Forbidden E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Mason O’Connor knows his place in the world. Save a few good guys, eliminate a few bad guys, and keep to himself. He wasn’t always on the right side of that equation, and he paid for his sins. At least, that’s what most people said. Most, but not all. 

Megan O’Keefe needs a break from the mundane life she created for herself. Every day was the same, and a change of scenery and a month with her brother and his elite team sounded like a perfect escape. A little action, a new place, and the scenery wasn’t so bad. And she’s not talking about Niagara Falls. 

After a chance encounter with someone from his past, Mason lets down his guard and lets Megan get a little too close. She wakes up in his bed and declares she’s going to stay with him for the rest of her trip. 

There’s only one problem. Someone in Mason’s past isn’t willing to let another woman into his life. And she’s not the only one unhappy about the two of them being together.

Leseprobe

FORBIDDEN

F-BOMB: SEALS LOVE CURVES, BOOK 7

MARY E THOMPSON

Forbidden

F-BOMB: SEALs Love Curves, book 7

Copyright © 2021 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2021 Mary E Thompson

Cover Photo from depositphotos, Copyright © roman.l.olegovic

Background from depositphotos, Copyright © yupiramos

Flag from Pixabay, CC0

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-953879-02-8

Print ISBN: 978-1-953879-03-5

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-953879-04-2

Created with Vellum

F-BOMB: SEALS LOVE CURVES

Welcome to the world of F-BOMB where a group of former SEALs have come together to protect the curvy women they love and the country they call home from the dangers of the world. They have the training and the knowledge, and they have the ability to kick some ass when needed. And it’ll be needed.

F-BOMB: SEALs LOVE CURVES

Freedom

Fiancée (subscriber exclusive)

Forgotten

First

Failure

Friends

Family

Forbidden

Future

Finally

SUBSCRIBE NOW AT MARYETHOMPSON.COM

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

About the Author

For all the things we can’t have…but get anyway!

1

Megan O’Keefe stepped off the plane and took a breath of fresh air. Well, not fresh. Airport air. But it was better than the air on the plane. She was on the ground and ready.

The walk through the airport was quick, and she found her bags without any trouble. When she got outside, the line of cars waiting to pick people up almost brought tears to her eyes. She didn’t have anyone there. But she could have. She was the one who chose to surprise her brother.

The cab dropped Megan off in front of Justin’s house, Slade according to his friends, and for the first time since she came up with her plan, she faltered. Since she didn’t tell her brother she was coming, she had no idea if he would be home.

“Crap,” she said.

Instead of chasing down the cab that had left her at the end of the driveway, Megan grabbed the handles of her suitcases and headed up to the house. Maybe Justin and Kyra were there. Maybe she’d get lucky.

She rang the doorbell and was immediately met with a loud barking that only got louder as she stood there. After a second, a voice, Justin’s voice, shouted over the dog.

“Megan? Are you seriously at my house right now?”

“Hi, big brother! I wanted to come up and visit before your wedding.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s a surprise! I wanted to meet Kyra and your friends and see what’s so great about Niagara Falls. You know, besides the obvious.”

“Awesome. I’m so glad you’re here. Um, but I’m not home.”

“Yeah, sorry. I should have called you. I really didn’t think this through.”

“It’s fine. I promise. Listen, Kyra and I are just finishing up with work. We’ll head out shortly. You can go around to the back and hang out there if you want. I don’t have one of those doors I can unlock from here. We’ll be there as soon as we can be.”

“That sounds good. I can use some of this Niagara Falls sunshine.”

“Because you don’t get enough at home.”

Megan forced a smile for her brother and chuckled. “Something like that.”

“Okay, I’m gonna go so we can head out. See you soon.”

“Yep. Bye!”

Megan wasn’t sure if the camera thing in the doorbell was still on, but Justin was silent, so she assumed he signed off. She looked at the well-manicured lawn and the massive trees around the property. There wasn’t another house in sight from where she stood. With how loud the barking inside was, she couldn’t say she was surprised.

Megan grabbed her bags again and dragged them through the grass to the patio in back. It ran the length of the house and extended at least ten feet. There was plenty of grass beyond the patio before the tree line interrupted the open area for the dog to run around.

