Page 82 of Sighs By the Sea

I reach out, taking his hand in mine. “I can skip the trip, Gray. I’ll follow up with Harry. You go to Oregon and bring Georgie home. He needs his dad.”

“Maggie,” he says, his voice tinged with frustration and a hint of fear. “I don’t want you dealing with this alone.”

“I need to do this, Gray. Even if it’s a dead end, I have to follow up. This case comes first right now—for you, for George, for all of us.”

He exhales heavily, his grip tightening on my hand before he nods. “Fine. I’ll drop you off at the station on the way to the airport.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re outside the station. I lean in through the car window, giving Grayson a deep, lingering kiss, trying to convey all the words I can’t seem to say out loud.

“I’ll see you in two days. Call me when you land,” I murmur, my hand still resting on his.

“I’ll miss you,” he says, his voice soft but filled with emotion. He presses his lips to the back of my hand, lingering for just a moment longer.

“Me too,” I reply, the words feeling insufficient for the depth of what I’m feeling. Our little vacation, our chance to meet his in-laws, the hike to that waterfall—all gone. Seeing George again is postponed, and the thought stings more than I want to admit.

“Be good,” he warns, trying to keep things light. “Eat, sleep, clean.”

I chuckle, pecking his cheek. “You know I’ve been taking care of myself for a while, right?”

“Could have fooled me. I still haven’t seen inside that mystery room,” he teases, but I can see the tension in his eyes hasn’t fully eased.

My cheeks flush at the mention of the locked room, the one part of my life I haven’t fully opened up to him about. “And you won’t until I’m ready.”

“I’ll make sure to have my flamethrower on standby,” he jokes, and I can’t help but giggle at that. But as he rolls up the window, the smile fades from his face. Neither of us is happy about this situation, but we’re doing what we have to do.

As he drives away, a wave of longing washes over me. I love him so much, and I just missed my chance to tell him. For two entire days, I’ll have to carry that unsaid truth with me. Shaking off the feeling, I turn and stride into the station, trying to refocus.

Harry is waiting at my desk, sitting on it with that familiar smug expression. “Got an address and an eyewitness that says Suze and Don have been there. But we gotta go now, no uniformed backup.”

“Lemme pull it up first,” I say, needing to confirm it’s safe enough to proceed. Harry sighs but knows better than to argue. He gives me the address, and I type it into the police system.

My heart sinks as I read the notes—a known crack house. Suze can’t be doing well if she’s there. The temptation must be unbearable for her.

“Everything good?” Harry asks, sensing my hesitation.

“Yeah, I guess. No violent incidents within the last four months. We can head out alone, I suppose.” He pumps a fist in the air like a little kid being allowed to have candy for breakfast. I chuckle at his goofy expression, momentarily distracted from the tension.

As I grab my gear, including a bulletproof vest and a walkie-talkie, my mind is already racing through possible scenarios. Suze might be staying with Don at the house, trying to lie low, or he might be holding her there. I hope it’s the former, though I dread the thought of Suze being tied up in Don’s mess again.

Within a few minutes, we’re in one of the undercover cars, weaving through traffic. My leg bounces up and down, and I gnaw on my cheek as anticipation builds.

Fifteen minutes later, we pull up to the address. The house is as rundown as I feared, its walls stained and windows grimy. I knock on the front door, my senses on high alert, while Harry moves around to the back.

After the second knock, the door creaks open, revealing Suze. She looks better than I expected—less gaunt, with a bit more color in her cheeks. But the giant purple bruise marring her face tells another story.

“Is Don here?” I ask directly, my breath quickening with anxiety.

Suze shakes her head quickly, her eyes darting nervously. I raise a brow. “You sure, Suze? If we find him here, you know we’ll have to charge you for harboring a felon.”

Both hands shoot up, and Suze shakes her head again. “I swear, he left an hour ago.”

Harry bursts in from the back, nodding to confirm it’s clear.

“Stay out here. Don’t move.” My voice is firm, and thankfully, Suze doesn’t argue. Harry and I move through the house, our steps echoing in the empty, filthy rooms. A few minutes later, I return to the porch. Don isn’t here.

I curse under my breath, holstering my pistol. Part of me had hoped we’d catch Don before Grayson and George returned. But that hope was a long shot. I turn to Suze, trying to soften my expression.

“This is hardly a place for recovery, Suze.”

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