Seven
"I thought you were coming to bed…"
Joe glanced up from his laptop at the sound of Vanessa's voice, smiling bashfully at her. He always felt bad when he was caught, hating that he allowed himself to get carried away and lose track of time when he was working on case. And no matter how many times he'd done it, Vanessa never complained—not once.
"How in the world did I get so lucky to have you as my girlfriend?" Joe asked, pushing away from the desk and pulling her into his lap.
Vanessa leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss, pulling away from him with a shrug. "I just had low standards, I guess," she joked.
"They had to be pretty low to end up with me." Taking her face in his hands, he brought her face closer and kissed her more deeply.
"When are you coming to bed?"
Joe glanced at the clock on his laptop, noting that it had been two hours since Vanessa had called it a night. He'd promised her he would be in bed right after her, but then he'd started working on the computer and time had gotten away.
"I'm sorry," Joe said with a groan. "I'm an ass. I know."
"I never said you were an ass, Joe."
Joe frowned, arching a brow. "I'm pretty sure you called me an ass just last week."
"Well, that's because you ate the last of the ice cream and left the empty container in the freezer." Vanessa fixed him with a mock glare. "Never come between a woman and her chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, Joe Hardy."
"Are you saying you love ice cream more than me, Vanessa Bender?" Joe asked, pretending to be offended.
Vanessa smiled teasingly at him. "I'm saying you run a close second."
"Really?"
She seemed to think about that before she gave a firm nod. "Yes. I think that would be a good assessment."
Joe tried hard to fight against a smile, but it came through anyway. "It's certainly a good thing I love you so damn much."
"And I love you." Vanessa kissed him again before pulling away. "So, what are you working on?"
"Still trying to get a lead on Wesley." He nodded at the open laptop. "We at least confirmed that he's back to his game. He kidnapped a young woman two days ago in Madison, Wisconsin. Of course, we have no idea where the hell he may have her or if she's even alive."
"I hate that he's still out there…"
Joe hugged her closer. "I do, too. But for Frank, it's worse. He's blaming himself for letting Wesley get away in the first place."
"That's stupid."
"I've told him the same thing."
"He was worried about Nancy and rightly so. He can't blame himself for saving her life," Vanessa argued with a roll of her eyes.
"I think he'll continue to do it until we manage to catch Wesley," Joe said softly. "He won't ever be able to rest easy knowing the bastard is out there, stalking Nan."
"So, you think he'll go after again?"
"There's no doubt about it." Joe swallowed hard. "He actually managed to break into their apartment today and left a gift for her."
Vanessa gasped. "What kind of gift?"
"A preserved tarantula. And a note basically telling her he'll be back for her."
"Poor Nan…" Vanessa murmured. "Is she okay?"
Joe nodded. "She was angry when she realized we had lied to her about Wesley being in jail. Nancy and I even had it out, but we're good now." He chuckled softly. "I even managed to see some of the old Nancy tonight—it was something I really thought I would never see again."
"You just needed to give her some time, Joe."
"I know, and I realize that now." He let out a sigh. "I really shouldn't have avoided her these last few months. She needed me and I feel as if I let her down a little. But if I'm going to be completely honest with myself, I was scared of her."
"Scared of her?"
"Scared for her, maybe."
"Did you tell her all of this?"
Joe nodded.
"Then everything will be fine," Vanessa assured him. "The important thing is that the two of you got everything out in the open. I know how much she means to you, Joe. She's always been like a sister to you."
"She is."
Taking his face in her delicate hands, Vanessa pressed a kiss against his lips before standing up. "I'm going back to bed. Don't stay up too much longer, okay?"
"I want to check one more thing and then I'll be there, Van."
Vanessa arched a brow at him, crossing her arms over her chest as if she didn't believe him.
Joe let out a chuckle. "I promise."
"I'm holding you to that." Turning, she walked back to the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her.
Turning back to his computer, Joe clicked on the news article he had been reading before Vanessa came into the room. It was out of Indianapolis, reporting on another young woman who had gone missing. The police wasn't sure if she had been kidnapped or had wandered away since her car was found abandoned, no sign of her purse or cell phone.
It may be nothing, but Joe couldn't stop the feeling of dread in his stomach. It was worth investigating. Hell, anything was worth checking into at this point. He wasn't entirely sure what Wesley's plan was, but he knew it couldn't be any good. Wesley was manipulative and charming—a deadly combination.
Not to mention, he had years of experience from the FBI under his belt. He knew how to stay under the radar and he knew the ins and outs of a killer's mind, considering he had been one of the best profiles the Bureau had ever seen.
