Keep the Faith (Bulletproof #1.5) (5 page)

Chapter 8

Anna

Damn that was some nasty fall. The anxiety attack completely took over my whole body, making the room spin out of control until I collapsed onto the floor. Luckily, there was carpet to fall on otherwise I could have hit my head pretty fucking hard.

Then Mr. Hotshot Paramedic strolls through the door and I’m taken back by his beautiful frame, his dark mocha colored skin and my god, why couldn’t I remember to function like I was supposed to? Or maybe I’ve taken up too much of Jayde’s space so now I’m starting to act like her. This must have been how she acted the first time she saw Zac. I don’t really blame her now.

Andy helps me walk back out into the office area out of the wicked bitch of the south’s office and sits me down at Jayde’s desk. Everyone doesn’t seem to be phased by my little manic episode since they’re all still moving at the flow of how a newspaper should be. Andy sits beside me, and just stares.

“What the fuck are you staring at? Do I have something in my teeth?” I pretend to check my teeth to avoid his evil glare but it does no good.

“You know damn well what I’m staring at. Somebody needs to start taking better care of herself,” he scolds. Andy isn’t wrong, I’ve been stressed out about Jayde and making sure her dream stays afloat. This wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for that fuck face Finn.

“Please, Andy, I don’t need this right now. I need to manage this paper so when Jayde is found, she can return to some sort of normalcy,” I say, grabbing a handful of papers and quickly organizing them into another section of the desk. Andy grabs my hands and slams them down onto the desk, pinning them there making me powerless to move.

“You’ve got to slow down. You are going to run yourself into the ground if you don’t start taking care of yourself. We’re all worried more about you now since you had that little episode.”

Looking up into his eyes, I see all his concern and worry, more so since I’ve taken over Jayde’s work. If I was a mess before, I’m a hot mess right now. It doesn’t erase the hurt. Nor does it bring her back. The only thing I have to hold on to is faith that wherever she is, she’s safe.

“Do you think this is easy on me? Doing my best friend’s job while she is off in only god knows where? This is hard on me, Andy, and the only way I can manage some sense of normalcy is to keep her job going and that’s exactly what I’m going to do! If I have to destroy every ounce of strength I have in order to bring her back, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Please understand what I’m trying to say to you.”

Andy nods. “I do, which only worries me more. Jayde wouldn’t want you to act this way over her.”

Maybe so, but I had to try. “You don’t know that.”

Andy stands up and rubs his hands down the front of his face in frustration. “Did you not see what happened less than an hour ago? That’s going to happen again unless you start taking care of yourself.”

Without another blip of hesitation, I nod slowly. “Fine. I’ll start taking better care of myself.” Anything to keep him off my ass. Normally this wouldn’t be my attitude, but my emotions are a little bit all over the place.

“Good girl. Now, I’m going to go and get to work. I’m late as it is.” Andy gives me a bear hug that damn near crushes me in two then lets go. He must have turned the printing job over to somebody else when I wasn’t looking, or maybe it was when I was unconscious.

“You have got to lay off the gym, Andy. God, you almost broke me in half.”

Andy laughs heartedly and shakes his head. “I don’t hear Mack complaining,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows making me gag.

“Oh really Andy? I don’t need to know about your sex life,” I say while throwing a crumpled up piece of paper at his head, which misses.

“Hey, you asked for it, baby cakes. Catch you later.” He blows a kiss before walking off the floor and heads downstairs, leaving me to gather my thoughts.

There has to be something we’re missing. Something we haven’t discovered yet. I don’t want Jayde’s case to end up unsolved. Finn will be stopped, one way or another.

Chapter 9

Sarah

Looking over Jayde’s notes, her latest article which hasn’t been finished yet sticks out to me. There’s so much information she hasn’t gathered but definitely needs to. Maybe if I back-track to that morning on the beach where her and Zac first met to see what her thought process was when it came to this article.

Charleston was full of beauty. Everywhere you turned, beauty and history was on every corner. Not to mention the haunted areas of this city. According to her notes, Jayde was going to write up a Halloween feature based off of all the haunted places around the city. From bed and breakfasts to bars to even libraries, Charleston was always hopping with supernatural beings.

