Intercepting Love (Second Chances #5)(55)

Handing the paper to Cooper, I clenched my teeth and glared at Sam. “Please tell me you have her in custody. I’m done letting that woman ruin my life.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s where our problems come in. I’m familiar with your past with the Eastons and what happened two years ago. Has she tried contacting you at all recently?”

I scoffed, “For the past two years I would get phone calls right around the time Scott died. As you can probably see in the file, the anniversary of the date was two weeks ago.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. After we got the results we tried to contact her, but got in touch with her daughter instead. Apparently, she’s been missing for a couple of weeks now. She said it wasn’t unusual for Marianne to take off for a few days, especially around this time of year.”

The woman had seriously lost her damn mind. “So what happens now? Are we supposed to sit around and wait for her to do something else to us?”

“What about a restraining order?” Cooper cut in.

“We can do that,” Sam advised, “but she’s not going to know there’s a restraining order. From what I read in the file, and from what the daughter has said, it appears there’s been a lot of issues with Marianne’s health. Emily is on her way to Charlotte in hopes that she can find her.”

“Great,” I groaned sarcastically, “now there’ll be two of them in the same city who hate me. They’ve made my life a living hell for the past two years. I thought in time it would all stop, but it didn’t.” Closing my eyes, I sighed and leaned over on my elbows so I could rub my tired eyes. “Are we done here or is there something else you need from me?”

“Actually there is,” Sam mentioned hesitantly. “Although, I’m not too sure you’re going to like it. Emily asked if there was a way she could speak to you when she got here. She told me it was important to the case.”

I snorted and got to my feet. “I’m sorry, Detective Lennox, but I refuse to talk to her. She’s just as bad as her mother. I usually try to see the good in people, but when it comes to them they can go to hell for all I care. I can’t let what happened in the past control my life anymore.”

“I understand, Ms. Townsend,” Sam agreed. “Until we find Mrs. Easton I want you to be careful out there. We don’t know what she’s capable of, or what she has planned, but we will find her.”

Cooper got to his feet and put his arm around me before acknowledging Sam and Officer Stilwell with a nod. “Thank you, gentlemen. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open.”

It looks like I’ll be sleeping with one eye open.





Two Days Later




“Why do you think she’s targeting you?” Kate asked, circling her fingers up and down my bare chest.

It had been two days since we found out it was Scott’s mother who was trying to tear us apart. She still hadn’t been found, but we knew she was out there plotting her next move. We both decided that staying together as much as possible would be our best bet. If Marianne wanted us apart she wasn’t going to get it.

We had just eaten dinner and Kate decided she wanted to watch a movie. It just so happened she picked out Oklahoma, which was a musical my grandmother watched constantly when she was still alive. When she would watch it that was my grandfather’s excuse to take me outside and pass the ball around so he wouldn’t have to hear it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that option this time.

Tilting her chin up with my finger, I bent down to kiss her lips. “My guess is that she doesn’t want you happy with anyone, love. Maybe she thinks you don’t deserve to be happy,” I told her. “Did you ever try to date anyone after Scott?”

Shaking her head, her hair tickled the skin on my chest as she lifted her gray gaze to me. “No, I never made time for it. You and Luke are the only ones I’ve gone out with recently.”

“Then there’s our answer,” I stated. “She never had a reason to come after you until now. I bet if you would’ve started dating someone before, all of this would’ve happened sooner.”

She laid her head back on my chest and groaned. “Ugh, you’re absolutely right. I never thought about that.”

“Do you want to watch another movie? Or do you want to do something else?” I asked, hoping she’d get the hint.

For the past two days she’d been so stressed over everything going on that every night after dinner she’d basically pass out. I had missed holding her and feeling her touch to the point where I honestly came to the conclusion that I had a problem. I was addicted to her and I needed her … bad.

Giggling, she hopped off of the couch and took off her shirt, her perky breasts peeking up over the top of her bra. Fuck, I wanted to taste her, to feel her beneath me; two days was two days too long. Slowly, she peeled off her shorts, which only left her in her sports bra and thong.

Smiling, she said, “I need to take a shower first before we do anything else. Do you care to join me?”

With my cock as hard as a rock, how could I refuse? “You’re damn right I do. Go get the shower running and I’ll be right there, love.”

I heard her steps pattering up the stairs, and it wasn’t long before the shower water turned on, but unfortunately, the doorbell rang as well. It was most likely Lara, and I was about to send her on her merry way. However, when I answered the door … it wasn’t her.