The dog. Megan turned to the full glass doors to see if she could spot the front door from where she was. He was looking back at her.

“Oh, you are the cutest thing ever, aren’t you?” she cooed to him through the glass. He smiled and wagged his tail. “You know you are, don’t you? Hi, Howler. I’m Auntie Megan. I can’t wait to come inside and give you a big hug. But for now, I have to sit out here.”

Megan left her bags next to the door and picked a chair facing the woods. She sat down, relieving the pressure on her back. Standing and sitting on an airplane for hours was murder on her body. She wasn’t the healthiest person, even under normal circumstances, but it was worse when she was forced to cram herself into a tiny seat. Her oversized body was not built for airplanes.

After sitting for a few minutes, Megan kicked off her shoes and went out onto the grass. It was warm on the surface but cool underneath and refreshing to her tired feet. She stretched and moved her body, trying to work out the kinks. She took a deep breath and thanked God for delivering her there safely.

Megan went back to her chair and sank into it. The warm afternoon sun soothed her. She hadn’t been sleeping well, and before she knew it, she was drifting off in the chair, not a care in the world.

“Megan,” Justin called out, startling her awake.

“Hey. Hi. I’m here. I’m up.” Megan swung her feet over the edge of the chair and looked up at her brother. God, it was good to see him.

“Come on, little sis. You need some rest and food.”

“Are you going to cook for me?” Megan teased.

“Yep. I’m a pretty good cook. But you can help if you’d like. First, Megan, I want you to meet my soon-to-be wife. This is Kyra.”

Kyra was standing at the door holding on to Howler’s collar as he strained to get away. She waved and Howler lunged, nearly breaking her grasp.

“Dude, calm down,” Kyra said with a laugh. “Sorry, he’s even more excited that you’re here than Slade. Are you okay with dogs?”

Megan nodded. “Absolutely. I told him I couldn’t wait to give him a big hug.”

“He’s not going to wait long, either. I’m letting him go. Are you ready?”

Megan chuckled and nodded. Howler took off as soon as the resistance against his collar was gone. He ran toward her and made it about halfway before his hind legs gave out and his butt hit the patio. He didn’t stop, though, just scrambled through it until he reached Megan.

Megan laughed and leaned forward to wrap her arms around Howler’s neck. He panted happily while she rubbed his body and told him what a good boy he was.

“He’s a spoiled rotten creature,” Justin said playfully. “And he knows it.”

Howler looked up at his owner like he was a god. Justin grinned at the dog. Megan knew she made the right choice coming early. She needed to see the life her brother had. Decide if it was a life she wanted. Not that she was telling him that. Nope. As far as he was going to know, she was just visiting. When she made her final decision, then Megan would tell him she planned to move there.

“Come on. Let’s head in. We can start dinner. What are you in the mood for?” Justin asked.

Megan kissed Howler once more, then stood and hugged her brother. “I’ll eat anything. You know that.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“Me, too,” Kyra said, gesturing her own full figure.

Megan was happy to see Kyra was a woman like her. Not as big, but not tiny either. She knew it wasn’t entirely fair, but Megan always felt more comfortable with women who carried a little extra weight like she did.

“You’re beautiful. And I’m so excited to get to know you better. You can tell me all about this lump of muscle and why in the world you decided to fall for his charm,” Megan said, looping her arm through Kyra’s.

Kyra laughed and said, “He’s definitely charming. I’ll give him that.”

Justin grumbled behind them as they headed inside. Howler trotted along next to his owner. The boys went to the kitchen while the ladies sat on the couch and talked.

“His teammates are awesome,” Kyra said. “You’re going to love everyone. They all wanted to come over and meet you, but Slade told them to give you a couple of days to settle in. If you’re okay with it, they’re all going to come over on Friday.”

“All of them?” Megan asked. Fooling her brother was one thing, but deceiving an entire group of SEALs trained to sniff out lies and half-truths was very much another.

Kyra nodded. “Yeah. We all get together all the time. At least once every weekend everyone comes here or we all go to one of the other houses. These guys are all really close.”

“That’s very cool. I’ve never liked any of my coworkers enough to want to spend time with them outside of work.”

