7
Ben
Igrab some of the bags Pink and Ollie brought yesterday and carry them into my bedroom. Last night, Bunny wore one of my shirts to bed and hasn't bothered to look through all the crap. I think it was all a bit overwhelming. She might have been laid up in a hospital bed, but the emotional turmoil I’m sure she’s having can be taxing. She didn’t last long once I put the movie on.
Last night, even with her wanting to watch a movie in my bed and saying she wanted to sleep with me, I wasn’t sure where she might want her stuff. I have a few spare rooms upstairs that she could have. She wouldn’t have to sleep in them if she didn’t want to, but she could have an area that’s hers.
As much as I don’t love the idea of having her things anywhere else but alongside mine, I know I have to let her have her own space. But all of that went out the window after her two little shows of jealousy and her letting me get her off. I take them straight into the master bedroom and set them all at the end of the bed.
I smile when I hear the shower running. As much as I hate her worrying over me being with some other woman, it helps settle some of that unease I have inside of me that at any moment someone is going to sweep in and take Bunny from me. Or try to stake some sort of claim on her.
After I drop all her stuff off, I make the bed and grab my phone, needing to make a few calls. I’d planned to last night once she fell asleep, but she’d been wrapped around me like a koala bear. There was no way I was going to risk waking her, so I stayed put. She never got a full night's sleep in the hospital between her nightmares and the nurses coming in and out to do checks.
I close the bedroom door, heading toward the kitchen as I call Knox. “Been wondering when you were going to call.”
“Haven’t had a chance, but you had extra time so you should have extra information for me.”
“That laptop was a lucky find. It was a gold mine,” Knox says.
I was so focused on Bunny that I hadn’t bothered to search the vehicle we found her in before the police got there. My brother Kane did, though. To my fucking surprise, he not only found the laptop, but he kept that shit to do his own investigation. He’s normally so by the fucking book, but because his girl’s family was wrapped up in the mess, that book got tossed right out the window.
He wanted to know if Pink’s name or her brother, Carter’s, was floating around anywhere on that computer. So Kane brought it to me at the hospital. Said I probably knew someone that could crack it. He was right about that. I’ve always thought my brother might know that I did freelance work, but he never said anything. Him bringing it to me let me know that he’s well aware of what I do.
I’ve always done some consulting for the government, but I’ve also done some consulting for other groups as well. They were normally contracted by the government but not always. Some are more on the private level.
People who have the means that don’t want to use the police to resolve kidnapping and ransom situations. And some other odd shit here and there. I’ve had to toe the line when it comes to things being legal. But I believe I’ve always stood with my feet firmly planted on the line of what was good.
“Nothing on there about Pink or Carter?”
“Nah, that was personal to Kilduff. He knew someone snitched him out, which makes me think there is a leak in that police unit.” I’d already thought that. It was the only way anyone would have known Carter gave the tip about the human trafficking. It’s not surprising in the least. Usually, these bigger rings have someone in their pockets when it comes to law enforcement.
“I’ll let Kane know. He’ll handle it.” My focus is on Bunny. “What about my girl?”
“Your girl, huh?”
“Knox, rib me later.”
“Is there going to be a later when this is all done?” Knox and I have worked together over the years. He doesn’t do much field work. He was always the person in our ears feeding us information, but I always knew his information was good.
“Not really sure, to be honest. All I care about at the moment is making sure Bunny is safe.”
“I hear you, man,” he says in understanding. “Your Snow Bunny’s name is Charlotte Lane.”
“Charlotte Lane,” I repeat. Her first name fits. It suits her, but she’ll always be my Bunny.
“Charlotte Lane is only twenty years old. Actually had a birthday last month.” Shit, she’s young. Never would I think of dating someone her age, but she’s different. Clearly with how I’ve been acting. No rules apply when it comes to her. “She was left at a Chicago fire station when she was only two months old. With her being a baby, it didn’t take her long to be adopted by a single woman, a lawyer named Martina Lane. I think she called in a few favors to speed up the adoption. Charlotte lived with her until Martina was killed by a drunk driver coming home from work one night. Since Charlotte didn’t have a family, she went back into the system, where she bounced around. She lived in six different foster homes until she aged out at eighteen.”
