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I need to find my wings again.
Chapter 6
Ryker
“Hey, boss.”Johnson calls as I walk into the station. He’s sitting at his desk and typing a report into the computer. Deputy Shawn Johnson is twenty-five years old and moved here from California. He decided he wanted a small-town life, and Weston was where he landed. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier. He’s a good egg, and the locals love and trust him. With blond hair, blue eyes, and the ripped body of surfer, he’s a hit with the ladies in town. Johnson of course doesn’t mind being a thirst trap.
“Hey.” I walk into my office and place my coffee on my desk. Running my hands over my face, I sigh. I’m exhausted. After the time with Zoey at the lake last night, I couldn’t sleep. That girl’s going to run again. I can feel it in my bones.
And I can’t let her run.
I need to find a way to get her to tell me who she really is, get her to trust that I can take care of the situation. Shaking my head, I realize Johnson’s trying get my attention.
“Boss? Did you hear me?”
“No, sorry.” I take a sip of my coffee and then set it back down on my desk.
“What’s going on, Holliday? You don’t seem like your normal, charming self,” Deputy Courtney Dalton says as she walks into my office. Dalton and I graduated high school together. She was one of my closest friends through out school, and people always thought we would end up together. That obviously never really panned out; we never saw each other as more than friends, and that was just fine with us. With brown hair and green eyes, she’s absolutely beautiful, and any man would be lucky to have her.
I stare at them, “Zoey.” They both know what’s going on with her. They also both know to keep it under wraps until I can figure out a way for her to open up to me and tell me the truth. “She’s frightened, and I can see a struggle inside of her. One moment she’s strong and confident, the next she’s breaking down and unsure of every single thing. She’s in a war with herself.”
“Well, you said she was pretty bruised up the day she got here, right?” Dalton asks.
“Yeah. Cuts and bruising around her neck and face. It was fucking obvious those were from a person. I just don’t know who.” I shake my head. “It has to be from a family member or a boyfriend, even a husband.” My stomach rolls with the thought. How anyone who is supposed to love and protect a person can do that makes me sick.
Johnson leans on my desk. “Do the facial recognition. We can find her that way. Or DNA. I mean, we have ways.” He’s right. I have ways to find out. But I want her trust. She needs to feel comfortable with me.
“Maybe. Right now, I just need her to trust me. I think I’m gonna take that route for now. If I can’t persuade her to tell me, and it’s starting to get ugly, then yeah.” I let out a groan and reach over to my coffee. I take a sip of the now lukewarm sludge and will every ounce of caffeine to surge through me.
I didn’t sleep much last night. I heard her pacing around her room, talking to herself. She gave herself a pep talk about how she can do it, about spreading her wings, and that she wasn’t broken. At times throughout the night, I heard her crying, but I didn’t want her to think I was spying on her. I want her to feel comfortable in my home.
But hearing her cry last night? That broke something inside me. I stayed up, not going to bed until I was sure she was sleeping, or at least done crying.
“I’m gonna go make some rounds.” I nod to my deputies and head back out.
Coming out of the station, I stand outside my SUV and look around. I walk over to the B&B down the street and check in to see how Rose is doing. As I walk down the sidewalk, I take a deep breath of the fresh air. It’s a nice morning. The sky is blue with not a cloud to be seen for miles. I walk past the diner and wave to some people headed inside. When I get to the B&B, I spot Rose immediately.
“Hey there, Sheriff. How’re things going?” Rose nods to me from her porch. She stops sweeping and holds the broom next to her.
“It’s going. How’re things here?” I walk up the stairs and give her a hug.
“Things are good. Just getting this cleaned up. How’s Zoey?” She places a hand on my arm. Rosie is a sweetheart of a woman in her mid-sixties, living her best life since the loss of her husband. Her husband passed away twenty years ago from lung cancer, leaving her this huge house that she later turned into Dawson’s Bed and Breakfast. She once said that opening the B&B fills this house with people, laughter, and gives those who need it a place to lay their head. Something her husband always wanted to do with this place. So, she fulfilled his dreams a couple of years after he passed.
“Uh, don’t know. That’s actually why I came over. Wanted to see if anything happened while she was here.” Tilting my head, I place my hands on my hips.
“Well, she was fine during the day, but at night …” Rose stops and looks away for a moment, then turns back towards me, her lips twisting into a frown. Her hands fall in front of her, and she wrings them as she thinks.
“What happened at night?” I ask.
“Well, I don’t know for sure. I think she had nightmares. I would hear slight screams or whimpering. Then I could hear her walking around and crying.” Rose puts a hand over her heart. “Poor girl. Whatever has her upset really is messing with her emotionally.”
“Yeah. She’s staying with me now, so hopefully I can help her out. Thanks, Rose.” After I hug her, I head back to my SUV and pull out my phone to text Zoey.
Me: Hey.
Zo: Hi. What’s up?
Me: Working. Just wanted to see how you were doing.