“I thought you were dating someone from work?” Justin asked.

Megan shook her head and forced the emotion back. “No, that was just casual. It’s done now. He wasn’t worth my time.” Or my child’s. The thought threatened the tears Megan fought desperately to hold back. “Hey, sorry, can I use your bathroom?”

“Oh, my gosh, of course,” Kyra said. “I’m so sorry. I never thought. It’s down the hall, first door on the right.”

“Thanks.”

Megan followed Kyra’s directions and locked the door behind herself before the tears made it to her cheeks. She’d cried enough tears for that asshat, but she hadn’t cried for her child yet. The tiny, helpless unborn baby just starting its life inside her.

The ex that Megan thought was at least a friend told her the baby couldn’t be his because they were not exclusive and he always wore a condom. Megan thought they could have been more than friends who occasionally slept together, but he was screwing other women. She told him he was probably right and ran. Because what else was she going to do? Saddle her child with a useless father for the rest of their life? Saddle herself with a worthless man? Nope. She was going to raise her child on her own. Maybe near Justin and Kyra and Justin’s army of friends.

Megan used the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She sucked in a deep breath and shoved down the emotions. She could do this. She had to do this. For her baby.

* * *

Mason O’Connor stared at the man in the mirror and wondered where his life went. He had hopes and dreams once upon a time. He wanted kids, a full life with his wife. They talked about the house they were going to have one day, the backyard they would have for their family to play in.

Mason glared at his reflection. He was the one who ruined that. He let the outside world get into his head and he pulled the trigger on his own wife. Ending all their dreams in seconds.

It wasn’t the first time a nightmare had woken him, but it was the first time in a while. The first year after she died, he barely slept. When he did, he saw her face. Lifeless and cold. It haunted him. But after a year, the dreams began to fade. Mostly thanks to the help of the court mandated psychologist he saw in prison.

Mason shook his head and forced himself away from the memories. He got dressed, swallowed a cup of coffee, and punished himself with a long run. By the time he got back, his muscles were screaming for relief. Instead of a hot shower like he wanted, he settled for a quick, lukewarm one so he would feel it all day. Remind himself that the pain he felt was nothing compared to the pain he’d caused.

He drank another cup of coffee and ate some toast before heading to work. Things had been quiet for the last few days, and if he knew anything about the kind of work they did, quiet only lasted so long.

As soon as he set foot in the office, he knew the quiet was over for a while. The team was running around. They weren’t in gear, but they were busy.

“What’s going on?” Mason asked Jack as he brushed past.

“We caught a new case. Missing firefighter.”

“Why are we being called in on something like that?”

“All hands, dude.”

Mason nodded and followed Jack into the conference room. Jack was the jokester of the group, always ready to make everyone laugh, but he wasn’t smiling. Shit was serious.

They already had their war board full of data, including a large picture of the man who was missing. Mason didn’t recognize him, but he knew the Niagara Fire uniform. The clean cut, smiling man in the photo had no shadows in his eyes, no demons hiding. The guy looked like an ordinary man. Which only made Mason wonder…

“What’s the story?” he asked Dex as he put another picture on the board.

Dex was the unofficial second in command. He was crazy smart and unmatched when it came to putting pieces of a puzzle together. And he was a damn good shot when he needed to be.

“His wife thought he was on shift when he didn’t come home. Said he usually calls, but it’s not unheard of for him to forget since time seems to blend together for these guys. When she didn’t hear from him on the second day, she reached out to the station. They said he was supposed to be there three days ago but never showed up. Seventy-two hours missing. Cops tracked his phone, but it’s dark. English is going through cameras, and the rest of us are helping dig into his life. Grab a spot and pick an area to search.”

Mason nodded and took a seat at one of the computers in the room. He pulled up social media first, fumbling through the program he wasn’t familiar with. Mason didn’t use any social media. There wasn’t a person alive who cared about his day-to-day life, so he kept it to himself. But someone cared about this guy.

Mason kept searching, looking for anything about the firefighter, Wray Allen. He went through photos his wife posted of the two of them, then searched through all the people in those photos to see if there was anything that could tell them where he might be.

By the time he looked up, it was lunch.