He needed to be stopped and Joe was willing to chase every single lead, no matter how insignificant, down until he sent the son of a bitch to Hell.
Right where he belonged.
For the first time in three months, Nancy actually felt refreshed and energized as she woke up the next morning. It had been the first night of good sleep that she had gotten, no nightmares waking her up in the middle of the night and stealing her sense of peace.
Nancy actually felt like herself.
Even with the headache and slight feelings of a hangover. Maybe drinking the entire bottle of wine had been a bad idea, but she would gladly take the consequences of it over and over again in order to feel as alive as she did at the moment.
Sitting up slowly, she noticed that the bed beside her was empty. Frowning, she wondered where Frank could be until she glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost nine o'clock. Not only had she managed to actually get some sleep, but she'd also slept in. Nancy couldn't help the smile that slowly stretched across her face.
Throwing the covers off of her body, she shuffled into the kitchen to find Frank sitting at the bar with Joe, each drinking a cup of coffee. As soon as Frank saw her, he jumped up and quickly fixed her a cup, handing it to her as she sat down on the middle barstool.
"Look who decided to join the land of the living," Joe teased as he nudged her shoulder.
"Seriously?" Nancy asked as she took a sip of her coffee, letting out an appreciative sigh. Frank always managed to make it perfectly. "Still with the zombie jokes?"
"One thing you should know, Nan."
"What's that?"
"Zombie jokes will never get old."
Nancy chuckled despite herself, taking another sip of the coffee. "I can't believe I actually slept for so long."
"You needed it," Frank said, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. "I, for one, was glad to see you finally get some sleep."
"Frank's right," Joe chimed in. "You really don't—"
Nancy turned her head to glare at Joe. "I swear, if you make another zombie joke, I will knock you off that stool, Joe Hardy."
Joe let out a hearty chuckle. "Yep, our Nancy is definitely making a comeback."
It was hard not to smile at Joe's words. Nancy felt a radiant warmth move throughout her body, making her shiver slightly at the unfamiliar sensation. It was like an old friend had come back to greet her, and she had to admit, she missed it.
"So, what are you doing here so early?" Nancy asked, bumping his arm with her elbow.
Joe exchanged a quick glance with Frank and Nancy didn't miss the subtle nod Frank gave him. They had some new information and they were debating on whether to share it with her or not. She wasn't going to give them an option. Wesley was after her—anything that had to do with him, she had the right to know.
No question.
"What is it?" she demanded, glaring between the two of them.
"There was another disappearance, this time in Indianapolis," Joe answered. "I don't know if it has anything to do with Wesley, but it also couldn't hurt to check it out."
Nancy nodded. "I agree."
"You don't have to go, Nancy," Frank said, almost hesitantly. "No one would blame you if you wanted to stay out of it."
"I'm not going to sit and hide anymore," Nancy said with a firm shake of her head. "Wesley may not realize it, but he seriously messed up by coming into my home. He wants me to play whatever game he has planned, he's got it. I'm in."
A smile lit up Joe's face. "Looks like Wesley's about to get a dose of the bitchy side of you."
Nancy couldn't even take offense to Joe's words because he was right. Wesley had no idea what was coming his way.
Frank couldn't help but feel sympathy with the man sitting before them.
They had arrived in Indianapolis a couple of hours ago, and after speaking with the detective in charge of Taylor Vaughn's disappearance, they'd made their way to the home she shared with her fiancé, Cameron Brooks. The detective didn't really seem to be convinced that Taylor had been kidnapped, since all of her personal items were missing from the Jeep that had been abandoned on the side of the road. They thought she had run away, feeling pressured and overwhelmed, considering she was to be married in two weeks.
To put it simply, they thought she'd gotten cold feel and felt embarrassed about it, thus resulting in her disappearance.
Frank knew differently. He didn't have any proof, but he felt it in his gut that she had been kidnapped.
And Wesley Levine was responsible for it.
"We're really sorry to have to bother you," Frank began, leaning forward on the sofa so his elbows were resting on his knees. "But we were wondering if you could tell us anything about Taylor."
Cam shook his head. "I don't know why you're bothering. The police seem to think she ran away."
"We're not the police."
"You're a couple of private detectives from Illinois—why the hell would you care about what happened here?"
"Because we think the police are wrong about Taylor," Joe said.
"Why?"
"Because you also think the same thing," Nancy said softly from where she was sitting beside Frank. He reached over and gripped her hand, squeezing it softly.
