Page 12 of Knight

“Dad, it’s a stick,” Kels argues.

“Which he should learn how to drive,” I argue right back at her. “He’s not gonna hurt it any worse than Caleb or you did when you first started learning how to drive. Let him grow up.”

“Yeah, Mom,” D grins over at her. “Let me grow up.”

In the back of my mind, I wonder if Taylor had ever told her parents the same thing.

Chapter Nine

Rina

"Are you sure you're up for this?" I ask Mason as he stands in the hallway, glancing down at his phone. "We can have a cookout later. It's not a must have."

He gives me a look. "Yes it is, you and I both know it. This is the type of shit you live for. When you can have all your kids and grandkids together, you can get me behind the grill, and you can make a cake that everyone will be talking about for weeks. This is you. Am I distracted? Yeah, I am. But I'm always gonna be here for my family."

"What's got you distracted today?" I ask, putting my hands on his hips.

"There's a tip that came into the line. I feel good about it, but I need to do some research first."

"Have you gotten any leads that look as if they'll be leading you to her?" I'm careful in how I ask. Sometimes it makes him angry; the fact he hasn't been able to find Taylor. Other times he's sad.

"I've gotten more leads than I ever expected, but they haven't been good. Most of them have been shit. This one that came through last night, though? When we're done here and the kids go home? There's some video I want to look at."

"Video from what?"

He levels me with a serious look. "The school. I have a fucking feeling this guy found her at the school."

Dread flows through my body. I hate to hear that. The kids that go to Laurel Springs High mean everything to me. I've spent most of my adult life there, trying to make sure the kids in our district have the best of everything. To know they might have been targeted on our watch cuts deep. "Do you really think so? That's dangerous, Mase. What are we doing if we can't keep these kids safe?"

"It's not even about keeping them safe," he replies, running a hand through his hair. "It's about changing what that means. These predators, they get smarter. They share info with each other, and then they're on the dark web, making programs that teach others how to stay out of our crosshairs. We've got to be smarter than them, but we always seem to be behind them. I don't know what we're gonna do, Rina. I live in fear that Ella or Molly is next, and that's exactly why I work so hard, why I wanted this job in the first place. If I can't overcome this obstacle, what kind of a cop am I? What kind of a man am I? What kind of a father, husband, or grandfather am I? I can't live with myself, babe. If I can't find this fucker and nail his ass to the wall, I absolutely can't live with myself."

I know this about him; that he takes everything he does personally. That he refuses to let himself fail, even if it's to the detriment of what he's trying to do. "You're going to figure this out."

"I love you for thinking so, but I'm trying to be realistic."

Standing up on my tiptoes, I press a kiss to his lips. "You be realistic and I'll believe in you like I always do. Now come on, we gotta get the food going. The kids will be here soon."

Taking his hand I lead him into the kitchen, hoping to distract him from the thoughts running wild in his mind.

"Did you already start marinating the steaks?" he questions, staring into the fridge he just opened.

"Yeah, started them last night while I was waiting for you to come home."

He grimaces. "Sorry I was so late."

"Mase, I knew what I was in for when I married you. There are long nights, early mornings, days when I don't hear from you and I'm terrified, but I understand that's what I signed up for. None of that bothers me."

"Are you sure? There's something going on with Ruby and Caleb. I think she's having a hard time coming to grips with what his job entails. I think they're marriage is suffering. If you're having any sort of issue, tell me. I want to get in front of it."

Closing the distance between us, I wrap my arms around his neck, forcing his eyes to meet mine. "I have no issues with you or our life together. As far as Caleb goes? He's an adult and we have to let him handle his marriage how he sees fit. We can be there for all of them, but they're adults."

He groans. "I know."

"C'mon, we gotta get this stuff going before they get here."

"Alright, I'm heading out to the grill," he says as he grabs the plate with all the marinated meat on it.

Watching him leave, I hope that when he does find Taylor, he's able to let go of the fact he wasn't able to find her within forty-eight hours. This man of mine takes his job as seriously as anyone else I've ever seen. In the end, I hope it doesn't destroy him.

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