“We all need a break,” Dunn said. Daniel Dunn was their elected boss. The SEALs, except Mason, built F-BOMB together, but they chose Dunn to run the operation. He was their XO in the Navy and the man the rest of them decided to work under. Dunn and Dex ran a tight ship. They were efficient and effective, and damn good leaders.

When Mason joined the team, he was surprised how easily they welcomed him in. Their first introduction wasn’t simple, but once they realized he wasn’t stalking Kelsea, things went a little more smoothly. She kept inviting him to gatherings with the group and after a while, they asked him to help out with some of their jobs. Before long, he was offered a salary and an office.

And a new place to call home.

Mason grabbed a sandwich from one of the platters Dunn delivered. He snagged a bag of chips and a bottle of water also. They all ate in relative silence, their minds on the man they were searching for.

After lunch, Dunn stood in front of the board and asked what they were missing.

“I haven’t found anything to indicate he’s having an affair,” English said. As the computer expert of the group, he was the one tasked with finding information that wasn’t publicly available, like searching the man’s phone records and his inboxes.

“Okay, good. What about family or friends? Anyone with a shady past?”

“No,” Dex said. “Not that I’ve seen. He spends time with the other firefighters. His wife spends time with their wives. His circle is small. Dad was a firefighter. His sister is a firefighter. He has a cousin who’s a firefighter. This guy is in deep, and he’s squeaky. Not even an unpaid parking ticket.”

“What are we missing?” Dunn asked.

They all stared at the board with the man’s life on display. Something wasn’t there. Something that could tell them what happened to him. People didn’t just disappear. There was always a trace. The hard part was finding that trace and seeing it for what it was.

“Let’s start at the beginning,” Archer said. “He was reported missing on day three, but what happened the last day he was seen. Where was he? What did he do? Who did he see? When were his last social media posts? Let’s paint a picture of his life up until he vanished from it.”

“He was home over the weekend,” Jack said. “Dinner with his family Sunday night. Wife said that’s their normal routine. She doesn’t remember anything odd happening. They were at his parents’ house, came home afterward, watched TV, and went to bed.”

“Monday he supposedly went to work, right?” Archer asked.

“Yes,” Rocky agreed. “Monday he left, his wife went to work, and since he was working, she didn’t think anything of him not being home. He should have been home Tuesday, but she assumed he picked up an extra shift. Wednesday, she called the station. They said they hadn’t seen him all week.”

“Why didn’t they call Monday when he didn’t show up?” Dex asked.

They all looked around the room. No one had an answer.

“Dig there,” Dunn said. “Who at the station was he friends with? Who should have made that call? Look into the chief and the lieutenant, his bunkmate, best friend, anyone who would have made an excuse or covered this up.”

Heads down, they all started digging. Dex got on the phone with the local PD to get statements from the other firefighters. They went through everything.

“Call records. One of the other firefighters called our guy. Thirty-seven seconds. I’m trying right now to find…” English trailed off. He hit a button and leaned back as another voice filled the room.

“Where the hell are you? I covered for you, but you need to call me. I don’t know what is going on with you lately, but this shit is not okay. I can’t keep doing this. Call me.”

The room was silent as they all looked around at each other.

“Well, we have our first lead. Find out what this guy knows. Now.”

2

Megan stood at the stove stirring the rice and thinking about her decision to leave home. One day in and she was already bored. Even if she’d told Justin and Kyra she was coming, they still would have had to work. Most people couldn’t take three or four weeks off and not lose their jobs.

Technically, Megan was not on vacation. She told her boss she’d call in and keep in touch with her clients. Being the top sales agent for their area, he couldn’t say no to her. Which was exactly what she was counting on.

But spending all day without a schedule and without calls to make had her ready to pull her hair out. Megan liked people. She liked to talk to people. Being alone with her thoughts was dangerous because she always ended up making poor decisions. Like the time she decided to give herself bangs. Very bad idea.

Howler let out a yelp and scared Megan. He raced to the door and howled at it. Megan clamped a hand over her ears and called out to him to stop yelling.

Then she heard the keys in the door.

“You are such a crazy dog,” Kyra said as soon as the door opened. “We’re right here.”

