Silent Desires (Shattered Silence Duet Book 1)
Silent Desires: Chapter 13

“Alright, 2464, it should be just ahead,” I tell Max as we look for Mina’s house. Our research on her is a little disconcerting. The lack of background is strange, but at least we have her home address so we can check in on her.

“Geez, this is really far from school. Do you think she walks this whole route?” he asks, and I realize he’s right. This would take almost an hour and a half to walk.

“I hope not,” I grumble.

“Her background seems to be a mystery, but there’s no way she’s connected to the murders, right? I mean, the timelines don’t match at all. She’s only been here six weeks,” he asks worriedly.

“No, no way she’s involved. Like you said, the timelines don’t match, the first murder was nine weeks ago, before she arrived in town. Besides, could you imagine sweet little Mina hurting so much as a fly?” He lets out a relieved sigh and nods.

It was true though, this girl was so sweet and scared, and I can’t imagine her being involved in any way with a serial killer. My mind shifts back to the second time I met her, being harassed by Brad. She seemed so shaken by the whole thing, and afterwards, when I asked if she wanted a hug, she cried. That was not how a killer acted, unless they were an amazing actor, but Mina wore all her emotions on her face, as clear as day. Even when she thought she was hiding them, they were obvious.

Who is she? Where did she come from? We need to learn more about her, and it’s becoming harder and harder when she refuses to meet us outside of school. Pushing her often ends in a panic attack so we are having to tread carefully with our questioning. There is definitely something going on with her. All of us have noticed how she flinches easily, and sometimes seems to be in pain. Then there is the strangeness around her not knowing what tv shows, movies or music she likes. I thought maybe she was worried about saying something stupid, but this was all painting a picture of a problem at home.

The fact that she never brought a lunch and literally threw up the first day we fed her was extremely worrisome. When we shared that information with the others that night, Atlas wanted to storm over to her house that moment to make sure she was okay, and he hadn’t even met her yet. Luckily Dom made him see reason, and we promised to make sure she gets food while at school, it was the best we could do when she was potentially involved in this case.

Despite all of that, I was genuinely intrigued by her. Not just because of this case, or because she was something of an enigma, but because the more time I spend with her, the more I replace myself craving her company. She’s sweet and kind and so fucking beautiful it’s hard not to constantly stare at her. It bothers me that she’s only seventeen, especially when she looks much closer to my own age. But unless she was also a twenty-two-year–old undercover private investigator, like we were, I would have to try to not cross any lines with her. Even if the age of consent in Montana is sixteen, she’s still a minor until her next birthday.

“That’s it.” I point to a house as we pass it slowly. It looks like every other house on the street—nothing noteworthy about it. I scan the windows, looking for signs of her bedroom. It’s just as Atlas said when he came by last night to scope it out. Nothing to see here, we can’t even tell which room is hers. I’m not sure what I’m hoping for. Kitten stickers in a window? Pink curtains?

“Let’s just drive towards school, and maybe we’ll get lucky and see her walking. Then we can finally give her a ride. I don’t like the idea of her walking all this way on her own. It’s not a great part of town.” Max agrees with me, and as we drive, I watch the sidewalk for signs of her. It’s quiet, and there aren’t many people out yet.

As we get to the end of her street, a small movement catches my attention. I search the area and then I see it. I see her. She’s sitting on the ground against a fence with her arms wrapped around her knees, staring at the sky. She looks so broken.

“Fuck! Pull over!” I yell at Max.

His head quickly turns in my direction as he asks, “what?” But, thankfully, he starts to press on the brake and pull to the side of the road close to her, anyway. I point in her direction and hear him gasp when he catches sight of her. I don’t even wait for the truck to fully stop before I’m jumping out and sprinting over to her. I crash down onto my knees in front of her, startling her.

My hands hover over her, afraid to touch her in case she’s hurt.

“Angel? Fuck, what happened? Are you okay?” She looks at me, and I watch the tears building fast as her lip trembles. Unable to stop myself anymore, I quickly lift her and pull her close as I hug her tightly. Her body starts to shake as she cries, making my heart constrict at the sight of her in pain. “It’s okay, Angel, I’ve got you now,” I tell her as I stand up and move back to the truck, climbing in with her on my lap.

“Max, get us out of here.” I can feel the worry and anger rolling off him, mirroring my own emotions, as he silently starts driving. I rub my hand up and down her arm as she sits sideways in my lap, and I realize how cold she is.

“Geez, you’re freezing. Where’s your sweater?” I ask, but don’t expect an answer. I shift her forward a little as I pull off my hoodie over my head and pull it straight onto hers. She sniffles as I help her push her arms through the sleeves, refusing to meet my eyes.

Once it’s fully on her, I pull her back against my chest and hug her tight to me. My mind reels with all the possibilities of what could have happened to her to put her in this state. Worse, I wonder if it’s the first time it’s happened. For all we know, she does this every morning.

She sniffles and presses her face into my chest, making my heart break for her as I hold her tighter, trying to offer my silent protection. I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I hope I can be here for her, to help her get through it. I just hope she lets me. If there’s one thing I’m coming to realize, it’s how much I am starting to care for my Angel, and I don’t want to let her go.

“Max, take us home.”