Unlovable

Chapter 19

Roger tried going into his office and working when he got home, but thoughts of Darcie kept interrupting any progress he might have made. Frustrated, he left the office and headed for the kitchen. On nights like these, he liked to enjoy a nice cold bowl of cereal in front of the TV and let the drone of idle chatter numb his mind. He was channel surfing, slurping the last of his milk from a red bowl. Everything he saw, every commercial, every actress, reminded him of Darcie. He was damn near consumed by her.

He sighed to himself, knowing it was near impossible to shake her from his thoughts. He was in love with her. His thoughts were centered on her, and pretty much had been since the first day they met.

Remembering her in that towel still made his insides burn with desire.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the towel he was thinking of now. It was the hurt Harold had made her feel during the years of her marriage.

The confession hadn't taken him completely off guard. It had always been clear to him that she wasn't being completely honest. It didn't matter to him then, and it didn't matter to him now.

All that mattered was that cruel, twisted son of a bitch she was married to- And how Roger would be sure that she would stay safe from him.

The idea of waking up one day and Darcie not being there tore at his heart. Harold crushed her spirit, her pride, and from what Darcie said on more than one occasion, her flesh. Roger vowed to do anything in his power to make her feel secure again. Briefly, he had thought of tracking the bastard down himself and having a few choice words with him. Perhaps he could follow up the meeting with Roger's fist connecting with Harold's face.

How anyone could willingly hurt someone so beautiful, articulate and caring as Darcie was beyond him.

Roger set his empty bowl down and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the couch. He tried thinking of ways to better protect her, or to at least make her feel more secure in her surroundings. He'd install a state of the art alarm system at the cabin; buy her surveillance cameras, whatever she wanted.

Still flipping through the channels, he stumbled upon a news story. His mouth fell open when a picture of a fair haired Darcie appeared on the screen.

Shit, he thought as he forced himself to focus on the words being said by the newscaster on screen.

"The wife of Chicago Police detective, Harold Kincaid, went missing early last week while Detective Kincaid was on duty on the City's South Side. Her car was found five blocks from their home in Sherwood Heights. Police say there was no source of forced entry at the couple's residence, but foul play has not been ruled out."

The screen flashed and Harold, or at least who he assumed to be Harold, stood at a podium. He wiped at false tears and ran a hand down the front of his suit, straightening his tie.

"Darcie," he started. "If you can see this, I want you to know I'm coming for you. I promise, honey, I'm going to bring you home where you belong. I promise I'll save you. And to whoever has taken her, I want you to know that justice will be served. I'm going to find her, and I'm going to find you. Whatever it takes, as long as it takes. I'll never give up hope."

Roger reached over and grabbed his boots, pulling them on as quickly as possible.

An abduction? That's what that asshole was claiming? The newsroom popped back on screen, Darcie's picture still in the corner.

"If you have any information of the whereabouts of Darcie Kincaid please call 1-800-The Lost or contact your local authority. There is a very large reward for any accurate information that inevitably leads to her discovery."

"How much is the reward, Kayla?" asked her co-anchor.

"Says here it's $50K."

The co-anchor almost choked on his coffee.

Roger didn't care what the reward was. He just wanted to make sure Darcie was safe and stayed safe. He flipped off the TV while the anchors discussed the salary a detective made these days.

Darcie had every right to know about this fabrication Harold had publicly displayed for the world to see.

Roger told her he would protect her, and he had every intention of doing so.