She gently moved Howler from in front of the door and made room for Justin to walk in after her. His hand lingered on her hip as he walked by. Justin rubbed Howler’s head and sniffed the air.

“Man, it smells better in here than usual. Most of the time, when we get home, it smells like his farts,” Justin joked. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a veggie from the tray Megan took out of the oven a few minutes earlier.

“I noticed,” she said with a scowl. “I opened the back door to air the place out. He is a fart machine.”

Kyra chuckled. “Just be glad he doesn’t sleep in your bed.”

“Nope. You two can keep him in yours. Thanks again for letting me stay here. I really should have called,” Megan said.

Kyra shook her head and waved a hand. “No, you shouldn’t have. You are always welcome here. I’m sorry we didn’t have the guest room set up for you.”

“It’s fine. I don’t need much.” The guest room doubled as Justin’s home gym. Megan didn’t mind sleeping in there, but she felt like she was invading their space. She was, but being in a room that wasn’t designed for guests made her feel worse. Especially when they didn’t know why she was really there.

“I’ll move some stuff around so you have more space,” Justin said. “I’ve been meaning to clear that room out, anyway.”

Megan smiled at her brother and turned off the heat under the rice. Justin was a monster of a man. He was always big, tall and strong. The only reason people thought they were blood siblings growing up was because they were both big people, but her big wasn’t the same as his. She had blonde hair to his dark. She had curves to his muscles. She had green eyes to his dark ones. Megan didn’t blend in with her adoptive family at all, but Justin always made her feel like there was no difference between them.

Tears sprang to her eyes. Damn hormones. She focused on the rice instead of on how much it meant to her that her brother was being so sweet. She wasn’t surprised by it, but after things with Stuart, Megan was raw and emotional.

“I’m going to get changed,” Kyra said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Megan nodded as Kyra’s soft footsteps and Howler’s nails moved away from the kitchen. She was sure Kyra was trying to give Megan and Justin time alone. All she had to do was wait for her brother to say something.

“Is everything okay?” he asked. Right on schedule.

Megan sucked in a deep breath and forced her emotions down. She was getting good at that. “Yeah. I’m just happy for you. After Jessie, I wasn’t sure if you’d let someone else in. Kyra is perfect for you. She’s amazing. And I’m really happy for you.”

“And that’s why you’re crying?” Justin asked.

Megan sighed and tried to laugh. She turned to face her brother. “It is. I know you hate it when I cry, so I’m trying not to show you.”

Justin walked over and pulled Megan into his arms. He held her tight. His big body made her feel like less of a freak. He was big, too. She was normal with her brother around.

“I have missed too much with you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

“You had a life to live,” Megan said, pulling back. Yes, she missed her brother like one would miss a limb, but she wasn’t going to make him feel guilty for living his life. He had every right to choose what he wanted to do.

“I also had a sister who needed me.”

Megan smiled at him. “I’m still here.”

Justin’s eyes narrowed. “Do you need me now?”

Megan nodded solemnly. “Yes. I need you to move so I can get a platter and we can eat dinner.”

Justin chuckled like Megan hoped he would. He grabbed the platter from the cabinet behind him and handed it to her. “I’ll let Kyra know it’s safe to come out again.”

Megan nodded as Justin went down the hall. She took a deep breath, feeling both painfully guilty and unimaginably relieved that her brother bought her lies. One day, she was going to need to tell him about the baby, but she wasn’t ready. One day she would be.

* * *

Mason and Dex parked in front of the firefighter’s house first thing the next morning. Mason looked up at it. A bike was on its side on the front lawn. Chairs lined the porch. A welcome mat sat in front of the door. The steel blue color was offset by bright white windows and a cheery yellow door.

“Looks ordinary,” Dex said.

Mason nodded and got out of the SUV. He had the same thought. People who ran into trouble usually had a mark that was obvious. So far, they hadn’t found anything on the guy. Nothing that would help them learn why he was missing and where he went.

Mason followed Dex to the door and waited for someone to answer. The wife knew they were coming. It only took a few seconds before the door swung open and a tired looking woman tried to force a smile at them.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m Ryker Hamilton, this is Mason O’Connor. Are you Mrs. Allen?”

