Page 80 of Renegade

Fuck.

I wanted to grab my keys and drive over to her office right now. I couldn’t do it though. Katya’s father was scheduled to come in for questioning. I couldn’t discount anything at this point. I’d even gone as far as dragging David and Elizabeth down to the station. That had piqued my interest because, according to her, Landon and Katya had broken up.

I thought it was the break I’d been looking for...until I brought Landon back in for questioning. I’d expected him to slip up in his story, but he stuck with it.

“I can only speak for my own relationship and no one else’s, but I was happy. I’d fucked up royally, but she was still willing to take me back. We’d gone to counseling and—”He’d pulled a ring box from his pocket,“I was planning on proposing at dinner that night. I know she didn't change her mind and I won't stop until we find her.”

Perps that were guilty would almost always give themselves away. They’d change up their story or show little to no emotion. Landon wasn’t like that though. He’d been the one to report her missing, after speaking with her father, when she didn’t meet him for dinner.

I’d gone downtown to the restaurant in question and their security footage confirmed his story. He’d sat in a corner booth for over an hour, constantly checking his phone and watch. The ring box sat clearly visible on the table. He told us that after multiple text messages, he placed two calls to Katya’s cell phone from the restaurant. It was all caught on camera.

“Did you fall asleep?” Lauren’s soft voice brought me back to the present.

“No, just got a lot going on right now, Darlin’. Listen, I can’t meet you for lunch as much as I wish I could. I’ll be stuck here working this case. Will you be up late tonight?”

She was quiet and I worried that I’d upset her until she said, “Um, I might be up for a little while. Just text me. And, Mike? I get it. Go save the world.”

I smiled. “And that’s why I love you—” I froze the minute the words left my mouth.What the fuck had I just said?“ListenI’vegottotakecareofsomestuffherebye.” The words all ran together and I hung up before she could respond. Then I laid my forehead against the cool wood of my desk in shame. I was so fucking sleep deprived that I just told her I loved her.

What if she started expecting things—like to move in with me?

Or, Jesus Christ, get married?

I pinched the bridge of my nose and inhaled deeply.

My desk phone beeped, before a voice said, “Detective Sullivan, Nikolay Egorichev is here to see you.”

I sat back and rubbed my eyes. “Go ahead and get him in a room.”

According to Mr. Egorichev, Katya had come to Lubbock to see her on and off boyfriend, Landon Scott. David had been convinced that he was the one who’d broken into their home and now the guy’s name was coming up in a possible kidnapping?

It was a fucked-up case.

After the break-in, I’d met with Landon, but he was squeaky clean. When I questioned him the second time, regarding Ms. Egorichev’s disappearance, he been distraught, but completely willing to help us in any way. He’d given us permission to search his vehicle and house, without waiting for the warrant. He was the same the third time we sat down.

It didn’t fit for him having anything to do with her disappearance.

We searched his house and SUV, but came up empty. His prints were everywhere, but there had been absolutely nothing that pointed to Katya having been with him. My next stop had been her hotel room. Her car was still parked outside, but a sweep of that had yielded nothing.

Her room had been a different story. All of her personal belongings were scattered around, as if she’d stepped out for a few hours and planned on coming back. We dusted for prints and only found hers. Just as I was ready to call it a bust, one of the investigators found a spot of blood near the rim of the sink in the bathroom. It was with the lab and now we just had to wait.

Up until we found the blood, I’d been considering the possibility that Katya may have suffered from a mental disorder. Hell, maybe she’d disappeared willingly. Landon had admitted to the affair with Elizabeth and alluded to Katya being devastated by the news.

“I wanted to be honest with her so we could start over. The long-distance relationship was hard and her modeling schedule didn’t give her a lot of free-time. It was a horrible mistake. Katya obviously didn’t take the news well, but she’d agreed to try and work it out. I thought that she was still mad when she didn’t show up for dinner, but now I’ve got a bad feeling about the whole thing. It’s just not like her.”

It was obvious that he wasn’t trying to hide anything, which put me back at square one for finding a suspect. She was a model so it could’ve been something as simple as a crime of opportunity—someone saw her and acted.

My office door was opened and Noelle, one of the investigators, popped her head in. “He’s in room one, Mike. We’re ready when you are.”

I was still hung up on the fact that I used the L word and was seconds away from getting the fuck out of Dodge. I nodded at her and let my gaze drift down toward her tits. I gave her a half grin. “Noelle, you sticking around for a while?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, about that. I don't make the same mistake twice. So, and I mean this with all the respect in the world—fuck off, Sullivan.”

She slammed the door on her way out and I put my head back in my hands, trying to remember.

Aw, fuck me.

Christmas party. Three years ago.

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