Page 48 of Begin Again
“He’s an adult,” Alex says. “He has the right to disappear without telling anyone.”
"Ha il diritto di scomparire?"I repeat my brother-in-law’s words. “He has the right to leave his wife and his child?”
“There weren’t any signs of foul play, Nina,” Kai says. “Nothing indicates that something happened or went wrong. The only thing missing is Dad’s old Jeep, the one Nick fixed up.”
The 1985 Jeep C-7 Laredo Wrangler. Cream-colored with a dark brown fabric top. It was my dad’s favorite car, but my mother was adamant he needed something more professional and reliable. Daddy tucked it away in the garage at the Haven house after that. Eventually, it broke down, but he couldn’t bear the thought of parting with it, so the old car sat in the garage for years until Nick got his hands on it. It’s been running like a champ ever since. Daddy would be happy to know someone is getting some use out of it.
“I cannot believe this,” I huff, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth, and look up at the ceiling. How could they let it get this far? How could they go so long without telling me? Had they come to me earlier, we probably could’ve found him by now. The weight begins to build in my chest again, mounting with an ever-increasing pressure that feels like it’s going to implode at any moment. “He didn’t…He wouldn’t. I can’t—”
“Nina, breathe.” My brother reaches for me, but I push him away.
“Don’t. Don’t fucking touch me.”
With a shaky breath, I order them all out of the room. They try to argue, but I don’t have time for arguments. When they’re gone, I barricade myself in the bathroom, falling back against the door and finally letting the tears fall.
Nick is gone.
I’m in Haven because my husband is missing. He’s been missing for at least three days, maybe four. No one seems to know for sure.
The only thing that keeps coming to mind is how we left things the last time we saw each other. We were too busy fighting and now I can’t remember if we told each other we loved each other.
Did we? I don’t know.
The whole fight was stupid, a simple misunderstanding that I now have answers to. The problem wasn’t just the flowers though, it was a culmination of all the other small things that led up to him finding the card and the flowers. The pot had finally boiled over and now I may never get the chance to make it up to him…
“Nina, what a surprise!” As I walk into the sheriff’s station, the older woman at the front desk lights up. On a normal day, I would stand and chat with Flo for a few minutes, but not today. I can’t even bring myself to give her much of a smile as I walk up to the desk.
“Where is Beau?”
“Well, he’s in a…meetin’ right now. But I’m sure he’ll—”
I don’t wait for her to finish, marching past the front desk straight to the office door labeledSheriff Beau Turner.Whatevermeetinghe’s in is going to have to wait. Flo calls after me, but I don’t hesitate to open the door without knocking. A shriek sounds from behind the desk, and a pair of wide green eyes look around the bare-backed blonde to meet my gaze.
“I am so glad this is what my tax dollars go to.”
“Nina! What the hell?” Beau scrambles to cover himself and the girl does the same, jumping away from him. She collects her belongings, tripping over her feet and running out of the office. This isn’t the first time I’ve caught him in a compromising position, but it will be the last if he doesn’t get his ass in gear and do something to find my husband. “You can’t just—”
“Honestly, Beau, now is not the time for your shit.”
Beau Turner is the current sheriff of Spruce County, headquartered right here in our town of Haven, Colorado. He is the youngest sheriff elected to office in the jurisdiction’s history. While Beau has proved himself to be a great leader in the community, he wouldn’t have been elected three years ago without our support—something he, luckily, hasn’t forgotten. It’s nothing I like to hold over his head, but in this instance, I’m going to do just that.
Beau shuts the door and finishes buttoning his shirt, straightening it out, and rolling up the sleeves. He adjusts the belt buckle and briefly stretches his knees before falling into hischair behind the desk. He motions for me to do the same, but I continue to stand in the middle of the room.
“Are you ready or do you need a few more minutes?” I ask, brow raised.
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Villa?”
“Cut the shit, Beau. You have a missing person’s case you’re four days behind on.”
“Excuse me?” It’s his turn to raise a brow. “And tell me,whois missing?”
“My husband.”
I can visibly see his heart stop and start back up again. The color drains from his face and his green eyes look like they might bulge from his head. His mouth opens and closes.
“Two days ago, my brother-in-law and his cousin came in to file a missing person report. However, it would seem one of your deputies told them the person probably needed some time…some space. Not to worry too much, because they’d come back when they’re ready.”
Beau scrubs his hands down his face with a heavy sigh. “Nick is—”