She nodded and took a step back. “I am. Please, call me Stacey.”

“Stacey, nice to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to talk to us.”

She nodded again. “Anything to find my husband.” She led them to the kitchen and gestured to the well-worn table for four. A high chair was strapped into one of the seats, the others had placemats in front of the chairs. The laminated surface was chipped and peeling away from the metal wrapped edge. Beefy blocks that were obviously add-ins held it up, but it fit in with the rest of the tired looking kitchen.

Dex and Mason sat gingerly on the chairs. Mason wasn’t sure it would hold him, but he didn’t want to be rude either. Mrs. Allen walked to the stove and lifted a tea kettle.

“Would either of you like something to drink? I have tea, coffee, water⁠—”

“We’re fine,” Dex said. “Thank you. Are your kids home?”

She shook her head. “My oldest is at school, and the baby is at day care. They’re young enough that they don’t realize their daddy has been gone longer than would be normal. I don’t want them to worry.”

“Do you have any idea where he could be, Mrs. Allen?” Dex asked.

She shook her head and huffed a laugh. “If I knew, don’t you think I would have found him by now? I’ve taken off the last two days from work so I could look for him. I’ve called hospitals and the police station. I’ve checked with border patrol. I’ve done everything I can think of to track down my husband, but I can’t find him.”

“I’m sorry,” Mason said. “Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt him?”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t. And I don’t know of any affairs or any friends who would be harboring him. We have a good life. It’s not perfect, but we’re happy. He wouldn’t just vanish like this. Something happened to him. And everyone is treating me like I’m missing something. Like I’m holding back from telling everyone where he is. I’m the one who called to find out what happened to him. I’m the one who reported him missing.”

“We’re not accusing you of anything, Mrs. Allen,” Dex said.

“Well, it doesn’t feel that way.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her lip between her teeth. Her entire body trembled. A tear streaked down her cheek and she hurried to wipe it away.

“Mrs. Allen, I understand what you’re going through. I know you’re scared. When something happens to someone, the spouse is always the first suspect. It might not be fair, but it’s the truth. And in cases like this one, when there’s no reason for him to disappear, the spouse is looked at even more closely. That doesn’t mean we think you had something to do with your husband’s disappearance, but we are trying to find him. That’s our goal,” Mason told her.

“So am I,” she said firmly. She glared at him. “I love my husband. He means everything to me. If I had any idea…”

“Mrs. Allen, if you think of anything that could help us, please give me a call,” Dex said. He stood, and Mason followed his lead. They let themselves out, leaving her to cry alone in her kitchen.

“Fucking hell, that was rough,” Dex said when they were in the SUV.

“Do you believe her?” Mason asked.

Dex nodded. “Yeah. She’s shaken up, but she’s not acting like a woman who was abused or who is worried about what we’ll find. She seems worried about her husband, and that’s it.”

Mason drew a breath. “That was the feeling I got, too. Now what?”

“Now we go talk to his friend. The guy who covered for him. It didn’t sound like the first time, so we’re going to find out what he knows,” Dex said.

Mason nodded and stared out the window as Dex drove. The two houses were close, likely walking distance. No major roads between them, just a few turns through the neighborhood.

“That’s interesting. They live really close,” Mason said.

“Yeah, they do,” Dex agreed. “I’m not sure it’s significant, but we’re not counting anything as coincidence here.”

Mason followed Dex to another door and waited for another person to grant them entry. He looked a little less happy to see them on his doorstep.

“Mr. Wright, we spoke on the phone. I’m Ryker Hamilton, and this is my teammate, Mason O’Connor,” Dex said.

Braden Wright eyed them both, then ran a hand over his dark hair and stepped back. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and led the way to his kitchen. It was smaller than Mrs. Allen’s. Instead of a table littered with placemats and a living room overwhelmed by toys, Mr. Wright’s home screamed bachelor with dark leather furniture in the living room and beer bottles and pizza boxes on the kitchen countertops. He didn’t offer them a drink or a seat, just leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.

“Do you know where Mr. Allen is?” Dex asked.

Braden looked surprised by the direct question. He pulled back just barely, a small enough move that Mason would have missed it if he wasn’t watching the other man. “No. If I did, I would have told the cops who were here and Stacey and our bosses.”