It was even documented our house was haunted but we never saw anything. The occasional creak of the floor never stumped us to that being proof of being supernatural. The house is old. None of us ever thought anything of it. I tuck away her Halloween notes for now until that time comes. Anna is back at her desk, typing away on her laptop when I suddenly start to pack up my laptop and camera, and store it away in my bag.

“Hey, Anna!” I yell across the office, making her look up suddenly.

“Yeah, what’s up?” she says, taking her glasses off and placing them on her keyboard.

“Are you going to be okay for a while? I really want to finish this article for Jayde. You know, the one with the soulmates of the seashore. I really believe she was on to something here.”

Anna stares at the file in my hand for a beat before nodding slowly. “Sure, go ahead. I’m going to get this article printed then call it a day. I’m going to start sending everyone home in a bit. Just go ahead and do what you need to do then head home.” I’m shocked at this admittance from her. Knowing she’s going through just as much as I am, I don’t question it.

“Okay, honey, take it easy the rest of the day,” I say before giving her a hug and take my leave. Pulling out my phone, I shoot Gwen a text asking her to keep an eye on Anna and to not leave until she does. Even if she has to lie through her teeth, do not leave without Anna.

About a half hour later, I’m in my little yellow bug and on my way to the beach where I dropped Jayde off that morning. Where she took those pictures I almost butchered all to hell.

The beach comes into view and whipping my little Beetle into the parking lot, I grab my laptop and my camera and go search a good spot to pick up this article Jayde started. Finding a sand dune away from everything, the only sounds that can be heard are the waves crashing on the shore and the seagulls squawking above. Tuning out everything else but those two sounds, I pull out my laptop and get to work.

“
Soulmates at the Shore”

Finding Yourself by the Seashore of Charleston, South Carolina

Written by: Jayde Burgess

Being at the beach has always been a great pastime for me. I’ve lived and learned the majority of what I know by being at the beach. God’s natural beauty is definitely one to challenge in the wake of a hurricane. For me, there’s no better solitude to unwind and just be myself than the beach.

Passing people on the street, you’re only able to speak to maybe a handful before the overwhelming crowds become too much and you find yourself pulling away before the adrenaline kicks in. At the beach, that does not happen.

You see, for me, the beach is where I found myself. I also lost myself during that process. Isn’t that what falling in love is all about? Losing yourself to somebody else before finding yourself again? Giving your whole heart to that certain someone in hopes they won’t stomp on it the first chance they get. True love doesn’t have limits. Nor does it discriminate. Love can be found everywhere and anywhere. You just have to look around and you’d be surprised what you find.

This article isn’t about love or finding your soul-mate. It’s about finding yourself way before finding that special person. What I want to express to y’all is exactly what I’m feeling when writing this. The pictures you see listed along with this article tell a story. Don’t believe everything you see in pictures. Yes, the filter is strong and the lighting is perfect, but beneath those filters and lighting lies a picture that is beautiful all within itself. The picture was beautiful before the filters were applied. That’s what this article is about.

The beaches of Charleston are a grand place to explore. Nobody ever said you had to take this advice to heart, but I do encourage this. Don’t have a closed off mind to the world. Keep your mind and your heart open. When you do that, the sky is the limit. Finding yourself on the shores of South Carolina is a beautiful way to go. I found myself. You can too.

As I finish typing up the final words, I do a quick scan over the article to see exactly how it would look to the rest of the world. Jayde would be very pleased with how it turned out. Or I hope she would. I smile thinking about my sister and what her words would be if she read this right now. “Oh, it’s so damn good, sis. You’ve got the makings of a top notch journalist!” I can almost hear her say now in that over excited voice of hers. But nope, once we find her, and we will, I’ll go back to the café and Jayde can return to her rightful place. This is her dream, not mine.

Hitting save on the document, I touch the red x at the top of the screen and close the window. My phone buzzes with a new text message and I scoop it up and slide my finger across the screen to open it.

