Read Online Reaching Rachel by L.L. Collins - Free Book Online Page B

Rachel acted peculiar, avoiding him and not wanting to talk to him, much less see him. Then, the day he decided that he was not going to let her continue this, he overheard the conversation that made his blood run cold. His coworker. Zack Miller. What he heard out of his mouth, bragging to the other cops, was enough to send him racing to the bathroom to lose his lunch. It was all he could do to get out of there and go to Rachel’s. He had to find out, hear from her that it wasn’t true.
    Brrrrrinnnng . The shrill sound of his phone made him jump, making the photo clatter to the counter. His heart pumping in his chest, he picked up the phone and saw Ellis’ name on the screen.
    “Yo,” Devin answered, picking up the frame again and setting it right side up on the counter. “What’s up, man?”
    “Dev!” Ellis’ voice boomed over the phone. “How’s it hangin’, bro? Get settled in yet?”
    Devin laughed, walking away from the counter that held the picture. While he was trying to switch to the conversation with Ellis, it was hard for him to shake the feelings that remembering that day resurfaced. “Nah, I just got unloaded a little bit ago and was thinking about finding a grocery store.”
    “You’ll have to tell me if you find any sweet honies there, so I can come visit,” Ellis teased. “The selection down here is getting slim.”
    He shook his head. His friend, the ever sufferable flirt. “That’s just because you’ve had too many girls, Ellis.”
    Finishing up their conversation after making small talk about work and Devin’s new job, he said goodbye to his friend. He left the house in search of food, leaving Rachel and her memories on the counter. He wished he was strong enough to get rid of that picture of her, but he knew he never would. For as long as he would live, he’d look at it and wish for it to be different.

 
     
    Devin stretched his legs out under the table, tapping his pen on the leg of his uniform pants. He had been on the job about a month now, and while he was still pretty green, he was definitely getting used to the demand, and he loved it. They were currently talking about a guy named Mark Stevenson, who was wanted in Alabama for a litany of charges. They had gotten a tip that this he had been spotted in the area. He was listening, taking notes and watching the game plan they were coming up with to try to get him.
    “Where has he been spotted?” A stocky blonde guy asked, sitting in the front row. “What’s the likelihood that this is actually good intel?”
    Devin’s boss, Andrew, stood in front of what looked like a classroom. But instead of students, the room was filled with big, strong, burly men. A huge white board was against one wall, and on it was a picture of Mark and all of the info they had on him so far. Devin couldn’t see all of the information, but he could see that he looked like a regular, run of the mill guy that you might say hi to at a bar while he’s watching the game. He didn’t scream criminal, but then again, most of them didn’t.
    “He’s dangerous,” Andrew continued. “If he really is in this area, he’ll be intentionally laying low. He will probably have some menial job that keeps him out of the public eye. He may have even already latched himself onto a woman because that’s his M.O. If that’s the case, we need to find him, and immediately.”
    Andrew walked over to the board and tapped one of the papers hanging there. “He’s wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, kidnapping, leaving the scene of a crime, attempted murder of a police officer …” Andrew paused, looking back at the group of cops. “I don’t even need to go on, but there’s more. We have to stake this guy out and get him off the streets for good. His last victim still lies in a coma in the hospital. She’s been that way for over two months. At this point, they aren’t even sure that she’ll wake up.”
    “So he kidnapped this