Marine's Mission - Rebecca Deel Page 0,12
would have asked her to stay overnight, then do her breakfast and lunch prep this morning.”
“I’m glad to help.”
“Any problems overnight?”
Owen nudged Gigi toward a chair at the table. The way she held herself betrayed the pain she felt. After she settled in a chair, he grabbed a coffee mug, filled it with water, and dropped a bag of G’s favorite herbal tea into the water while Emma brought Gigi up to speed on her guests. He nuked the tea and placed the mug in front of Gigi along with a couple of over-the-counter pain killers.
When Gigi smiled at him, Owen couldn’t help himself. He bent down and kissed her. Although he meant to keep the kiss brief, the taste of her captured him in a silken web he didn’t want to break. When Owen finally came up for air, he noticed the smiles on the faces of his brothers and sister-in-law and scowled. “What?”
David smirked. “About time.”
Caleb dropped into a chair across from Gigi. “That’s what I said.”
“You should take your act on the road,” Owen grumbled. “Maybe someone else will appreciate your sense of humor because I don’t.”
David snorted. “The rest of you weren’t shy about offering comments when Emma walked back into my life.”
“Do you know anything about Toni?” Gigi asked.
Owen walked to the refrigerator and perused the contents. Gigi needed something easy on her stomach. Not finding what he wanted, he grabbed butter and bread. Lightly buttered toast might settle okay. If that didn’t work, he’d give her a muffin.
He drew in a deep breath, his mouth watering at the scent of apples and cinnamon. Must be Emma’s work since large containers of chocolate chip muffins and blueberry muffins sat some distance away on the counter. Em frequently baked muffins, cookies, and brownies at the Rocking M. Mrs. Grady, their housekeeper, didn’t mind sharing her workspace, and Emma’s handiwork kept Mrs. G from spending even more time in the kitchen.
“The search teams haven’t come up with anything yet. They’ll start again in a few minutes.”
“We have to find her. She could be injured.” Gigi swallowed hard. “Or worse.”
“We’re not giving up,” David said, his tone gentle. “She’s one of our own.”
“Does Blair know?” Owen asked as he dropped two slices of bread into the toaster. Blair Hoffman was Archer’s chief of police.
“I called her last night. She and several of her officers are joining the search teams again this morning.”
Emma squeezed Gigi’s hand. “Don’t give up hope.”
“Never.” She turned to David. “My purse was in my SUV. Did you see it?”
“I put it in your apartment.” His lips curved. “Figured you’d need the contents.”
She visibly relaxed. “Thanks, David. You checked on me last night, didn’t you?”
He nodded. “You were pretty out of it, though. I’m surprised you remember me being there.”
The toast popped up. Owen snagged the slices of bread, buttered the surface lightly, and laid them on a plate. He set the plate in front of Gigi, noting that she hadn’t taken the medicine yet. He nudged the tablets closer to her hand and retraced his steps to the counter to set three muffins on a plate for Caleb and snagged three for himself.
After taking the plates to the table, Owen poured coffee for himself and his brother. “Down payment on the favor I owe you for last night,” he murmured. Because of Caleb standing watch, Owen had been able to focus exclusively on Gigi.
“I’m keeping score.”
He rolled his eyes and dropped into the chair beside Gigi. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
David’s phone signaled an incoming call. “Montgomery.” He listened a moment, straightening. “I’ll be there in forty minutes. Don’t touch anything until I arrive.”
“Problem?” Owen asked when his brother ended the call.
“Elliot found a truck similar to the one that ran Gigi off the road. The truck has grill and body damage and silver paint transfer.”
“Where?”
“Cherry Hill.” His expression was grim. “It’s in the parking lot of Hawthorne’s.”
“I want to see it,” Gigi said.
“You just left the hospital.”
She scowled. “I’m fine.”
David’s gaze shifted to the pain tablets Gigi had yet to take. “Really?”
“So I’m a little sore. I’m allowed.”
“It’s not a good idea.”
“I disagree. I might see something you don’t.”
Owen’s brother looked skeptical. “We don’t typically allow civilians at a crime scene.”
“Crime scene?” She paled. “Is Toni....”
“The truck is empty.”
“Then I don’t see the problem. I won’t touch anything unless you give me permission or I’m wearing gloves so I won’t contaminate evidence, but I need to see the truck for myself. I might