“Hey, still nothing. I’m losing my fucking mind here, Sarah. God, I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Zac’s message comes through loud and clear. Poor guy is going stir crazy. Hitting reply, I type out a message to hopefully calm his nerves. Maybe it would help calm mine too.

“We’ll find her. Remember that faith she’s always insisting we keep? Well, we’re going to have to keep that for her too. Trust me.”
Hitting send, I return my phone to the pouch of my messenger bag then pull my knees up to my chest and just sit there, staring out into the wild blue ocean and just think. Maybe Anna was right. If we’re missing something, an important piece of the puzzle, then that piece has to show up somewhere. Or else we’ll lose everything.

Chapter 10

Anna

The mountain of mayhem all over this desk is almost to bearable levels. Meaning this collection of article ideas, photos, and other shit has slowly begun to diminish. Since the torturous pile of hoopla has been contained, now would be a good time to think over all the shit we missed while looking for Jayde. I still mean what I said about there being something we are missing. Gwen comes strutting over to my desk in a surprisingly chipper mood, which strikes me as odd. Usually, she isn’t this chipper.

“What’s gotten into you?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow straight up. She may be able to fool the office but she ain’t fooling me. My momma didn’t raise me to just ignore when somebody’s faking their emotions.

“Nothing, just in a happy mood,” she says. “Is that such a damn crime nowadays?” Her usual thick southern drawl is hidden behind a mask of emotions and I can tell.

“You don’t have to pretend. I know I scared you back in Brooke’s office. And I know your emotions are misconstrued right now, and what you should be feeling is happiness, but you’re feeling sadness and anger which is okay, but you don’t have to hide it from me, Gwen. I know when your emotions have shifted.”

Gwen stops her walking and just stares at me. “Is it that obvious?” she asks with a heavy sigh.

“Yes, it is. One thing I picked up from Jayde is her keen sense of perception. The bitch rubbed it off onto me, so spill. We’ve already had our meltdowns, or I have anyways, so now I’m just trying to do right by Jayde and find out more information.”

Gwen tilts her head to the side like a dog listening to a high pitched whistle. “What do you mean ‘find out more information?’ Isn’t that what the police are there for?”

I nod. “Yes, but you know me with my OCD. I won’t rest until I find out information on my own accord. So with that being said, I will take on any necessary jobs it takes to make sure my best friend is found.”

Gwen nods then returns to her desk without another word. She knows how much this means to me. Even though it means a lot to Gwen as much as it does the rest of us, I can’t help but feel bad considering the amount of time she has spent with Jayde, worked with her and kept her sane whenever I couldn’t. For that, I will always be grateful to her.

As I go back to my internet searching, my phone dings with a new text. I glance over and see it’s a message from Zac. I truly feel bad for that man. He has been beating himself up ever since that night and lord knows we all have, but he’s taken the majority of it to himself. As cold and heartless as I can act at times, my heart goes out to him.

Giving up on ignoring the message, I grab my phone to open it.

“Hey, Anna, sorry for bothering you, but I wish I knew something. Craig had a hunch of something but it was a false alarm. Hope you guys are well and keeping strong. Jayde must be worried out of her mind, wondering if anyone is going to come rescue her. I make a vow right now, even if she can’t hear it, as long as I live, she will be found. I won’t rest until I have my love back in my arms.”

His message brings a tear to my eye. Jayde is one lucky girl to have somebody like Zac to hold onto. He is risking everything to make sure she gets brought home safe and sound. I don’t know what to reply back to him. My heart breaks for him, and nothing seems to want to fight that. Misery loves company I suppose. Maybe, just maybe, we all will be strong enough to get through this time. Quickly typing on the keypad to reply, I keep it short, sweet and to the point.

“Hey, Zac. You’re never bothering me. Trust me, I know how you feel. We all feel that way and I believe you. We will do everything we can to bring her back to us. Believe me.”

