Worth the Wait (McKinney_Walker #1)(79)

Her back door was way too easy to get into. One elbow jab to the glass pane, and he reached inside to turn the lock. Shit. She didn’t even have all her doors dead bolted. He opened the door and stepped in. No alarm either. It might be good for him at the moment, but he’d make sure that changed. Better yet, she’d stay with him.

He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. The house was silent. He went straight through the kitchen to the door that opened into the garage. No car. So she wasn’t home.

He went down the hall to her bedroom, passing the nursery on his way. He stopped, backed up. Scattered photographs covered the floor. “Oh, Mia.” There were pictures of a baby he didn’t know, along with older pictures from their past.

He went farther into the room and bent to pick one up. It was the two of them taken by Hannah when they were at the waterfall. He was gazing down into Mia’s eyes, both of them laughing, a mischievous glow in their eyes. He remembered that day and what they’d been thinking.

He’d just whispered something to Mia about another afternoon spent in these woods, making her blush then laugh. And Hannah had snapped the photo. Hannah had asked what they were smiling about, which only made him laugh harder and Mia blush deeper.

He stared at her face in the photo, a photo she’d kept. One she’d recently had out. She was so beautiful, so young. They both were. So sure their lives would be forever intertwined. They were. He’d just let the weeds cover them for way too long.

There was more, loose photos and a baby album, and the picture he’d drawn as a boy. The one stating he would be an FBI agent like his uncle. At least some things had gone as planned.

She’d kept it all. Recently looked at it, and now she was gone.

His sixth sense kicked in. Worried, he went to her bedroom, but there was nothing there to tell him where she was. There was no sign she’d packed, at least not a great deal. He made a quick search of the bathroom. No toothbrush, but maybe she didn’t keep it out.

He went back to the kitchen, still unsure what he was looking for. There was nothing on the counters, so he started pulling open drawers. He found a pad of paper on top. He pulled it out and looked at it closely, barely able to make out the indentations from a ballpoint pen on the previous and missing page.

An East Texas address. He hadn’t given it to her, but he knew it. It was the same one he’d found. Shit. He knew what she was doing, and she wasn’t going to do it alone.





Chapter 25





NICK CALLED HIS PARTNER to get what he needed as he drove. His sole purpose was catching up to Mia. He merged onto Interstate 81 South and headed toward Texarkana. Mike called him back within the hour with Mia’s last location based on credit card purchases. Gas and a hotel. It confirmed what he’d thought. “Okay. Keep me updated.”

He’d catch up. He wouldn’t stop driving until he did. He drove through the night and another day, catching up with her Monday night. Or really, Tuesday morning. It was four in the morning when he parked beside her car in the motel parking lot and waited. He wouldn’t pound on her door. She needed sleep.

He passed the hours with coffee and kept watch during what was arguably the most important stakeout of his life. He finally caught sight of her just after nine. She walked out of the hotel toward her car, looking utterly exhausted.

He stepped out of his car, and she started. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He raised his hands in supplication.

She shook her head. “You didn’t. But what…”

“I’ve been looking for you. Since Saturday night, actually.”

“Since Saturday night?”

“I told you I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yes, but…”

“But you weren’t there when I came by.”

She hesitated, looked at the ground then finally met his eyes. Hers were red, underlined by dark circles. She looked so tired, more tired than he’d ever seen her, and he wanted to grab her and carry her off.

“I was there Saturday. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t talk.”

“Why?”

“I’d decided I needed to come here, and… I guess I didn’t want to be talked out of it. I’m not going to kidnap her, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Her eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Is that why youÆre here? Because you think I’m going to kidnap her?”

“No. I’m here because I was worried about you. I’m here because I love you.”

She started to crumble, and he took a step forward, reached her just as she threw her arms around him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I shut you out.”