“Has he ever disappeared like this before?” Mason asked.

Braden shook his head, but he avoided their gazes. Mason and Dex exchanged one of their own.

“I’d like you to listen to this, Mr. Wright,” Dex said. He pulled out his phone and hit play on the recording Braden left on Wray Allen’s phone.

As the message played, Braden’s shoulders bunched up tighter and tighter around his ears until Mason wasn’t even sure he could hear his own voice in the kitchen.

“Can you explain this?” Dex asked.

Braden sighed and shook his head. “Wray is a good guy. One of the best I know. We grew up together, went to college together, played ball together, joined the station together. He’s a good guy.”

“But?”

“He’s a little spacey at times. He’s gone out on weekend benders and passed out in his truck. He’s taken off for a few days to go fishing and was gone a week. He turns off his phone and disconnects and doesn’t realize how much time’s gone by.”

“If that’s true, why doesn’t his wife know where he is? Why didn’t she say he does this?”

Braden sighed again and looked up at them. “Because she doesn’t know.”

“How is that possible?” Mason asked.

“We’re firefighters. We work weird hours. We’re on shift for a day or two, and sometimes we trade shifts with other firefighters and end up working for a few days. If Stacey can’t reach him, she calls me. I cover for him.”

“How many times has this happened?” Dex asked.

Braden shrugged. “Not too many. Maybe once a year or so. Maybe more.”

“Where does he usually go?” Mason crossed his arms and studied the other man, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not.

“It depends. Most of the time, I don’t ask.”

“Your best friend disappears for up to a week, you cover for him with his wife and work, and you don’t bother to ask where he is?” Dex clarified.

Braden huffed a breath. “Look, our lives run on trust. If we don’t trust each other, we die. It might sound crazy to outsiders, but if Wray was really in trouble, I have to believe he would tell me.”

“Except he might be. He’s been missing for days and no one knows where he is. You’re the only one who knows that he disappears like this and you don’t know where he is. How are you so sure everything is fine?”

“Because it always is. He’s safe and he’ll be back soon. I’m sure of it.”

“I’m still stuck on his wife not knowing,” Mason said. “He’s gone for as long as a week and she doesn’t even realize?”

Braden nodded. “She’s busy with the kids. And I cover for him. Plus, he works a lot of extra hours, anyway. The guys all know if they have vacation, Wray will usually cover for them, so he ends up working an extra shift or two almost every week.”

“That’s a lot of extra time,” Dex said.

Braden shrugged. “It’s good money.”

“Do they have money problems?” Mason asked.

“Probably. I mean, they have two kids, so I guess, but we don’t talk about stuff like that.”

“What do you talk about?” Mason asked.

Braden shrugged. “Women. Work. Sports. I don’t know. What do guys talk about?”

“Your message said you were getting sick of covering for him. Does that mean you’ve been doing it more and more lately?” Dex asked.

Braden nodded reluctantly. “Yeah. I mean, not like a ton, but it’s only been a few weeks since the last time he disappeared.”

“Where did he go that time?”

Braden glared at Mason.

“When was this?” Dex asked, drawing Braden’s attention to him.

Braden stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know. Three weeks ago, maybe four.”

“Can you narrow it down? What else was going on around then?”

Braden sighed heavily and looked up at the ceiling. “We worked a double, and we were exhausted. One of the guys on another shift asked Wray if he could cover him for some vacation that weekend. We’d just had a rough two days with that structure fire down on Seventh. When was that?”

“We can look it up,” Dex said. “So, it was after that?”

“Yeah. We worked the night of the structure fire and the next night. He came in that weekend to cover and must have left from that shift. He missed our next shift but was back for our weekend.”

Dex scribbled the timeline in a notepad while Braden talked. When he finished, Dex looked up. “Thank you. We’ll look into this and see what we can find. We appreciate your time today.”

Braden nodded and yawned. He followed Mason and Dex to the door and closed it behind them without a word before they made it off his porch.

“He was pleasant,” Mason said.

Dex chuckled. “A tired firefighter with a missing best friend isn’t going to be in a great mood.”

“No, but he could have been helpful. I think he’s full of shit.”