Hitting send, I lay my phone back down and continue with this ghastly internet searching. Okay, whoa. I have been hanging out with Jayde too long. Her love of British lingo has rubbed off on me. Damn Doctor Who and its catchy lingo. I almost have to laugh at that time Jayde and I were in the mall and she screamed at the sight of a bumper sticker she just had to have. It was Tardis blue and it said, “My other ride is a Tardis.” She begged Sarah to put it on her little yellow bug until finally she succumbed to Jayde’s constant pleading.

Hours go by without a word from Sarah. She either has gotten lost or she needs to get herself together, or both. She chooses that moment to bolt through the door with a carton of large coffees and a bag of pastries in hand. Sitting one of the coffees on my desk, she hands the next one to Gwen who just looks up at her, confused as hell. Which is exactly what I’m feeling right now.

“Hey, finished that article. Might want to get it to an editor and printed.” Sarah jitters a few of her words which makes me wonder how much coffee she has already consumed on the way here.

“Umm, Sarah, how much coffee have you already had?” I ask nervously. Sarah ignores the question as she takes another sip of the brew. Finally, she speaks up. “Oh I don’t know, three maybe five cups of coffee? I lost count when the room started shaking.”

I gasp then reach out to try and grab the cup from her shaking hands but she pulls it away and clings on for dear life. “No, I need this coffee. That article destroyed me, so this has kept me going,” she says. You’d think she was drunk but no, she’s worse. Sarah is drunk on caffeine. Besides being alcohol drunk, that’s just as bad.

“Come on Sarah, put the coffee down and let’s talk about this.” I feel like I’m talking down a bank robber holding somebody at gunpoint or some shit. This is ridiculous. I should slap the coffee out of this chick’s hand. To hell with the mess it would cause. It’s almost worth it.

“Oh please, you’re just going to toss it in the trash and tell me how stupid I am for drinking so much caffeine,” Sarah says and I just shrug. What the hell else was I supposed to do? She isn’t wrong. Because that’s exactly what I was going to do.

“No I won’t.” I lie. “Just sit it down and let’s talk.” Sarah seems to contemplate what I say because she slowly places the coffee cup on the desk. To my surprise, Gwen knocks it in the trash before I can even blink. Remind me to tell Jayde to give her a raise once we find her.

“See, I told you I wouldn’t do it.” I say with a laugh. Sarah glares over at Gwen who just shakes her head. “Gwen!” she yells.

“Sorry sugar plum, I had to do it. You are out of hand with the coffee,” Gwen says, discarding her empty cup in the trash. Coffee doesn’t go bad around here, that’s for sure.

“What the hell am I supposed to drink?” Sarah asks, and I toss her a bottle of water from my desk.

“H2O. It’s all the rage nowadays. All the kids are doing it,” I joke. Sarah scoffs then unscrews the cap and takes a large sip of water.

I take that opportunity to explain to her what I’ve been thinking. “Look, we’ve all been under a lot of stress from this event. I’m the last person to be talking rational considering that little meltdown I had earlier, but that’s behind me. The best we can do right now, for Jayde, is to get to the bottom of where she is, and fast.” Sarah agrees with me by nodding and Gwen nods while typing away something on her phone.

“Aha, it’s done,” Gwen says excitedly.

Both Sarah and I look at her a little confused. “What is done?” I ask nervously, biting my lip.

“Oh, just called in a favor to my brother. He should be here soon,” Gwen says smiling.

I raise an eyebrow at her. “The paramedic? You called in your super-hot paramedic brother? Nobody needs medical attention right now,” I say, still very confused as to why she would call her brother in here.

“Oh no, not that brother. My other brother, Ronan’s twin actually. He works with Homeland Security.” My mouth drops open. Ronan has a twin. That means there are two of them. Two muscular, dark skinned gods. Two gods I’d love to lick…whoa. Hold the phone.

“That’s why I rushed out of the room after you had your meltdown. I texted my brother to see if he could come by here. And he just replied and agreed so he should be here within the hour.”

In an hour, Ronan’s super-hot and sexy twin brother will be in the same room as me. God was generous and made two of those male specimens.

Lord have mercy, what have I gotten myself into?