The Chase

“What do you mean?”

“Moving in. Marrying one of them. Having babies. Being deliriously happy.” Gloria raised a brow. “Would it be so bad?”

To Heavenly, it sounded lovely—but impossible. “It’s a stupid dream.”

“Why would you say that?” Beck’s wife challenged. “You’re all consenting adults. I’m guessing none of this would be confusing if Seth didn’t love you as much as Ken. I don’t see a problem. If you’re worried about what other people will say, they don’t have to live your life. You do, and—”

“It’s not that. The thing is, my father didn’t approve. He told me to find out who I was before I had to figure out who I was with someone else. Or two someones, in this case.”

Gloria raised a brow. “Do you not know who you are, Heavenly?”

“I thought I did but… I’ve been taking care of Dad since I was fifteen. Now that he’s gone, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Where’s your mother?”

“She left a long time ago.” At the sympathy that morphed Gloria’s expression, Heavenly pushed on. “It’s fine. We didn’t need her. But that meant Dad and I were really close. In one of our last conversations, he told me to see the world and be free before settling down. I can’t ignore that.”

“Is that what you want? Because I’m going to tell you something right now: I’ve been around a long time. How old was your dad?”

“Forty-six.”

“Too damn young to die. Also too young to know everything. I’m older, honey. And trust me, you don’t have to circle the globe to find out who you are or where you belong. That’s in your heart. All you have to do is listen to it. Go on…” She gestured to Heavenly. “Close your eyes. Give it a try.”

She did, picturing herself in a white dress, taking Beck’s and Seth’s hands. It was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

* * *

The second Beckunlocked the door and stepped inside the condo, Heavenly’s lingering scent punched him in the gut. Seth’s mumbled curse left no doubt he smelled her ghost, too. As if sharing the same thought, they strode together to the liquor cabinet. Beck grabbed a couple glasses and fisted a fifth of whiskey. “Well, that was one shitty funeral, followed by an afternoon full of fucked up. I know booze won’t bring her back, but it might—”

“Dilute the sting that she fucking left without really saying goodbye?” Seth drawled as Beck filled their glasses. “Don’t bet on it.”

“I’m not. I’m just looking for something to numb the pain before I start punching holes in the wall.”

“To hell with the walls, I’m ready to get my hands on her ass and spank it purple.”

“Oh, I’m adding that to my list.”

They clinked glasses and lifted the rims to their lips, then drained the smoky liquid. Though it did nothing to ease his guilt or misery, Beck welcomed the burn sliding down his throat and pooling in his belly.

“I owe you an apology since I’m the one who drove her away.”

“Not only is he a gifted vascular surgeon, ladies and gentlemen, but he’s actually smarter than he looks,” Seth announced like a game-show host with a wide sarcastic streak. “Why didn’t you fucking fess up about Gloria before Heavenly saw those papers? If you had, none of this—”

“I know. I’m kicking my own ass.”

“We don’t have a goddamn clue where she is,” Seth bit out. “For all we know, she’s lying in a ditch somewhere, raped and bludgeoned to death. Or maybe she’s still alive, suffering at the hands of some demented psycho who’s tied her up for his sick amusement inside his house of horrors.”

Beck had been trying not to let similar thoughts rattle him since he’d discovered Heavenly gone. Impossible since both of them were aware of the atrocities man could inflict on their fellow humans—Seth because he’d hauled the violent monsters to jail and Beck because he did his damnedest to repair the damage when he saw the victims.

Still, he couldn’t let the PI’s fears strip away what little hope he clung to. “Stop projecting the worst-case scenario.”

“That’s how I operate.”

Seth’s years on the police force had bent his psyche. Was that the reason he’d turned in his badge and become a PI?

“Look, Heavenly is smart. She’s cautious and aware of her surroundings. We both saw how far she walked between that cesspool of an apartment and the seedy-ass bus stop, but she never let herself become a victim.”

“It doesn’t matter how careful Heavenly is. Maybe you don’t get this since all the victims you work on are under anesthesia, but I see them when they’re shaking, wounded, and traumatized. Or when they’re fucking dead. Sociopaths spend years learning exactly how to draw in their prey, then look for tasty morsels like Heavenly.”