Chapter 66
Matthew’s POV
The house was too quiet.
I sat on the kitchen counter, watching my mother move around the kitchen, cleaning up the remnants of breakfast. She hummed softly, wiping down the marble counters with the same care she had for as long as I could remember.
I should have helped. But for once, I just wanted to sit still.
Taylor had left earlier, off to do whatever the hell he did in the city when he wasn’t making my life more complicated. My father was out of town, my sister was busy, and Taylor was probably somewhere ruining someone’s daughter.
That left my mother alone in this massive house.
A twinge of guilt settled in my chest. The last two weeks had been a blur of chasing leads, late nights, and coming home when Heizel was already asleep. I had barely been home. Barely been a son.
I exhaled, resting my elbow on my knee as I watched her rinse a plate.
“You’re staring,” she said without looking at me. “Should I be concerned?”
I smirked. “Just wondering if you have a favorite child.”
She let out a soft laugh. “That’s an easy one.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Of course. It’s not you.”
I placed a dramatic hand over my heart. “Ouch. That hurt.”
She smirked, placing a plate in the drying rack. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. You’re all my favorites… but your sister calls me every day. Taylor visits me just to gossip. And your father actually eats the food I cook.” She gave me a pointed look. “You, on the other hand, sneak into the house at midnight like a burglar and only show up when you need something.”
I chuckled, leaning back on my hands. “That’s unfair. I do more than sneak in at midnight.”
She gave me a knowing look. “Right. Sometimes you wake up in the morning and steal coffee, too.”
I grinned. “I am a man of many talents.”
She shook her head, drying her hands with a towel before reaching for a cup of coffee.
“So,” she said, taking a sip. “Are you staying home today, or are you going to continue playing ‘mysterious and absent son’?”
I shrugged. “I was thinking about spending the day with Heizel.”
Her eyes lit up with interest. “Oh? Finally decided to act like a good boyfriend?”
“I’ve always been a good boyfriend.”
She scoffed. “Mmm. Sure. When you’re actually around.”
I let out a laugh, shaking my head. “I was going to make up for it today. Maybe even get her flowers. She likes those.”
She tilted her head in mock surprise. “Wow, flowers? That’s almost… romantic.”
I rolled my eyes, but before I could respond, my phone buzzed on the counter.
The sound was sharp in the silence. I glanced at the screen.
Taylor.
I frowned. He’d only left an hour ago—what could he want now?
I let it ring once. Twice. Something felt off.
I answered. “What’s up?”
Taylor’s voice was tight. Urgent. Wrong.
“Matt! We’ve got a problem.”
The humor vanished in an instant.
I sat up straighter. “What happened?”
“It’s Heizel…” A beat of silence. Then—“She’s missing.”
The blood drained from my face.
“What the hell do you mean she’s gone?”
“They found Reggie knocked out, blood on the floor. The place is a mess. Whoever took her knew what they were doing.”
I was already moving. Off the counter. Grabbing my jacket. My gun. My keys.
Not Heizel.
The words they took her rang in my head like a war drum.
“I’m on my way,” I said sharply.
“Wait, Matthew—be careful—”
I hung up.
My mother turned just as I shoved my arms into my jacket. Her amused expression was gone.
Her voice softened. “Matthew, what happened?”
I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. My mind was already somewhere else.
I pushed open the front door, stepping into the sunlit driveway. The warmth of midday felt like a distant memory.
Plans for a normal day evaporated.
All I could see was Heizel’s face—the way she laughed, the way she fit against my side, the way she had fought so damn hard to come back from everything that had already been done to her.
And now someone had taken her.
A slow, burning rage coiled in my chest. My hands flexed around the steering wheel as I started the car.
I would find her.
I would bring her back.
And I would make whoever did this regret ever breathing.