Page 182 of Shattered Silence Duet

“Hi, Sugar,” I say with a smile.

“Hi Tucker, are you gonna sit with me?” she asks timidly, making me smile.

“Of course, Sugar. I always love sitting with you.” I flop onto the couch beside her and drag her into my lap sideways. She tilts her head against my chest, playing with the buttons of my flannel shirt.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask her. She bites her lip like she’s deciding what to tell me.

“A lot of things. My mind is a bit of a jumble right now.”

“Are you worried about something? Or do you have questions about something?”

“Umm… it’s both, I guess.”

“Okay, let’s start with one thing at a time. Are there any questions I can answer?” She looks up at me, and a slight blush stains her cheeks. It’s adorable.

“Yeah, umm… I was wondering if—only if you want—if it was okay if… I… uh…”

“You are freaking adorable right now, you know that? Now, come on, spit it out, I won’t bite… unless you ask me to.” I give her a wink, and successfully break a little of the tension surrounding her as she giggles.

“Would you sleep in my bed with me tonight? You and Gideon? I feel like I haven’t had as much time with you guys as I have with the others, and I miss you. I also… uh… don’t like sleeping alone anymore.”

I tilt her chin up and kiss her gently. “Oh, Sugar, I would absolutely love to sleep with you tonight. Even if it’s just to hold you while you sleep. I’d consider it an honor.” She seems to deflate a little in relief at my answer.

“As for the sleeping alone thing—is it because you’re worried at night? When you’re alone?” She looks into my eyes with a sad expression.

“No, I’m not worried, Tucker. I’m terrified. If I can’t feel one of your arms around me when I wake up, I’m terrified it’ll all be a dream, and I’ll wake up back there.”

She presses her face to my chest, and I wrap my arms tightly around her, soothing her. I had no idea she was so scared, she does such a good job at hiding her pain that sometimes I forget everything she’s been through. Her whole life has been full of pain and torment. But she’s so sweet and kind that it’s easy to forget where she came from.

“I imagine that’s a perfectly normal feeling after everything you’ve been through. And the good news is, with seven boyfriends, you’ll never have to wake up alone again. Have you given any thought to speaking with a therapist? They might be able to help ease some of your worry.”

She shakes her head. “Not yet. I—Can I wait and think about it after you’ve solved this case?”

“Of course. I think it would be good for you to go, but none of us will ever force you to.”

“Even Dom?” she asks, trying to hold in her smile.

“Even Dom,” I agree, kissing her head, then I ask, “what else is bothering you?”

“Something’s bothering you, Angel?” Jasper asks as he joins us, along with the rest of the guys. Jasper and Gideon greet her with kisses, making her blush, and Ben and Max bring in trays of homemade pizzas.

We all dig in as I try to continue our conversation. “Mina, do you want to tell us what’s on your mind?” I ask gently.

She takes a minute to finish her bite of pizza, contemplating what she wants to say before she finally speaks. “I just feel like there must be some way I can help you find Simon and my m—Helen. There must be something I know or something at the house that can help,” she says, her shoulders dropping in defeat.

“We checked out the house already, as did the cops, and there was nothing there. Not even a sign of Simon living there. And nothing to show where Helen might be,” Dom tells her, and she sighs.

“I mean, they aren’t living in the woods. They’re probably at a motel or hotel, right? There can’t be many of those around here, can there?” she asks, her eyes bouncing between us all.

“In every other city where someone has been killed, you and your mother stayed a few towns over. At this location, we have seven possible towns and a total of twenty-two motels and hotels. We don’t have the resources to stake them all out,” Ben explains.

“What use is a photographic memory if I can’t help catch him?” she says in frustration, staring at her pizza. I kiss the side of her head and wrap my arm around her waist, offering her my silent support, where she’s still perched in my lap.

“I know you didn’t get out of the basement much, but you said that last time he took you upstairs. Did you remember seeing anything up there? Like a brochure or paperwork? Maybe he left something lying around?” I ask, rubbing her back with my free hand.

She’s quiet as she thinks about it for a minute. “When he… He made me shower…” She gulps, and I glance at the other guys. I don’t recall her telling us about showering when he was there. “I think?—”

She cuts herself off, shaking her head rapidly. “No, I can’t! I don’t want to think about it. It’ll bring back all the memories!” she says, panic lacing her tone as she hides her face in my chest. Her fingers grip my shirt tightly as she starts to cry.