was still partially distracted as he answered.
“Nate.” Her voice sounded airy and breathless.
“What’s wrong?” He sat up straight, fully alert now.
She hurried to calm him. “I’m okay. Don’t freak out.”
“What’s wrong?” He repeated, not feeling any less panicked.
“My brother just called and Dad is in the hospital. He collapsed today. Brian said they think it was a heart attack.” Olivia swore as she dropped something.
“Shit, Liv. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right there.” Nate turned his back on Vince who was gawking openly.
Olivia exhaled. “No. That’s not necessary. I’m just throwing some things together and then I’m heading to Mercy.”
“I’ll go with you,” Nate said instantly. “Just give me a few minutes to wrap up some things here.”
“Really, Nate. You don’t need to do that. I’m sure everything is going to be fine and it would just be a wasted trip. You should stay here and work on the case.” Olivia added, “I appreciate the offer though.”
Nate felt stuck. He really wanted to be there for Olivia, despite her insistence that she would be okay on her own. But he also really needed to stick around and work on the case. “Liv, I don’t like the idea of you dealing with this on your own.”
“Too bad,” she said quickly. “I’ll call you when I get there.”
“You’ll call me if you change your mind?” He knew that when Olivia had made up her mind about something, nothing he said would change it.
“Get back to work. I’m fine,” she insisted.
Nate lowered his voice as much as possible. “I love you.”
“I know. Love you too, Nater.” Olivia hung up quickly.
“Is Liv alright?” Vince asked, not at all embarrassed to have been eavesdropping during their entire conversation.
“I don’t know.” Nate set his phone on his desk, looking at it for a few more seconds even though Olivia was long gone. “Her father had a heart attack.”
“Damn.” Vince turned serious for maybe the first time ever. “Do you need to take off?”
“No.” Nate turned back to his computer. “Did you finish cross referencing the lists of university staff?”
Vince opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it. “Almost.”
Nate was still thinking about Olivia an hour later when the call came into the station. Another girl had been taken, but this one had managed to escape. She had just arrived at the hospital.
“She was hit by a car?” Vince said.
They were standing in their sergeant’s office, being relayed the information that had come in. So far, none of it made any kind of sense.
“The vic’s name is Jenna Kramer. She was taken from the Randolph campus late last night. Her roommate reported her missing this morning. An hour later, Miss Kramer ran in front of a car on Clark Street.” Sergeant Russo folded his hands on top of his large, mahogany desk. “She was taken to Northwestern. You two need to get over there right away.”
“Sure thing, Sarge.” Nate was anxious to leave. This might be the big break they needed to solve the case.
“I sent Barnes to the scene. Be sure to work with him on this.” The sergeant fixed Nate with a level stare as he started to object. “No arguing over dick size, Tucker. This departments needs to solve this case as soon as possible. It’s become a national obsession. I’m not going to let your ego end my career.”
Nate scoffed. “It’s not my ego you have to worry about, Sir.”
“Damn it, Tucker. Put your petty bullshit aside and solve this case.” He flicked a hand in Nate’s direction. “Now get the hell out of here.”
It was a typical encounter with Sergeant Russo. He wanted cases solved, and he didn’t care about bruising egos along the way. He also had no tolerance for squabbles within the department.
“Barnes is going to be pissed that he has to work with us,” Vince said as they left the station. “He hates you more than you hate him.”
“He’s
“Nate.” Her voice sounded airy and breathless.
“What’s wrong?” He sat up straight, fully alert now.
She hurried to calm him. “I’m okay. Don’t freak out.”
“What’s wrong?” He repeated, not feeling any less panicked.
“My brother just called and Dad is in the hospital. He collapsed today. Brian said they think it was a heart attack.” Olivia swore as she dropped something.
“Shit, Liv. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be right there.” Nate turned his back on Vince who was gawking openly.
Olivia exhaled. “No. That’s not necessary. I’m just throwing some things together and then I’m heading to Mercy.”
“I’ll go with you,” Nate said instantly. “Just give me a few minutes to wrap up some things here.”
“Really, Nate. You don’t need to do that. I’m sure everything is going to be fine and it would just be a wasted trip. You should stay here and work on the case.” Olivia added, “I appreciate the offer though.”
Nate felt stuck. He really wanted to be there for Olivia, despite her insistence that she would be okay on her own. But he also really needed to stick around and work on the case. “Liv, I don’t like the idea of you dealing with this on your own.”
“Too bad,” she said quickly. “I’ll call you when I get there.”
“You’ll call me if you change your mind?” He knew that when Olivia had made up her mind about something, nothing he said would change it.
“Get back to work. I’m fine,” she insisted.
Nate lowered his voice as much as possible. “I love you.”
“I know. Love you too, Nater.” Olivia hung up quickly.
“Is Liv alright?” Vince asked, not at all embarrassed to have been eavesdropping during their entire conversation.
“I don’t know.” Nate set his phone on his desk, looking at it for a few more seconds even though Olivia was long gone. “Her father had a heart attack.”
“Damn.” Vince turned serious for maybe the first time ever. “Do you need to take off?”
“No.” Nate turned back to his computer. “Did you finish cross referencing the lists of university staff?”
Vince opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it. “Almost.”
Nate was still thinking about Olivia an hour later when the call came into the station. Another girl had been taken, but this one had managed to escape. She had just arrived at the hospital.
“She was hit by a car?” Vince said.
They were standing in their sergeant’s office, being relayed the information that had come in. So far, none of it made any kind of sense.
“The vic’s name is Jenna Kramer. She was taken from the Randolph campus late last night. Her roommate reported her missing this morning. An hour later, Miss Kramer ran in front of a car on Clark Street.” Sergeant Russo folded his hands on top of his large, mahogany desk. “She was taken to Northwestern. You two need to get over there right away.”
“Sure thing, Sarge.” Nate was anxious to leave. This might be the big break they needed to solve the case.
“I sent Barnes to the scene. Be sure to work with him on this.” The sergeant fixed Nate with a level stare as he started to object. “No arguing over dick size, Tucker. This departments needs to solve this case as soon as possible. It’s become a national obsession. I’m not going to let your ego end my career.”
Nate scoffed. “It’s not my ego you have to worry about, Sir.”
“Damn it, Tucker. Put your petty bullshit aside and solve this case.” He flicked a hand in Nate’s direction. “Now get the hell out of here.”
It was a typical encounter with Sergeant Russo. He wanted cases solved, and he didn’t care about bruising egos along the way. He also had no tolerance for squabbles within the department.
“Barnes is going to be pissed that he has to work with us,” Vince said as they left the station. “He hates you more than you hate him.”
“He’s
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