Page 96 of Missing Pieces (Men of Manhattan 3)

"Many people that enlist are trying to escape from their problems. We help people find themselves. We help them discover their full potential. But not criminals."

"I'm not a criminal."

"You have a warrant out for your arrest. For your refusal to appear for your questioning in regards to the ongoing investigation of James Hunter's shooting. With immediate request to be transferred to New York City."

"It's not ongoing. They just arrested Isabella Hunter for that. She was behind everything."

He lowered his eyebrows. "Isabella Hunter is dead. She died at 0200 Eastern Standard Time. The investigation is being reopened. And your original charges are being reinstated."

Isabella was dead? I wasn't sure what time it was, but I had just talked to Penny. Everything was fine. What the hell had happened? "Original charges?"

"You have been officially un-enlisted from the United States Marine Corps effective immediately."

"What original charges?"

Lieutenant Colonel John Williams stood up as a police officer walked into the room.

Shit. What the hell was happening?

The police officer grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to my feet. "Tyler Stevens, you are under arrest for blackmail and conspiracy to commit murder. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."

I drowned out the rest of his words. Blackmail? Conspiracy to commit murder? What the fuck?

He pushed me against the wall and cuffed my hands behind my back.

Chapter 51

Hailey

Saturday

I tried to focus on my breathing. In and out. Slower. Inhale, exhale.

I lifted my head off the kitchen table. The house was eerily quiet. All day people had buzzed around me. I just kept nodding my head, not really hearing anything anyone said. By the end of the day there was a for sale sign sticking out of the middle of our yard. It felt like I had signed my life away. But what did it matter? My life here was my dad. Without him, there was nothing left.

But I couldn't listen to anyone say how wonderful my dad was one more time or I was going to scream. I knew that he was wonderful. I knew him better than anyone else in the world. And all I could feel was his loss. This huge hole in my heart. Yet, when I looked around the kitchen I could still feel his presence. I could see him making pancakes for me on Saturday mornings. I could hear him whistling. I could see him reading the paper while I did dishes after dinner.

It hurt. It hurt so fucking much. Inhale. Exhale. I just needed to keep breathing.

I closed my eyes tight. What I really needed was to hear Tyler's voice. He should have gotten my letter by now. He should know that I chose him. Could he feel that I needed him right now? I tried to remember the touch of his skin. The smell of him. Anything. But I just felt alone. I felt myself getting swallowed whole by my grief.

I wiped my tears from my eyes and pulled out my phone. I could find his number online. Everything could be found online. I typed his name into Google but there were thousands of results. Apparently Tyler Stevens was a very common name.

If I linked his name to one that was famous, that would certainly give me the results I wanted. I slowly typed in Penny Taylor after his name. The first thing that came up was a tabloid from earlier this year. The headline read, "Penny Taylor having affair with college sweetheart?" There was a picture of Penny holding Tyler's arm, laughing. He was smiling at her. There was so much adoration on his face. Obviously it wasn't real. Tabloids were meant to provoke people. But Tyler's feelings clearly were real. I thought that seeing something like this might upset me. But I think I was already as low as I could possibly be. I closed out of the internet browser.

Why was I purposely torturing myself anyway? I was already in a dark place, there was no reason to add

fuel to the fire. I could have kept searching for Tyler's number, but instead I set my phone down. Tyler had his own things to face right now. Even if I found his number, he probably wouldn't have time to answer. No one could help me feel better right now. I had to face this myself. I looked down at the check Tyler had left me. I could have used it to save my house. I could have used it to save the bar. But that wasn't what it was for. Tyler gave it to me to save my dad. And what was the point of having the house and the bar if my dad wasn't here to share it with me? I tore the check in half.

I needed something to hold on to. But it felt like I had nothing. Despite what Tyler had promised, I did feel alone. My dad was dead. Tyler was halfway across the country. And I was here. Alone in my grief.

The more I stared at the picture Tyler had given me, the less real it seemed. The edges were already worn from me keeping it in my pocket all the time. I thought that looking at it would give me strength, like Tyler so often did in person. But a picture wasn't the same. This picture didn't speak a thousand words. It was just a reminder that I was alone.

I pulled out a sheet of paper and confessed my darkest thoughts. I wrote pages and pages of how much I regretted not staying with my dad. How much I regretted not being there for him during his final days. And then I balled it up and threw it in the trash. Because I couldn't put that on Tyler. I couldn't let him see how much I needed him when he couldn't be here. He told me I was strong. My dad told me I was strong. So I was going to fucking be strong.

I sat back down and wrote a short note to Tyler saying that I needed to speak to him. I left him my number and asked him to call me. That it was important. That I needed to hear his voice. And then I sealed it and put it out in the mailbox. He promised he'd write me back. No matter what, I'd be hearing from him soon. It was hard to have faith in a time like this. But somehow I still had faith in him. We were worlds apart, but I knew he was out there thinking of me too.

Chapter 52

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