Page 51 of Coming Unraveled
“I can’t do it, man. And it’s not that I don’t want to, ok,” he adds as Nikki scowls at him from the kitchen. “I don’t know where she is. All I know is that she’s somewhere safe where she can be watched over. No one is going to hurt her, so calm down.”
He had been fine as he listened to Austin’s response, but the moment Brooks is asked to calm down his fury spikes once more. His fists clench in his hands and he yearns to reach out and pummel the man in front of him.
Clenching his teeth Brooks seethes as he says, “If anyone is going to watch over her it is going to be me. And if you won’t help me then I am going to find someone who will.”
Storming from the house he allows the screen door to snap behind him as he stomps back to his car. He hadn’t been able to locate Jameson, probably the only brother with the skills to locate his sister or Ryker who had most likely paid for her travels. So, Brooks heads back into town to find the one person with as many secrets as Everleigh.
The lights in the tattoo parlor are off except for a lone bright light pouring from an office in the back.
“Cliff?” Brooks asks into the room as he steps further into the shop. He knows that Cliff liked to hang out at his shop more often than he does in his apartment upstairs. The two don’t know each other very well but have tossed back a few beers together at Horizons.
The man in question wheels out into the hallway in his desk chair and then beckons him back.
“What can I do for you, man?” he questions as he points to a small couch in the corner. “Finally going to take the plunge to get that tat you’ve been eyeing?”
Brooks watches in amazement as Cliff hand draws an amazing dragon design onto transfer paper.
“No, not today. I was hoping I could get your help with something else. Something personal.”
The pen in his hand instantly drops, clinking in the quiet room as Cliff turns back around in his chair to face Brooks.
“What do you need?” the heavily tattooed man asks with concern and a hint of skepticism.
“I’m sure you’ve read or heard about the article posted about Everleigh.” Cliff nods so Brooks continues. “Well she’s gone and I need to find her.”
“What is it with this family getting into trouble?” Cliff adds remembering how Sydney had been kidnapped earlier in the year and Austin had an employee and ex-girlfriend try to have him killed. Not to mention Harlan, Cassidy’s new husband, being drugged and held against his will.
Luckily all were found safe and alive, but the town harbors more mysteries and high-ranking military and government people than most big cities.
“Well, this time it’s different. She wasn’t kidnapped, she just…left. And no one will tell me where she is.”
“Hm…it seems that she doesn’t want you to know her whereabouts. Why should I help you?”
Beginning to panic and needing the help Brooks knows that Cliff can provide, he acknowledges a little-known secret about the man, and about himself – their marriages.
“Because she’s my wife.”
Brooks watches as the man’s eyes glaze over before he stands from his chair with such force that the seat continues to spin.
“Come with me,” he commands and Brooks dutifully follows him up the back stairs to the apartment upstairs and then into a small room where a computer resides.
Scanning his finger in a biometric reader, Cliff logs into the computer and begins typing aimlessly into some databases.
“Is what you’re doing legal?” Brooks asks as he tries to interpret all the numbers and letters flashing across the screen in rapid succession.
“Would it matter if it isn’t?” Cliff retorts as a piece of paper starts feeding through the printer in the corner.
“No, not at all.”
Cliff stands and retrieves the document, scans its contents, and then nods before handing it to Brooks. “Here you go.”
Cursing, Brooks reads over the paper and is amazed at all the detailed information Cliff is able to pull on Everleigh and her location.
“Man, what did you do before you came here?”
He shrugs and then turns off the computer. “I have extensive military background. That’s all you need to know. And for the record, the men keeping an eye on your girl are top notch. No one will come near her on their watch. That will include you as well.”
“What can I do to fix that?”
