Something Beautiful (Beautiful #3) (12 page)

I returned to the cruiser and sat in the passenger seat.

“Any luck?” Reyes said.

I shook my head.

“Mrs. Tipton hasn’t seen Shepley either.”

“Thanks for asking. Are they okay?”

“A little banged up, but they’ll live. Mrs. Tipton is missing her terrier, Boss Man.” His words were hollow, but he wrote everything down on his clipboard.

“That’s awful.”

Reyes nodded, continuing his notes.

“All this going on, and you’re going to help her find her dog?” I asked.

Reyes looked at me. “Her grandsons visit twice a year. That dog is the only thing between her and lonely. So, yeah, I’m going to help her. I can’t do much, but I’ll do what I can.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“It’s my job,” he said, continuing his scribbling.

“Highway patrol helps with missing animals?”

He glared at me. “Today, I do.”

I raised my chin, refusing to let his size and intimidating expression get to me. “Are you sure there’s no way to get a call out?”

“I can take you back to headquarters.”

I scanned the disaster that had been left of the trailer park. “After dark. We have to keep looking.”

Reyes nodded, turning off his lights and pulling the gear into drive. “Yes, ma’am.”

We pulled back onto the turnpike, and for the second time, Reyes drove toward the overpass to check with the emergency crew on the scene to see if they’d seen Shepley.

“Thank you again. For everything.”

“How’s your arm?” he asked, peeking over at my bandage.

“Sore.”

“I can imagine.”

“Do you have family here?” I asked.

“Yes, I do.” His chiseled jaw danced under his skin, uncomfortable with the personal question.

He didn’t seem to want to elaborate, so of course, I couldn’t stop there.

“Are they okay?”

After a second of hesitation, he spoke, “Just missed them. Wife was a little shaken up.”

“Them?”

“New little girl at home.”

“How new?”

“Three weeks.”

“I bet you were worried.”

“Terrified,” he said, staring forward. “I checked on them. A little roof damage. Hail damage on the new minivan.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t new. Just new to us. But nothing important.”

“Good,” I said. “I’m glad.” I looked at the radio clock, feeling my eyebrows pulling in. “It’s been two hours.” I closed my eyes. “This trip was supposed to be
the
trip. I’ve been dropping hints left and right.”

“For what?”

“For him to ask me … to propose.”

“Oh.” He frowned. “How long have you been together?”

“Almost three years.”

He puffed. “I asked Alexandra after three months.”

“Did she say yes?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t,” I said, picking dried mud off my hands. “He’s asked me before.”

“Ouch.”

“Twice.”

Reyes’s entire face compressed. “Brutal.”

“His cousin and my best friend are married. They eloped after a horrible accident at the college, and I—”

“The fire?”

“Yeah … you’ve heard about it?”

“My brother’s alma mater, remember?”

“Right.”

“So, they got married? And it turned out bad?”

“No.”

“But it was a deterrent to marry the guy you love?”

“Well, when you put it that way …”

“How would you put it?”

“His roommate, Travis, got married. So, at first, he sort of proposed as an afterthought, hoping our parents would let us move in together. My parents weren’t going for it … at all. But I didn’t want to get married just to manipulate a situation, like Travis and Abby. Travis is also his cousin, and Abby is my best friend.” I glanced over at Reyes to see his expression. “I know. It’s convoluted.”

“Just a little.”

“Then he asked me three months later, and I felt like he was just asking because Travis and Abby were married. Shep looks up to Travis. I just wasn’t ready.”

“Fair enough.”

“Now,” I let out a long sigh, “I’m ready, but he won’t ask. He’s talking about being a football scout.”

“So?”

“So, he’ll be gone for a good chunk of the year.” I shook my head, picking at my dirty nails. “I’m afraid we’ll grow apart.”

“Scout, huh? Interesting.” He shifted in his seat, preparing for what he would say next. “What’s in the bag?”

I shrugged, looking down at the backpack in my lap. “His stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“I don’t know. A toothbrush and a weekend’s worth of clothes. We were going to visit my parents.”

