The Departed

over his face.
    She sat as well, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Want? Sugar, want would sort of imply this makes you happy. You’ve never been happy a day in your life.”
    “Why the fuck should I be happy?” he bit off. He shot to his feet and started to pace. “She was just a baby.”
    “And you were just a kid. Whatever happened, it wasn’t your fault.”
    “I know that!” He spun around, his eyes hot, burning. And broken. So broken. “I fucking know that. But she was still a baby…and then she was gone. Just like that—gone. And I wasn’t even there to protect her. I should have been.”
    He sank to his knees, staring at the floor. “I should have been. I was at the school—fucking football practice. I hated it. But I did it because I was a Jones and we Joneses did what we Joneses always did. She was here playing…and then she was just gone. And nobody knows why or what…or who.”
    He looked at her with haunted eyes. “Who was it, Dez? Who took my sister?”
    “I don’t know.” She went to him and knelt down in front of him. Catching his face in her hands, she pressed her mouth to his. Against his lips, she whispered, “But I’ll do my damnedest to find out, Taylor. I promise you that.”
    His arms came around her and he hauled her close. Raggedly, he asked, “He hurt her, didn’t he?”
    “Yes. God, I’m sorry. Yes.” Don’t ask me any more right now, please…
    She felt him nod, almost like he’d heard that silent plea. “If I find out who he is, I don’t know if I can stop myself from killing him.” She felt the erratic rise and fall of his chest. “I don’t know if I want myself to stop.”
    Easing back, she cupped his face. “You’ll do the right thing, Taylor. I’ve got faith in that.”
    “Don’t have faith in me, beautiful,” he muttered. “You’ll just end up getting disappointed.”
    He pressed his brow to hers.
    Dez slid her arms back around him. The silence between them stretched out and she closed her eyes, wondering just where she went from here. She’d be working blind, even with him here. Whether he liked it or not, she wasn’t blithely sharing every last detail, every last bit. She’d share facts when she had them and when Anna gave them to her.
    It might be a mistake, she realized.
    But then again, there was an ugly, brutal knowledge already in her head that she didn’t plan on sharing with him, either. At least not right now. He hurt enough as it was.
    Over his shoulder, she stared at the picture of a sweet, smiling young girl. Although Taylor held her tightly, almost desperately, she could almost feel that cold, eerie touch.
    She kept hearing that voice… My pretty and perfect angel…
    And it was stronger now. As though Anna had realized Dez knew. And the girl wasn’t going to wait any longer.
     

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
    Things aren’t getting better.
    I keep hoping they will, that things will become calm. Peaceful, although you had no peace for our day. But it’s worse now, worse than ever .
    The writing was frantic. Erratic breathing filled the air.
    I don’t understand this. I don’t.
    The hand on the pen tightened.
    * * *
     
    THE sight of Brendan’s car was enough to make Tiffany’s belly turn upside down. She hadn’t been able to stay away from the hospital for much longer than it took to grab a few hours’ sleep the night before. And her mother hadn’t been able to tell her no, either.
    But just then, as she huddled in the front of her mother’s car, staring at Brendan, she wished Mom had argued, wished her mother had insisted she stay home.
    Coward—stupid little coward.
    Something touched her head and she jumped, only to feel like even more of a coward when she realized it was just her mom, stroking her head and watching her with worried eyes. “Are you okay, baby? Maybe I should have made you stay home, get some sleep.” Her mouth tightened and she sighed. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you did for Beau, but it’s not like you two were friends—he was so awful to you.” She shook her head. “That’s it. You’re going home.”
    “No!” Tiffany grabbed her mom’s arm before she could start the car. “It’s not him.” Turning her head, she watched as Brendan disappeared into the hospital. “It’s not him…” Swallowing, she gave her mom a weak smile. “I’m just still kind of freaked out. Come on. I bet I’ll feel better once I see him.”
    As they climbed out of the car, she pulled her phone