“Shit.” Chicago is almost a full day's drive away from here.
“Yeah, one of the foster families did try to adopt her, but the male ended up getting cancer, and the woman got overwhelmed and stopped fostering altogether. She’s had some shit luck.” I run my hand down my face, trying to digest it all.
“She does have a small trust, so when she aged out, she was able to get her own place and started working at a law firm in the mailroom while taking night classes at a community college. I think she was trying to become a legal clerk. It was actually the law firm in Chicago that reported her missing after she missed a few days.”
“Her fucking work?” Guilt hits me. Here I am hoping some fucker isn’t going to try to take her from me once we find out where she belongs, but it took her job to report her missing.
“Yeah, I hacked into her computer back home, and the last time she was online was two days prior to her not showing up to work. She turned in some coursework for school. Her social media is pretty bare, but what did catch my eye was a charge to her bank for a dating app.”
“Dating app.” I fight back my jealousy, understanding more about how my brother is now with Pink. That shit burns deep. I don’t like the idea of anyone even looking at her, let alone thinking they can date her.
“She only had it for one month, but I’m going to dive into that next. I think that’s where they might have lured her in. From her bank records, the girl is a creature of habit and routine. She basically does the same shit every day. Gets coffee and food at the same places, reads a shit ton. Her phone records look like she keeps to herself. It’s why I think the dating app is where this stemmed from, but I’m running checks on the people that visit and work at one of her favorite coffee shops and the grocery store.”
Those fuckers who took her knew it would take time for people to realize she was missing and that there wouldn’t be many people digging hard to find her. I believe they targeted her because they knew it would be easy for her to slip through the cracks of missing person cases.
“What about the laptop?” I have a feeling he’s saving that for last.
Knox lets out a long breath. “Kilduff got a hundred grand for her on an online auction. Arrangement was half up front and the other half on delivery. I need more time to backtrack and trace this fucker who bought her, but I do know he’s still looking for her. I’ll send you over everything so you can read through all the messages and shit, but this is all on the black web. Like I said, I need more time to track.”
“Thanks, I owe you one,” I say, knowing there is nothing I can do but wait for now.
“You don’t owe me shit. This is why we do this kind of thing. To find scum who think they can buy women like property. If he can’t find her, I’m sure he’ll be trying for another girl.”
“What do you think?” I turn to see Bunny standing there. “Oh, sorry. Didn’t know you were on the phone.”
“You’re fine, babe.” I pull out one of the chairs at the kitchen island. “I think your dress is gorgeous.” She gives me one of those smiles that lights up her face. If anyone looked at her right now, they would never guess the hell she’s been through.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Knox says before he ends the call.
I don’t have to ask any more questions because I know everything he’s got will be in my inbox in seconds. I drop my phone down on the counter.
“What are you thinking for breakfast?” I ask as I bend down and swipe a kiss from her shiny lips, tasting strawberry.
“Everything okay?” She licks her lips.
“Yeah, doing some digging is all.”
“Did you find anything out?” Fuck. How do I even handle this?
“A few bits, but I’m sure we’ll get more. Are you hungry?” I try to shift the conversation again.
“Yogurt with strawberry and granola. That’s what I love to eat for breakfast. I love strawberries. It hit me when I was putting on the lip gloss the girls left.”
“You’re remembering some things?” I pause.
“I don’t know. It’s like I see things in my mind, but I think they’re a dream but I’m not sure they are.” Her brows pull together. “I live in an apartment, I think. There was only a shower. That dawned on me when I debated taking a bath.”
“You can take a bath anytime you want.” This is her home now too. I want her to start to feel that.
“I think I’m alone, Ben.” She drops her gaze. I put my finger under her chin and lift her head, making her eyes meet mine.
“You’re not alone, Bunny. I’m here. You’re my girl.”
“I want that, but I think I need to know who I was and what happened.”
“All right,” I agree. “I’ll make you breakfast and tell you what I know so far, but I don’t want you going back to your place yet. Not right now.”
“You know where I belong?” Her eyes widen. It’s a jab to my chest.
“Yeah, I know where you belong, Bunny.”
With me.