hand and regret pulsed through her. “I’ll tell them what I can and hopefully that will keep them off your back.”
Not freakin’ likely. She didn’t say it, but she knew what the media was like, determined to get a story even if there wasn’t one, digging for any dirt they could find and sensationalizing it. She knew only too well. And they’d go crazy with someone like Kevin being jilted days before his wedding.
She nodded. Jason was new to Las Colinas, hired only a year ago to run their police department, but he was a former FBI special agent with good experience and had won the respect and confidence of people in town. His air of authority and confidence reassured her that he’d find Natalia and the truth about where she’d gone.
But she was sensing that Jason’s concern about Natalia had deepened too.
Kevin disappeared after the police talked to him, didn’t come home for dinner and Kendall was worried sick. When he walked in later that evening, her stomach tightened even more. His hair stood up in all directions, his face was drawn and pale, his shirt rumpled.
“Where have you been?” she asked, resisting the urge to shout at him.
“Out.”
“What did the police want earlier?”
“Same old questions.” He didn’t look at her.
She bit her lip, her heart heavy and cold in her chest. “Kevin. You have to tell me the truth.”
“I have.”
The outrageousness of that had her jaw dropping. “You haven’t told me a goddamn thing. I lied to the police for you, but I don’t even know why!”
He said nothing.
“Did you and Natalia have a fight?” she asked, remembering Jason’s questions. “That night I picked you up?”
His face flushed and he grimaced. “No! Jesus, Kendall. I swear to you, I don’t know what happened to her! I don’t want to talk about where I was, okay? It’s not going to make any difference in whether they find her, because I had nothing to do with it. Fuck! Natalia’s gone.” He stared at her with red-rimmed eyes brimming with despair, and her heart softened. She covered her eyes with one hand, unable to face the misery and grief on her brother’s face. She loved him so much, despite his faults. He was her only family. He was all she had.
“Where were you tonight?” she asked finally.
“Out.”
She hissed out a breath. “Kevin!”
“Oh, Jesus. I went to talk to Laurel.”
Kendall frowned. “Natalia’s roommate?”
“Yeah. Just to make sure she didn’t know anything about where Natalia’s gone.”
“I’m sure the police have talked to her.”
“I know.” He rubbed his eyes. “But I had to try. I drove around for a while too, trying to imagine where she might go. I have no clue where to look, but…I…I had to look. Trey came with me.”
His best friend, who was to be the best man at the wedding.
“Oh, Kevin.” Her heart squeezed painfully.
He turned and left the room, and she too dragged up to her bedroom. She sank onto the edge of the bed in the darkness. They had to find Natalia. They had to.
Her cell phone rang from the dresser across the room, and she rose and hurried over to it. When she saw the number displayed, she quickly answered.
“Kendall. It’s me. Erin.”
“I know.” She leaned against the dresser and closed her eyes at the sound of her best friend’s voice. “Hi, Erin.”
“What the hell is going on there? I just saw the news about Natalia.”
“Yeah. Well, then you know as much as I do.”
Erin was the one person she didn’t mind hearing from, even though she was asking the same questions as everyone else. She and Erin had met when they were both sixteen and Erin was spending the summer in Las Colinas working on her grandmother’s lavender farm for a summer job. She’d come back a few summers after that, and she and Kendall had kept in touch and visited each other whenever they could.
“Seriously? She just disappeared? Right before the wedding?”
“Yeah.” Her throat got tight at talking
Not freakin’ likely. She didn’t say it, but she knew what the media was like, determined to get a story even if there wasn’t one, digging for any dirt they could find and sensationalizing it. She knew only too well. And they’d go crazy with someone like Kevin being jilted days before his wedding.
She nodded. Jason was new to Las Colinas, hired only a year ago to run their police department, but he was a former FBI special agent with good experience and had won the respect and confidence of people in town. His air of authority and confidence reassured her that he’d find Natalia and the truth about where she’d gone.
But she was sensing that Jason’s concern about Natalia had deepened too.
Kevin disappeared after the police talked to him, didn’t come home for dinner and Kendall was worried sick. When he walked in later that evening, her stomach tightened even more. His hair stood up in all directions, his face was drawn and pale, his shirt rumpled.
“Where have you been?” she asked, resisting the urge to shout at him.
“Out.”
“What did the police want earlier?”
“Same old questions.” He didn’t look at her.
She bit her lip, her heart heavy and cold in her chest. “Kevin. You have to tell me the truth.”
“I have.”
The outrageousness of that had her jaw dropping. “You haven’t told me a goddamn thing. I lied to the police for you, but I don’t even know why!”
He said nothing.
“Did you and Natalia have a fight?” she asked, remembering Jason’s questions. “That night I picked you up?”
His face flushed and he grimaced. “No! Jesus, Kendall. I swear to you, I don’t know what happened to her! I don’t want to talk about where I was, okay? It’s not going to make any difference in whether they find her, because I had nothing to do with it. Fuck! Natalia’s gone.” He stared at her with red-rimmed eyes brimming with despair, and her heart softened. She covered her eyes with one hand, unable to face the misery and grief on her brother’s face. She loved him so much, despite his faults. He was her only family. He was all she had.
“Where were you tonight?” she asked finally.
“Out.”
She hissed out a breath. “Kevin!”
“Oh, Jesus. I went to talk to Laurel.”
Kendall frowned. “Natalia’s roommate?”
“Yeah. Just to make sure she didn’t know anything about where Natalia’s gone.”
“I’m sure the police have talked to her.”
“I know.” He rubbed his eyes. “But I had to try. I drove around for a while too, trying to imagine where she might go. I have no clue where to look, but…I…I had to look. Trey came with me.”
His best friend, who was to be the best man at the wedding.
“Oh, Kevin.” Her heart squeezed painfully.
He turned and left the room, and she too dragged up to her bedroom. She sank onto the edge of the bed in the darkness. They had to find Natalia. They had to.
Her cell phone rang from the dresser across the room, and she rose and hurried over to it. When she saw the number displayed, she quickly answered.
“Kendall. It’s me. Erin.”
“I know.” She leaned against the dresser and closed her eyes at the sound of her best friend’s voice. “Hi, Erin.”
“What the hell is going on there? I just saw the news about Natalia.”
“Yeah. Well, then you know as much as I do.”
Erin was the one person she didn’t mind hearing from, even though she was asking the same questions as everyone else. She and Erin had met when they were both sixteen and Erin was spending the summer in Las Colinas working on her grandmother’s lavender farm for a summer job. She’d come back a few summers after that, and she and Kendall had kept in touch and visited each other whenever they could.
“Seriously? She just disappeared? Right before the wedding?”
“Yeah.” Her throat got tight at talking
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