“You wanted him to propose at your parents’ house?” Once again, his eyebrow arched.

I shot him a look. “So? This is starting to feel like less of a conversation and more of an interrogation.”

“I’m curious why that bag is so important. It was the only thing besides you two to leave the car. He handed it to you before he was blown from the overpass. That’s one important bag.”

“What are you getting at?”

“I just want to make sure I’m not transporting drugs in my cruiser.”

My mouth fell open and then snapped shut.

“Have I offended you?” Reyes asked although he was clearly unaffected by my reaction.

“Shepley doesn’t do drugs. He barely drinks. He buys one beer and babysits it all night.”

“What about you?”

“No!”

He wasn’t convinced. “You don’t have to do drugs to sell them. The best dealers don’t.”

“We’re not drug dealers or smugglers or whatever the current term is.”

Reyes pulled onto the shoulder beside the flooded Charger. Water and debris sloshed into the open windows. “That’s going to cost a lot to repair. How is he going to pay for it?”

“He and his dad share a love for old cars.”

“Restoration project for father-son bonding? All paid for with dad’s money?”

“They didn’t need to bond. He’s very close with his parents. He was a good kid, and he’s an even better man. Yes, they have money, but he has a job. He supports himself.”

Reyes glared down at me. He was just … massive. Still, I had nothing to hide, and I wouldn’t let him intimidate me.

“He works at a bank,” I snapped. “Do you really think I’m hiding drugs in this bag?”

“You’ve been holding on to it like it’s made of gold.”

“It’s his! It’s the only thing I have of him besides that drowned car!” Tears burned in my eyes as the realization of what I’d just said formed a lump in my throat.

Reyes waited.

I pressed my lips together and then tore at the zipper, yanking at it until it opened. I pulled out the first thing I grabbed, which was one of Shepley’s shirts. It was his favorite, a dark gray Eastern State tee. I held it to my chest, instantly breaking down.

“America … don’t … don’t cry.” Reyes looked half disgusted and half uncomfortable, trying to look anywhere else but me. “This is awkward.”

I pulled out another shirt and then a pair of shorts. As I unrolled them, a small box fell back into the backpack.

“What was that?” Reyes said in an accusatory tone.

I dug in the bag and fished out the box, holding it up with a huge grin. “It’s the … this is the ring he bought. He brought it.” I sucked in a ragged breath, my expression crumbling. “He was going to propose.”

Reyes smiled. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I said, opening the box.

“Not transporting drugs. I would have hated to arrest you.”

“You’re a jerk,” I said, wiping my eyes.

“I know.” He rolled down his window to flag down another officer.

With the help of the National Guard, the turnpike had been cleared, and traffic was running smoothly again, but as the sun began its descent, another set of dark clouds started to form on the horizon.

“That looks ominous,” I said.

“I think we’ve already experienced ominous.”

I frowned, feeling impatient. “We have to find Shepley before dark.”

“Working on it.” He nodded to an approaching officer. “Landers!”

“How’s it going?” Landers said.

With him standing next to Reyes’s window, even in a cruiser, I felt like we were being pulled over, and any minute, Landers would ask Reyes if he knew how fast he was going.

“I have a little girl in my car—”

“Little girl?” I hissed.

He sighed. “I have a young woman in my car who’s looking for her boyfriend. They took shelter under that overpass when the tornado hit.”

Landers leaned down, giving me a once-over. “She’s lucky. Not all of them made it.”

“Like who?” I asked, bending just enough to get a better look.

“I’m not sure. Can you believe one guy was thrown a quarter of a mile and ran all the way back to the turnpike, searching for someone? He was covered in mud. Looked like a melted candy bar.”

“Was he alone? Do you remember his name?” I asked.

Landers shook his head, still chuckling at his own joke. “Something weird.”

“Shepley?” Reyes asked.

“Maybe,” Landers said.

