oak Hollow Country Club. Fellow members were in all branches of the local and state government. Some were old friends of his parents, some were guys he’d gone to school with, or close kin. He’d made some discreet inquiries early on for Marissa’s sake. With her willing—and he’d stake everything he considered holy she would be—he could have Hill under her guardianship in a matter of days.
When CPS arrived, he ushered everyone into his office. He and Hill went over his statement on the burglaries several times. It was exhausting but it had to be done.
“Marissa will want to keep helping you. And she will. She went out on a limb for you. When no one else would.”
“I know.” Hill slumped down in his chair. “Have you ever had nothing, Chief? I mean absolutely nothing.”
“Not really.”
“It makes it hard to trust a good thing when it comes along. But at some point, you have to take a chance. Marissa was willing to take a chance on me. I know it was because of her mom, but I’m still just as thankful for the opportunity.”
“And that’s why you turned yourself in? For Marissa.”
Hill nodded. “And for me. I owe it to her, to me, to get this squared away.” He straightened back up. “She’s worth it. I’m worth it. She made me see that.”
Jax’s heart was close to bursting. The kid saw Marissa the same way he did. She was remarkable and Jax was ready to kick himself because he hadn’t told her so. He planned to rectify that as soon as he could. Which would have to wait. His office was buzzing between Hill’s confession and searching for Travers.
It was several hours later when he dragged his tired ass into his cruiser. Several times throughout the night, he’d tried calling Marissa. He couldn’t blame her for not answering. She was pissed. If the roles were reversed he’d probably react the same way, but he’d hoped once she’d listened to a couple of messages, knowing Hill was at the station, she’d have called to check on him.
On his way home, though it was in the opposite direction, he drove past her house. All the lights were off. He thought of knocking on her door and waking her, but truth be told, other than lending moral support there was little she could do until Hill had been processed. Letting her get as much rest now was the last little bit he could do for her.
At home, he’d let Solider out, then all but collapsed onto his bed. It wasn’t until the phone blared that he even realized he’d gone to sleep.
He sat up, scratched his head, then snatched up the receiver. “‘Lo?”
“What the hell, Jackson Buford Carlisle?” Callie was truly pissed if she was using his full name.
Jax sat up and scrubbed his hand over his face. “What did I do?”
“Why did you have to go and piss off Marissa?”
His spine straightened. “Beg pardon?” A gnawing in the pit of his stomach manifested.
“Susie just told me all about—”
“She’s not supposed to divulge—” Jax stood and paced the small space next to his bed.
“She didn’t divulge anything, but telling me about the players she was up all night dealing with, I’m not stupid. You couldn’t have waited one day to pull your police chief crap?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Marissa. She was supposed to cater the bridal shower. I can’t get her to return any of my calls. She was supposed to be here an hour ago.”
Jax glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was half past nine. He’d slept harder than he thought if it was so late in the morning.
“Marlie can’t even get her to answer her,” Callie went on.
The gnawing in Jax’s stomach increased and tension pulled through his shoulders. Jax hung up on his sister as she continued her mini-tirade. He immediately called Marissa. Straight to voice mail again.
He shoved his feet in his boots and grabbed up his keys. As he hurried out the front door, he called in to the station. “Hey Mace, I need to send whoever’s on duty over to Marissa Llewellyn’s house.”
“Okay, Chief. And when he gets there?”
“If she’s there have them contact me immediately. I’m headed over to her bakery.” He was five minutes away. He skidded to a halt at his truck as a thought slammed into him. “Any luck on the APB out on Bryant Travers?”
“No sir.”
“Dammit.” He hung up with Macey and dialed Marissa again as he jumped into his Cruiser. “Marissa, I need you to call me. It’s an emergency.”