You Can't Run by Hope Davis (best way to read books .txt) 📗

Naya got home. He would face her later this week. His chest physically hurt at the fact that he was probably hurting her right now, but he just needed some time to process.

It was so hard knowing he was going to lose his best friend. And he felt like if he didn’t deal with the emotions now, he was going to really lose it when Vance actually died.

Maybe he was being dumb. Maybe he should just call Naya, at least make sure Trevor had checked in on Vance.

Yeah, that was a good idea. He would do that in an hour or two when it was a decent time.

He couldn’t deny that his feelings were rapidly growing for Naya. She was beautiful, smart, and she had such a caring heart. He kind of wished he could see her in action at work, he imagined she was quite sexy.

He really hadn’t planned to fall in love with her, it had just sort of happened. He had volunteered to help with Vance because he was his best friend and when Vance had mentioned his sister had moved to town, he never dreamed that she would be the girl he’d been waiting for all these years.

The first time he had seen her, he couldn’t even explain it. Watching her try to be kind and cook food for all of them in that small kitchen. Biting her lip when she realized there wouldn’t be enough. Something within him had changed in that moment. He knew she was different, and he had needed to know more.

So, yeah, he was definitely an idiot for ignoring her right now, but she had said the case had just broken. So, maybe she was happy to have a little break from having to worry about him? His excuse sounded weak even to his own ears.

He closed his eyes fulling intending to take advantage of his rare day off from work when his phone started buzzing again. Okay, even for work they were calling a bit early. Maybe it was an emergency.

He blindly reached for his phone and brought it to his face. It was a number he didn’t recognize, but a local area code. It was probably a sales call. He silenced it.

Not even a minute later the screen lit up again. The same number. Dammit all.

“What do you want?!” He answered angrily. He was pissed and wasn’t about to be cordial.

“Hey Kevin, this is Atlas, Naya’s partner, she was supposed to be here at seven. I’m guessing she slept through her alarm and I was just seeing if she was with you?”

What. The.

“How did you get this number?” As far as Kevin knew, he had only met Atlas once and it was in passing, without so much as an introduction, at the hospital. The guy couldn’t know more than his first name.

“Dude, I’m a detective. It’s not that hard. But seriously, is she with you?”

He was annoyed. Maybe he would feel better if she was here, now that he thought about it. He really was being stupid. “No, she’s not here. You should probably call her number.”

“I’m not an idiot, I already did. Straight to voicemail.”

Kevin thought for a moment about how Naya’s phone battery was always low. “Her phone probably just died and that’s what she uses as her alarm.”

The phone line was silent for a minute. Clearly Atlas wasn’t buying it.

“This isn’t like her, I’m going to have an officer go to her house.”

As much as he wanted to hole up in his room, Kevin knew that if cops showed up at her door, Naya would be embarrassed. Decision made he spoke up.

“No, no, I’ll go over there now. I have a key.”

“Okay, have her call me as soon as you wake her, please.”

“Will do.” Kevin grumbled as he got out of bed and pulled on clothes. Maybe this was good. Clearly avoiding Naya wasn’t going to solve his problems, he just wished he’d had more time to think.

He spent the entire drive grumbling about how bright the sun was this early in morning. Man, even for him he could admit he was being grouchy.

When he pulled up in front of her house, grimy from not having left bed the previous day, he wished for a moment that he would have at least had the forethought to shower before he came over here. Oh well, Naya would probably run right out the door after he awoke her anyway.

He parked right behind her car and walked up to the door. He pulled his keys from his pocket, slipping them into the keyhole only to find the door wasn’t locked.

That was odd.

The moment he walked in the door he knew something was wrong.

“Naya?” He called out as he stepped over the rug, which was bunched in the doorway. “Vance?”

There was no answer from either of them. He glanced at Vance’s door but it was closed, and since it was still early he decided he would check on Naya first. He walked up the stairs and peered around the corner into the loft to find her bed empty. Not just empty, but it was made. He headed back down the stairs and poked his head in the bathroom. Empty. He roamed through the kitchen and living room. There was no sign of anyone. It was definitely time to wake Vance.

He knocked on his door. “Hey, it’s Kevin, you up?”

He waited for an answer, but when none came he turned the knob and opened the door.

What he saw would be burned in his memory forever.

“Vance?” Kevin stood there in shock.

It took another second for his mind to flip into gear and for him to cross the room, he reached for Vance. The minute he touched Vance’s arm; he knew.

He was cold.

He backed