The fight seemed to deflate from Cam as he sank down onto the chair across from the couch that they were sitting on. He ran a hand through his hair before locking eyes with Nancy. "You're right. I know Taylor didn't run away—there's no way."
"How was your relationship with Taylor?" Frank asked.
"Was?" Cam frowned. "You make it sound as if you think she's dead."
"I'm sorry. That was very insensitive of me," Frank apologized. "How is your relationship with Taylor?"
"Amazing. We're still in as much love with each other as we were when we first met." Cam took in Frank and Nancy and nodded in their direction. "Just like the two of you are."
Frank felt himself blush slightly as he glanced at Nancy, seeing her cheeks were just as flushed. He could understand the kind of love that Cam spoke about because it was still the same way he felt about Nancy. After all these years, he still loved her as much—if not more—as they day he first met her.
"How long have you been with Taylor?" Nancy asked.
"Two years."
"And you're about to be married?"
Cam nodded. "In two weeks."
"Was she feeling stressed about the wedding?" Joe asked.
"Of course," Cam said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What bride isn't stressed about their wedding? I'm sure that Nancy would agree with me."
Nancy cringed slightly, fiddling with her engagement ring. "We actually haven't even set a date yet."
"Oh."
"Other than the wedding, was Taylor feeling worried about anything else?" Frank asked, trying to take the spotlight off of Nancy. It wasn't that they haven't discussed setting a possible date for their wedding. But with what happened to Nancy, it kind of put all discussion on the backburner until she was better.
"Work, but she has a demanding job. It takes a lot out of her."
"What does she do?" Joe asked.
"She's an emergency room nurse," Cam answered. "Her hours are always so unpredictable."
"Did Taylor ever mention anything about feeling as if she was being watched or followed?" Frank asked.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course," Cam answered. "Taylor and I didn't have any secrets. We told each other everything."
Frank suppressed a sigh, feeling as if they weren't getting anywhere. Of course, it was hard when they had very little evidence and everything seemed to lean towards Taylor running away. Knowing that they weren't going to get anything else, Frank stood up and noticed Joe and Nancy do the same thing.
"You're going to look for Taylor, right?" Cam asked, looking at them with hope in his green eyes.
"We're going to try our best," Frank assured him.
The three detectives walked back to the car in silence. It wasn't until they pulled out of Taylor's driveway that anyone said anything.
"Maybe we were wrong about Taylor being tied to Wesley," Nancy said, staring out of her window as she traced a shape in the fog covering the window.
"Do you really think that?" Frank asked.
"I don't know…"
"We might as well face it," Joe spoke up from the backseat. "We're not going to find any evidence that Wesley was behind this."
"That's a pessimistic way to look at it," Frank said, glancing into his rearview mirror to look at his brother.
"No, that's a realistic way to look at it."
"Look, we may not have gotten the answers we were looking for," Nancy said, turning in her seat so she could see them both. "Hell, maybe we just want it to be Wesley."
"Maybe," Frank said, though he remained doubtful.
That little voice inside his head was telling him that Wesley was responsible. And he wasn't anywhere near finished with what he had planned.
I wrote this chapter feeling frustrated—not with the chapter, but with life in general. All I can say is it's a good thing Wesley wasn't in this chapter—I just may have had him kill someone…
That's not to say it isn't coming…because it is.
I would love to thank my lovely reviewers: Michelle Gallichio (You never know what Wesley has planned…), misslady92 (I couldn't leave our favorite trio at odds forever!), Caranath (I hate when I make grammatical mistakes, namely when I use the wrong spelling of a word…that frustrates me so much. And yes, I immediately corrected it!), Xdaisy chainX (Thank you so much! I'm happy you loved the argument!), SC15 (I am so glad you liked it! There was no way I couldn't have Nancy still scared of Wesley—that bastard is a psycho and if she wasn't scared, then it wouldn't be realistic, so thank you!), max2013 (I really feel I reined in my evilness for this chapter! That still doesn't get me out of it though, does it?), MinecraftDanny (No brussel sprouts necessary! I would never subject you to that kind of cruelty!), Cupcake (Yep, Frank and Nancy are definitely engaged), catlover1033 (I'm sorry for stressing you out about Nancy…forgive me?), Jabba1 (So glad you liked everything!), Lady Emily (Thank you! I'm glad I could warm your heart…you know I don't like Nancy and Joe at odds with each other!), and FreshKicks (Not creepy at all…I love him, too! I'm not sure if we should start to worry or not about that…). I love you guys!
I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!
