Page 52 of Simply Perfection
“Sorry, everyone,” Logan mumbled.
“I didn’t mean to push you, Logan. I’m sorry,” Ethan murmured.
“No, no, it’s not your fault. Sometimes, stuff like that hits me without any warning. I was fine one minute and the next shaking like a leaf.” Logan leaned over and kissed Clay. “My fiancée has gotten very good at talking me down, and my psychiatrist has taught me invaluable tools to recognize the symptoms before they spiral out of control.” Logan smiled in Matt’s direction. “Okay, names. I think he’s dated maybe three guys in the six or seven months before getting together with the two of you.”
Ryan sat at Matt’s desk and opened up a database through the FBI’s network on Matt’s laptop. “Hit me.”
Ryan’s access had probably thrown a giant red flag up on his IP address, but all things considered, Matt didn’t really care that much.
“There was a Lee Anderson. That didn’t last more than a month. And Nick something with a ‘W’. Williams? No. Winters?”
Clay snapped his fingers. “No, it was Winger, like the band!”
“That’s it! Thank you. And the only other one I can remember was Frank Hampton.”
“Good. Now do you remember any of those three leaving more bruises, or Trevor saying anything about them being overly possessive?” Clay asked.
“Sorry, no. The last time was early fall, maybe September, because Trevor was already wearing long sleeves. I only caught sight of them in the restroom when he was washing his hands one day, but I don’t know in what order he saw those guys.”
“Okay, I’ve got addresses and places of work on all three. I’m going to hand this over to the detective in charge. Maybe they can get alibis.”
Ryan started down Matt’s spiral staircase, phone already to his ear. Matt nuzzled Niall.
“See,caro? We’re already one step closer.”
Niall’s midnight eyes met Matt’s, and their foreheads touched.
“It’s been hours though, love. We have no idea what’s happened to him. What this guy has done. What if they’ve … hurt him? What if he’s…” Niall voice caught at the end.
“Don’t do this to yourself,caro. Don’t play that game. We’ll bring him home. Truly home. I’ve already spoken with a realtor about putting this place on the market. She thinks I can get a good return on my investment even in this economy. We’ll get Trevor out of his lease, and then the three of us will make a family. Your vision has become reality,caro. I can feel him. I can feel his spirit with us. He’s still here, he holding on, waiting for us to find him.”
“I want to hold him, Matt. I want him in my arms again.”
“I know. I do too, and we will. I promise.”
Matt looked over at the steps when he heard Ryan’s feet hit the metal treads. His breath caught, and his heart galloped in his chest.
“It’s done. They’ll send out some units in the morning to track down the three men.”
“In the morning?” Calleigh exclaimed.
“Without any evidence, they can’t just go banging on doors in the middle of the night,” Clay explained.
“Okay everybody. I think we all need to get some sleep at this point. Technically, it is morning. We’ll do Trevor no good if we’re too exhausted to think clearly when the news comes in,” Ryan said.
Matt’s hand smacked Niall’s ass. “Up,caro. Let’s see our guests to the door, then I’ll take you to bed.”
It took a few minutes, but eventually Matt’s condo emptied, and he shut off the lights. He turned and found an empty living room, but sounds from downstairs echoed up the stairwell.
He didn’t know if he would actually sleep, but at least he could hold Niall for a few hours.
“Matt?”
Matt heard Niall’s soft voice in the dark bedroom as clear as a shout across the room.
“Yes,caro?”
“Do you think it’d be wrong if we … never mind.”
