Free The Broken Parts Of Us by Ker Dukey Page A

place last night, said she didn’t come home and you brought her back this morning. I may not be as a good a detective as you, but I don’t need to be to know she stayed with you.”
    “She’s staying with River. I just drive her where she needs to be. She doesn’t have a car and I don’t need to explain shit to you.”  I jab him with a finger in the chest. “This is personal, Hans. I think this is aimed at me.”  I walk around the desk, taking a seat and powering up my computer. “I need you to find me everything from the last year on Evan Mills.”
    His hands come down on the desk, his frame leaning towards me.
    “Why do I know that name, and how is this connected to you?”
    “He was Mya's boyfriend and I think he’s the one doing this. I think it’s to send me a message.”
    Hans lets out a gush of air and rubs his hand over his face. “Why would he have grievance with you and after so long?” 
    The cold freeze that had set into my veins is replaced with a hot boil. I spring to my feet, sending my chair flying backwards and crashing into the wall with a loud thump.
    “I don’t fucking know! Perhaps he, like my mother, blames me for Mya. What I do know is I want him found so I can KILL THE SON OF A BITCH!” I roar, hammering my fist onto my desk, making Hans flinch.
    “I’ll go run his profile now.” He turns and leaves.
    I want this bastard caught, so he doesn’t hurt anyone else to get to me. Why not just be a fucking man and come after me? I grow more frustrated by the second. My phone pulls me from the spiral of anger, frustration, guilt and irritation I'm beginning to drown in. Jasper's name flashing on my screen makes me sigh. I need to hear his voice. I need comfort; that isn't something I'm used to needing, but God dammit, I'm a mess inside and I need a reassuring presence right now.
    “Hey.” His warm tone echoes down the line.
    “Hey, everything okay?”  I hear him moving around and I know he's brushing a hand through his messy hair.
    “Yeah, listen I’m sorry about this morning. I just had a bad night and took it out on you.” Static hums through the line before he speaks again.
    “We had a crisis at the studio.”
    My body tenses and scenarios of what possible crisis they’ve had rush through my mind like snippets from a movie trailer.
    “What happened?” I sound breathless. I feel dizzy. Memories flood my mind from when Danny changed all our lives on the night he lost it and kidnapped River: Sammy's frantic rambles as I found him shot and desperate to find River, Jasper being wheeled out unconscious from a near fatal stomach wound where Danny shot him. Than locating him, confronting him, and being left for dead, bleeding into the dirt.  What if something happened to one of them? How would we cope after everything we’ve been through? How can we cope with another psycho targeting one us?
    “Der? Der? Fuck, did I lose signal again?” Jasper's voice pulls me back from my memories. 
    “I’m here. What happened?”
    “Oh, Mikey had an inset day, so River brought him to the studio. Sammy told him off for running his cars along the mirrors, next thing, Mikey runs off to the bathroom and water starts pissing out the door, flooding the hall. Sent River into her head again.” I hear him exhale. “Anyway, she closed the studio early, that’s why I’m calling. Kyra said she’s staying at our place?”
    “Actually yeah, just take her back there. I’ll talk with you tonight; make sure I’m home before you leave.”
    “I'm staying home tonight. Hannah has gone on some city trip to look at dresses.”
    I stop myself from punching the wall and grind my teeth, biting out, “Fine. See you tonight, then.”
    I don’t wait for a reply.
     
     
             
     

 

    W atching River break down and cry was disturbing to witness. She’s such a strong woman and to see her fall apart pulled on my emotions. I don’t know the whole story about what she went through, but I