Someone was playing a sick fucking game with us.

While I fixed us some vegetable soup for supper using my momma's family recipe, I called Chris Bailey to update him on the weird kid. He had just been about to get off his shift but said he'd come drive around the neighborhood to try to find the little shit. The damn kid knew something about the person who shot my girlfriend. Maybe he could even identity him.

Whatever insane little fucker was behind the shooting would pay. Nobody hurt or frightened my girl and got away with it. Not on my watch. I couldn't protect her last time, but I'd be damn sure not to make that mistake again.

The soup's smell floated in the air, making my stomach rumble. It reminded me of the times I spent warming up by the fireplace, eating Momma's home-cooked soup after playing out in the freezing snow all day. Someday, my own little rugrats would come racing through the front door like we did, eager to warm up and eat. Hopefully, none of them were as picky as me and did something like pick out all the nasty green beans. In my soup, I never added them.

"Whatcha making?" Everly walked in the kitchen wearing her soft pink bathrobe. Her damp, long blonde hair fell over her shoulders, clinging to her pale, rosy cheeks.

"Vegetable soup," I said. "I didn't make a big pot since you said you have little of an appetite."

"It smells good." She took a seat on one of the cushioned dining room chairs.

I grabbed two bowls from the cabinet above the stove and poured some soup in each one. I served Everly's first.

She sighed. "I wish I could heal as fast as Emmett does. He's always back on his feet in no time after being shot or overdosing. If he were in my shoes, he'd be out driving around looking for the culprit while stuffing his face with peanut butter bars. I hate being so... weak." She swirled her spoon around the bowl. "I've only taken like four bites and I'm already full. I'm so tired too. I could crawl back into bed and lay there forever."

"Don't compare yourself to your brother. He isn't strong at all. Being on cocaine makes him feel powerful, but he really isn't. Emmett stopped taking care of himself when he started injecting that shit in his bloodstream. That's why he bounces back so easily. He doesn't recover because he's already fucked his body up," I replied. "You went through something so traumatic but you're not giving up or drowning your pain in drugs and booze. You're stronger than he'll ever be."

"You really think so?" She sipped her tea.

"Everly, I thought I would lose you that night. You lost so much blood," I told her. "We will find the guy who took our baby away from us. I know how hard it is right now, but healing has to be your first priority."

Once I finished my bowl, I went to clean the dishes and put them away. I didn't cook often because I rarely had the time. I wished I could prepare home-cooked meals more often for us. We ought to choose a day out of the week to stay at home and cook. We could take turns.

Everly suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist and kissed me. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I hope you never have to find out."

After supper, I led her back to her bed and laid down beside her on the fresh sheets I changed earlier. I held her close and rubbed her back until she dozed off again. I couldn't believe I almost lost her. Had the bullet hit her elsewhere, I would've been crying alone in bed, mourning two losses instead of one.

💀

I woke up to the sound of loud heavy metal as the sun peeked in from behind the closed curtains. Everly snored soundly beside me, unbothered by the racket outside. Rubbing at my tired eyes, I moved over to the window to see what dumbass would blare that crap so early in the morning.

One of Emmett's cars parked in the driveway, but it wasn't the blond bastard who climbed out. It was someone in a hoodie with grocery bags. I squinted my eyes against the foggy glass before recognition clicked. Kazimir. Of course he'd listen to something satanic like that. He probably just got done with his morning devil worshiping.

A red-headed woman climbed out of the passenger seat next. Had to be Everly's friend, Sydney. Jeez, why the hell were they there so early? Everly asked them to come over and keep her company while I went out investigating with Chris today, but I didn't plan on doing that until later.

I forced myself to go unlock the front door and let them in. Covering a yawn, I greeted Everly's friends and shivered when a blast of cold air rushed in with them.

"How's it going, Adam?" Sydney asked. "You just get outta bed?"

"Yeah, I did."

Sydney pulled her hood down, letting her short red curls bounce free. She tossed her black jacket on the couch and kicked her boots off. Freckles covered her cheeks and nose while her arms were covered in sleeves of tattoos. She worked downtown at the tattoo parlor, Ink About It. Everly got most of her tattoos from her too.

Kaz rubbed his nose with his sleeve, clutching a plastic bag at his side. He wore a black hoodie with Bring Me the Horizon printed on it. Whatever the hell that meant.

"What's in the bag?" I asked him.

"Just some snacks, movies, and card games to keep busy," Kaz replied.

"Is Emmett gonna drop by?" I peeked out the window, expecting the blond bastard to come walking up the driveway.

"No, he's busy with Everly's drug clients," Kaz explained. "Mine too since I'm here. He's not thrilled about it, but I wanted to come make sure she's okay."

"Fuck, it's like he doesn't even care about his own sister," I said. "His precious drug business is all he cares about."

