Page 35 of Belonging to Them

“Yes, I’ve received more messages.”

“Fine, I’ll put you through to Detective Marks in Missing Persons,” Detective Baldwin says.“But Miss Marchand, I have to tell you, there’s not much you can do at this point.And your brother has shown that he will go to great lengths to deceive you and manipulate you for money.”

I never should have told him about the last one being a ruse.Now they won’t take anything seriously.

There’s a ringing tone, and after a couple of rings, someone picks up.

“Marks, here.”

“Hi, Detective Marks,” I say.“This is Ella Marchand.We spoke about my brother about a week and a half ago.He was missing?”

“Right.Baldwin told me he turned up, and he was behind the whole thing from the start.”

“This threat might not be fake,” I say.“But yeah, the last one was.”

Already, doubts are assailing me.Maybe it is fake, just like the last one.Shit.I rub my eyes and think longingly of Bash’s penthouse, getting out of this scratchy uniform and curling up with Schrode.

Detective Marks makes a scoffing sound.“Miss Marchand, I really want to believe you.But…”

Here it is.They aren’t going to help.

“We’ll have some people look at the text and see if there’s a way to find the number.I have a feeling it won’t reveal any new information.Or at the most, it’ll show that it’s your brother leaving the message from a burner phone.I’ll send someone by his place for a wellness check, okay?”

“That’s…something, at least,” I say.

“Forward the text to me, and I’ll have a look through your phone records, see if there’s anything else I can glean.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m doing it for Baldwin,” Detective Marks says.“He’s calling in a favor.”

I make a mental note to thank Detective Baldwin again.After saying goodbye to Detective Marks, I pocket my phone.

“So, what was all that?”Cora says, a look of concern on her face.“Do you want us to do anything at Ironwood?”

“No, but thanks,” I say.“This is hopefully nothing.I’ll wait and see what the police say.”

Honestly, I want to kick Tommy’s ass for putting me through this.All of this trouble, and probably for nothing.

I hope it’s for nothing.

* * *

Kingston

I have another hour before I need to get back to the business symposium.The grad students attending are all fresh-faced and eager.Normally, I’d find that inspiring and I’d be using downtime to consult with them and answer further questions.But today, I have other things on my mind.

Bash and I have decided to shop in our respective cities away, looking for the perfect collar for Ella.We debated for sometime whether she needed a special one for home, but she’s not our slave or our “sub”—she’s our little girl.And little girls, in our minds, don’t wear collars.

They do, however, wear pretty jewelry, so that’s what we’re shopping for.

Sacramento has some very nice jewelry boutiques, although the selection isn’t as large as those in Las Vegas.Bash has sent me pics of several pieces that might work, but so far, nothing has felt completely right for Ella.

Close to my hotel is another store.This will be my last stop today, because I have to get back to the symposium.I walk inside.

“Hello, how may I help you?”the young man behind the counter asks.

“I’m shopping with my buddy on the phone,” I say, holding up my device.“Is it all right if I send him pictures of pieces to consider?”