Page 39 of Follow Your Instincts

“It’s the only picture she’s posted with any men in the last year. Wish we knew where it was taken,” I said.

“I might be able to find out where they were,” Maggie said, looking thoughtful. “My sister Kira is kind of an influencer, and she goes to a ton of bars around the city. I could show it to her and see if she recognizes it?”

“Couldn’t hurt. I also want you to watch the surveillance footage we pulled from the robbery,” I said, and pulled up the video on my phone. Maggie leaned closer to me so we could watch it together. Her scent had already permeated my brain, but even this small shift closer heightened my awareness.

The video was in black and white and had no sound. I’d basically memorized it by that point.

The camera was mounted above the front door, facing the cases. Greta was standing behind the case on the far rightof the room, staring off into space. After a few seconds, shards of glass flew into the room from the busted door, and Greta screamed silently. The perp quickly crossed the room, brandishing a gun and a crowbar. He moved to the case farthest from Greta first and smashed it and the middle one in quick succession.

Greta was cowering, and when he reached the last case, he did indeed point the gun at her, even though she wasn’t putting up a fight at all. He busted the last case and used the crowbar to sweep most of the contents into a small black bag.

He took the time to shout and point the gun at Greta again before fleeing.

“Well, that definitely wasn’t either of the guys in that photo,” Maggie said. “He was much slimmer.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” I replied.

“And whoever it was… There was no need to point the gun at her. She was basically on the ground as soon as he came in. And watching him busting all three cases to just steal from the last one looks even weirder than I thought,” Maggie said, her eyebrows coming together.

“Did you catch the end, too? He took the time to threaten her again.”

“It’s like whoever it was knew her,” Maggie said.

“I agree. Which makes me even more worried. She hasn’t been going to classes, and her roommates haven’t seen her either.” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, then rubbed at my beard.

Maggie was still leaning towards me, and her eyes caught mine. “You’re really worried about her,” she said, and scooted in even closer.

“Of course. She’s young. Not close with her family. Seeing a new pack that no one else has met. She’s the victim of an armed robbery and goes missing. Of course I’m worried,” I repeated.

“You’re a good cop. I don’t think Jacobs would be worried about her,” Maggie said.

I laughed ruefully. “Thanks, but worrying isn’t helping mefind her.”

“Well, I’ll help you,” Maggie said and shuffled even closer to me until she could lay her head on my shoulder.

I sat very still, fighting the desire to pull her into my lap. Maggie rubbed her cheek against me and sighed. My heart skipped a beat as her scent floated around us. I wrapped an arm around her back; having her this close felt like a miracle. After a few moments, she tentatively placed a hand on my chest. My muscles twitched beneath her touch.

“Is that okay?” She asked tentatively, looking up at me.

“Of course,” I said and gave her a little squeeze.

Maggie shivered as I toyed with one of her curls. “I feel like I’m going crazy,” she said.

Me too, I thought, trailing a finger down her spine, doing my best to ignore my hardening cock and focus on the simple pleasure of having her close.Patience. “Why’s that?”

“It feels like I’ve known you guys forever,” she said.

I smiled down at her. “Same, baby girl. You fit perfectly.”

Her smile was a little tentative, but it lit up her face. The moment lengthened. The two of us just looked at each other. She did fit perfectly in my arms. I traced a finger down the cute slope of her nose, then across her lower lip. Her lips parted on a sigh.

“Soren?”

“Maggie.”

“Are you going to kiss me?”

I pressed my forehead to hers. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, baby girl.”

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