"That's not true." Kaz jumped to his partner's defense. "He's been calling and texting her constantly after what happened. He was upset about her kicking him out of her hospital room, so he gave her some distance."

I fought back a yawn. "I don't care what he does. Anyway, I'm gonna hop in the shower real quick then call Detective Bailey so we can try to find the brat who keeps coming around."

"What brat?" Sydney asked, furrowing her brows.

"There's this kid who keeps coming around the house. First, he took pictures of the place while Everly was in the hospital, then he came by last night but some stray cats scared him off."

"Jesus, y'all can't catch a break," Sydney said. "You think he's got something to do with what happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" I shrugged.

"You think the person who tried to kill Everly sent him?" Kaz asked. "To throw you off guard?"

I scratched my chin. "Possibly. We're hoping he might know something about the person, if that's who sent him."

"Yeah, he could just be a little pervert and have nothing to do with anything," Sydney suggested.

Somehow, I didn't believe that was the case. I'd learn soon enough.

💀

After I climbed out of the shower and got dressed, Everly woke up. Her messy bedhead was adorable.

"You heading out?" Everly yawned as she sat up.

"Yeah, Chris should be here soon," I told her. "Sydney and Kaz are in the living room waiting for ya."

"Tell me what y'all find, okay? And be careful."

I nodded. "I will."

Everly climbed out of the cozy pink covers and stretched. She stepped over to the closet, rummaging through her endless hangers of outfits. I swear she had a damn mini mall in there. After settling on some black sweatpants and a colorful Mickey Mouse sweater, she removed her nightclothes. I sure enjoyed the view too.

She pulled the colorful sweater over her perky boobs and shimmied her hips into those sweatpants. God, she was so sexy and beautiful. How did I get so lucky?

"I love you so much." I pulled her in my arms, kissing her soft lips. "I'd love to just stay here in bed with you all day."

"I love you too."

Her sweet smile melted almost all my worries. I couldn't resist kissing her again.

"Call me if you need anything, okay? I don't know how long we'll be gone," I told her.

"I will. But I should be fine. Sydney and Kaz are here with me."

Leaving Everly's side wasn't ideal, but I needed answers. Despite taking some personal days off work, I couldn't stay away from the investigation. I trusted my colleagues, but I had to be out there searching too. I'd always been tough on Chris because I didn't want him to quit on us. He had a good heart, although he could be naive sometimes. I was so damn grateful for him helping me with this. Anyone else would've advised me to stay at home and let them handle it.

After getting my shit together, I hurried down the driveway to the parked police cruiser, where Detective Bailey waited for me. Mist surrounded the neighborhood homes like a swarm of angry ghosts, and the strong winds damn near knocked me over. The defroster struggled to keep the windshield from fogging up.

"Good morning." Chris smiled. "Chilly out this morning, isn't it?"

"I almost froze my ass off coming out here," I replied.

"How's Everly doing?" he asked.

"She's doing well. She's strong as hell. Just wish she realized that," I told him.

"I'm glad she's doing well. How are you holding up?"

"I'm not the one who got shot," I said. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

"The love of your life almost died, and she miscarried your baby. It's okay to be upset and grieving. You don't need to put on this tough act around me."

"I'm fine, Chris. Really. I just need to find the fucker who hurt her."

"And I'll do everything I can to help you."

Chris kept the police cruiser in tip-top shape while I'd been away these past few days. I expected him to slip up and leave some food wrappers or energy drink cans lying around. I did it whenever my former training officer had to take leave for a gunshot wound. I cleaned it up after every shift though so he wouldn't chew my ass out.

I didn't miss that bastard at all. He used to get pissed off at me for my chocolate wrappers when he'd come to work with Krispy Kreme donut crumbs all over his uniform. All those donuts and beer killed him last year when he had a heart-attack at the liquor store in Viper Valley.

"How'd you find this kid's address?" I plopped a heart-shaped Reese Cup in my mouth.

"I just asked around the neighborhoods, told them about a kid who's been snapping photos of people's homes. He causes mischief on Oakhurst Drive, where he lives with his parents. Like stealing other kids' bikes and videotaping prank videos," Chris explained. "His name's James Nelson."

"Good work on finding the brat," I told him.

Chris beamed, gripping the steering wheel. "Thank you, sir."

The kid lived a few houses down from Everly on the dead end street, so it didn't take long to get there. Being out in the countryside, she only had a few neighbors. I was glad she didn't live anywhere in town. Detective Bailey pulled in front of an off white shotgun house and parked. Wind whipped my hair and yanked at my jacket as I climbed out, slamming the door behind me. I ate another peanut butter cup as I made my way up to the front door. It was colder than a well-digger's ass. Fuck, I missed being pressed up against Everly's warm body in bed.