“Was he hurt? What was he wearing? Early twenties? Hazel eyes?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, ma’am. It’s been a long day,” Landers said, standing up.

All I could see of him then was his midsection.

Reyes looked up at him. “C’mon, Justin. She’s been looking for him for hours. She watched him get sucked out by a damn tornado.”

“He had a significant laceration on his shoulder, but he’ll live if the fire chief can talk him into getting it taken care of. He was hell-bent on finding his, um … how did he put it? Epically beautiful girlfriend.” Landers paused and then leaned down. “America?”

My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open into a gaping smile. “Yes! That’s my name! He was here? Looking for me? Do you know where he went?”

“To the hospital … to look for you,” Landers said, tipping his hat. “Good luck, ma’am.”

“Reyes!” I said, grabbing his arm.

He nodded once as he flipped on his lights, and then he threw the gear into drive. We bounced as the cruiser crossed the median, and then Reyes pressed a heavy foot on the gas, barreling down the turnpike toward Emporia … and Shepley.

Shepley

The nurse shook her head, dabbing a cut on my ear with a cotton ball. “You’re lucky.” She blinked her long eyelashes and then reached behind her for something sitting on the silver tray next to my stretcher.

The ER was full. The rooms were only available for the more urgent cases. Triage had been set up in the waiting room, and I’d waited for over an hour before a nurse finally called my name and escorted me to a stretcher in the hall where I’d waited for another hour.

“I can’t believe you were going to walk out of here.”

“It’s getting late. I have to find America before dark.”

The nurse smiled. She was a tiny little thing. I’d thought she was fresh out of nursing school until she opened her mouth. She reminded me a lot of America—tough, confident, and would accept zero percent of shit anyone might give her.

“I told you. I looked,” she said. “America is in the system, which means she’s been seen here. She’s probably out looking for you. Stay put. She’ll come back.”

I frowned. “That doesn’t make me feel better”—I looked down at her badge—“Brandi.”

She smirked. “No, but getting these wounds flushed will. Keep this clean and dry. You’ll have a small nip gone from your ear.”

“Fabulous,” I murmured.

“You’re the one who took shelter under an overpass. Don’t you know anything? That’s worse than standing in an open field. When a tornado goes over a bridge, it increases the wind velocity.”

“Did they teach you that in nursing school?” I asked.

“This is Tornado Alley. If you don’t know the rules already, you’ll be eager to learn after the first tornado season.”

“I can see why.”

She breathed out a laugh. “Consider the ear bragging rights. Not many people can say they’ve taken a trip in a tornado and lived to tell about it.”

“I don’t think they’ll be impressed by a chipped ear.”

“If you’re wishing for a gnarly scar, you’ll have one,” she said, pointing to my shoulder.

I looked down at the white bandage and tape on my shoulder and then behind me toward the door. “If she’s not here in fifteen minutes, I’m going back out to look for her.”

“I can’t get your discharge papers ready in—”

“Fifteen minutes,” I said.

She was unimpressed with my demand. “Listen, princess, if you haven’t noticed, I’m busy. She’ll be here. We’ve got another storm coming in anyway, and—”

I stiffened. “What? When?”

She shrugged, looking to the mounted television in the waiting room. People of all ages—all soaked with rainwater, filthy, and scared—stood, wrapped in hospital-issued wool blankets. They began to crowd around the screen. A meteorologist was standing in front of a radar moving a few inches at a time. A large red blob surrounded by yellows and greens crept up to Emporia’s city limits, and then it started over, stuck in a loop.

“It’s going to swallow us up and spit us out,” Brandi said.

My eyebrows pulled in as the panic swelled in my chest. “She’s still out there. I don’t even know where to look.”

“Shepley,” Brandi said, grabbing my chin and forcing me to face her, “stay put. If she comes back here and finds out you’ve left, what do you think she’s going to do?” When I didn’t answer, she let go of my chin, disgusted. “Do the same thing you would. Go looking for you. This is the safest place for her, and if you stay here, she’ll find her way back.”