I shifted back and forth on my feet after pounding my fist on the door a few times. Detective Bailey announced his presence after using the actual doorbell I hadn't cared to notice. The curtains rustled inside before a lock clicked and a petite lady poked her head outside.

"How can I help you officers this morning?"

"We're looking for your son, James," Chris told her. "He's here with you, right? Or has he already gone off to school?"

"He was just getting ready for the bus." Mrs. Nelson folded her arms across her chest, allowing the wind to blow the door open a tad more. "What's this all about?"

"I caught your kid snooping around my girlfriend's house a few days ago and he showed up again yesterday evening," I told her.

"Shit. Not this again." Mrs. Nelson bit her lip, seeming to gaze out behind us, before opening her door all the way. "Come inside before you catch a cold out there. I'll get James. He's still up in his room finishing his homework he didn't bother to mention until just a couple minutes ago."

I stepped inside the small house with Chris, who shut the wind out behind him. It was a homely little house. Mrs. Nelson hung photos of her family on the walls and mounted up minor achievements the brat somehow earned.

Unsure of where to stand, we remained in front of the door. I checked my phone for any messages, grinning when I read the one Everly sent about beating Kaz at Black Jack. Apparently he sucked at almost every single card game he brought.

I stuffed my phone back down in my pocket when Mrs. Nelson returned with her son, James by her side, who wore his school uniform. Fear spread across the brat's face as he snuggled close to his mom.

"They're here to arrest me!" James wailed. "Don't let them take me away."

"If you don't answer our questions, we just might," I warned him.

Detective Bailey face-palmed, sighing. "Nobody's getting arrested, okay? We just want to talk. Can you show us the pictures you took of the house?"

"I gave my camera to the witch," James said.

Detective Bailey and I shared mutual looks of confusion. Did I hear him right? Witch?

"What do you mean?" I asked him, hoping for clarification.

"That's who gave me twenty bucks," James said. "She bought me ice cream yesterday and gave me another twenty, but she told me I had to go back to your house or she'd take it away."

"What did she want you to do at the house?" I questioned.

"Break the windows, but I got too scared and ran home," James answered.

Mrs. Nelson seemed concerned. "Where did you meet this lady? You know what me and your father have told you about talking to strangers."

"But she's a girl. Girls aren't bad," James replied. "I met her when I was playing basketball with Johnny."

"That's his friend across the street," Mrs. Nelson clarified.

"Is Johnny in on this too?" Chris asked him.

"Nope. The witch only asked me to do it," James said. "Am I in trouble?"

I sighed. "No, but you can't be doing this kind of stuff anymore. It's illegal to take pictures like that around someone's home without someone knowing. Someone else might not be so lenient next time. They could even try to hurt you if they don't realize you're just a kid."

James glared down at his bare feet in shame. "Sorry. I just did what the witch wanted."

"Why do you call her a witch?" I asked him. "Is that what she told you?"

"No, I don't know her name. She has long black hair like a witch and a black a dress," James said.

I scratched at my chin. "That's strange. Is there anything else you can tell us about her? How do you contact the witch?"

"We meet up at the Wallflower," James replied. "After school."

That diner belonged to none other than Emmett Larson himself. Well, it wasn't technically owned by him, but he did his drug business there. Everly worked there with her brother and helped him out with his drug dealing sometimes. She'd made me swear to secrecy because it would land her in deep shit if Emmett or any of the other Voiceless Rebel gang members learned she revealed that to me.

"You know when she expects to see you again?" Chris asked.

James shook his head. "Yesterday she said it would be the last time I'd see her."

"I see," Chris said. "Anything else you can tell us?"

James shook his head. "That's it."

"Okay, well thank you for your time. We apologize for interrupting you this morning," Detective Bailey told them. "Please call me if you see or contact this strange woman again." He scribbled his personal phone number down and handed it to the lady.

"We will. Y'all have a nice day now," Mrs. Nelson told us.

We hurried back into the warm police cruiser, where I ate three more peanut butter cups. I wished I'd stashed more in my pockets before leaving my girlfriend's house.

"That was weird," Detective Bailey said.

"Yeah, I know. A witch? It almost seems like the kid's making shit up," I replied.

"Didn't you notice how antsy the mom acted too?" Chris asked. "Maybe it was just because we showed up at her house so unexpectedly? I don't know. Something doesn't feel right."

"You think she's hiding something?"

Chris shrugged. "Maybe? You think she might know about the witch lady?"

"If she does, why keep it a secret?"

"I'm not sure. I could be picking at straws here," Chris said.

"No, I'm not debunking your theory. I think you're right. Mrs. Nelson could be hiding something, but what?"

Chris drove us out of Oakhurst Drive. "That's the million dollar question."

Did a witch really try to kill my girlfriend on Valentine's day?