"James?" I said, stunned. "Hey, long time." James said and anger flared in my chest. "Get the hell outta here." I growled at him. "But I need to talk to you." James said but I shake my head. "I don't know how you found me or why you're here but I don't want to see you ever again." I said, angrily, then I slam the door in his face.

But before it could fully close on his face, he stops it. "(Y/n), please. I just wanna talk. Five minutes of your time is all I ask." James said, in a pleading voice. I glare at him as I consider his offer. Part of me just wanted to tell him to go away but another part of me was a bit curious on why he came all the way out here in Montana.

I sighed and open the door a bit wider then lean against the door. "You got five minutes." I said, flatly, and he gives a sigh. "I was coming by because...well, I want Liam's guitar." He said and I furrow my brow. "His guitar? Why?" I asked him, suspiciously. "Well, I mean, I bought it for him." James said, weakly. "And I taught him how to play it!" I said, angrily. "(Y/n), please..." he pleads but I narrow my eyes at him.

I don't know what it is but I feel like there is more to this than he was letting on. I mean, he comes all the way here just for a guitar? Plus he had been bugging my brother on my whereabouts? "Why are you really here, James?" I asked him and he gives me a surprised look. "I told you..." James said and I shake my head.

"James, you've been asking my brother where I'm at and you made this long trip here, just for a guitar?" I said, confused, then he sighs as he looks down. "Okay, the truth is..." he said then he reaches out for my hand and takes it in between his. "I want to get back together." He said and I gasp as I stare at him, shocked and lost for words.

"What?" I asked, in a shocked whisper. "I realized that I made a mistake and I miss you." He said. "That is bullcrap, James! And you know it!" I yelled as I yank my hand out of his. "After what you said to me about Liam, what you did and still said it was all my fault....I don't think I can ever forgive you for that." I said, close to tears. "(Y/n), please, I'm begging you. My parents, they...they basically shut me out of their lives after what I did to you. And Erica, the woman you caught me with, she left me." He said, his voice shaking, and I continue to stare at him.

"Please, I've got nowhere else to go. I miss you, baby. I need you." He pleads. "Sounds like you're just crawling back to me just to avoid from being homeless." I growled as I pull the door towards me. "Wait, (y/n)..." he said and I shake my head. "You're five minutes is up. Get off of my property and never come near me again." I threatened as he gives me this pleading look before I shut the door on his face.

I turn my back to the door and slid down to the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest. A sob escapes from me and I bury my face into my knees and started to cry.

*3rd Person POV*

The next day, Beau was driving his car to the crime scene they were called to. Jenny was riding with him but she was staying quiet as she was still angry with what her mother did to them.

"Hoyt? Hey. You good? Where's your head at?" Beau asked her after minutes of silence. "Nowhere. I'm all good." She grumbles. "All good my ass. You're a bad liar, Hoyt. I told you we were gonna fix this situation with your mom." Beau assure her. "How? She stole 30 grand from me." Jenny said, confused.

"Well, technically, she stole it from the government. Same government that spends bucks on a roll of toilet paper. She helped us catch a murder. Maybe we call it a wash." Beau said. "It's personal." Jenny whispers. "Okay. The bills were marked, so there is that." He said. "Okay, can we please not talk about this anymore?" Jenny asked him, annoyed. "Copy that." Beau said and they sit there in silence for a moment before he asks a question.

"You sure we didn't need to go pick up (y/n)?" He asked her. "Yes, I'm sure. She apparently slept a bit later than normal and told me she'll meet us there at the scene after I gave her the location." Jenny said and Beau hums at this, he began to wonder why (y/n) slept later that didn't really sound like her.

"Did you know about her undercover job with Mad Dog?" Beau asked Jenny, who turns her head to him. "Yeah, I did. It's one of the main reasons she moved here but...how did you know about it?" She asked him, curiously. "Well, when I brought up about going undercover the other day, I noticed she looked upset. So, I went to her house that night and checked on her." He replied, shrugging as if it was no big deal, but Jenny gives a small smile to him.

"Aww, didn't know you were such a softy for (y/n)." She teased and Beau chuckles. "It's not like that." He said but Jenny could see his cheeks turning red. "You sure? Cause the look on your face is betraying you." Jenny said, laughing, and Beau shakes his head. He was about to make a remark but he realized that they had finally arrived as they hear the sirens and see the blue and red lights blinking.

"Alright, here we go." He said as he pulls up to the driveway of the house they had to investigate. Then Jenny noticed a familiar car as he parks and turns his car off. "Hey, look! Your girlfriend made it." Jenny jokes as she points out (y/n)'s car. "She's not my girlfriend." Beau said, defensively, and Jenny smiles as she puts on her sunglasses. "Oh, c'mon, I think it's sweet you got a crush on her." Jenny said as she gets out and Beau rolls his eyes.

Jenny walks towards the front door where she sees (y/n) standing by the front door. "Hey." Jenny greets and (y/n) looks over at her then waves as Beau comes up behind Jenny. "Hey...sorry for not coming in with you guys." She said. "Rough night?" Beau asked her and (y/n) sighs. "Uh, you could say that." She mutters and Beau could tell that she looked bothered and upset about something.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jenny asked her and (y/n) sighs again. "Maybe later. Right now, Poppernak is waiting for us." She said and the three of them enter the building.

"The victim is Jody Cutter, 46. Her daughter, Autumn, found her body this morning, throat cut. Estimated time of death...2:00 a.m." Poppernak tells the trio as he leads them to backyard which had a nice pool but off to the side was the dead body of Jody.

"She has a torn skirt." Jenny points out and Beau notices the bruises on Jody's feet. "Feet are all messed up. Maybe she was dragged back here." Beau said. "You think maybe sexual assault?" (Y/n) asked the others. "Yeah, we'll run the labs." Beau said as Jenny walks over to the side of the house.

"Judging by the blood, she died over here." Jenny said as she looks over the areas. "Back door was open. We found, uh, fragments of broken glass in the kitchen. Apparently she was home alone." Poppernak said as Jenny goes to the gate door and noticed that they placed a number pamphlet on it. "What's this?" She asked. "Got a bloody fingerprint on the back door, too. It's the victim's. We found a cut on her finger." Poppernak informed.

"The broken glass in the kitchen. She must have cut herself." (Y/n) said as Jenny walks back over to them. "Neighbors see anything?" Beau asked Poppernak. "No." Poppernak said as Beau looks around. "Alright. Well, cameras on everything these days. You know, people put them up, they forget all about them. Why don't we do the rounds, and maybe we'll get lucky?" Beau suggests. "You got it." Poppernak said, nodding.

"Her family inside?" (Y/n) asked him. "Husband and daughter." Poppernak said, giving a small sad nod, and (y/n) and Jenny share a look. "Let's go talk to them." Jenny said and her, (y/n) and Beau head inside.

*(y/n)'s POV*

"I should've been here. If I'd had just come home." Mr Cutter said, upset, as his daughter sighs. Beau, Jenny and I were sitting on the couch across from them. "You were at work all night, right?" Beau asked him. "Yeah, the truck came by, and we had to restock the bikes and get a jump on the repair backlog." Mr Cutter said.

"You own a bike shop?" Jenny asked him. "Yeah. Mountain Trails. A Pro-Am is coming into town next week. It's just been really crazy." Mr Cutter replied. "Can anyone back up your alibi from last night?" I asked him and the girl scoffs. "Why? My dad would never hurt my mom." She said, defensively.

"Just standard questions in cases like this." Beau assures her. "You can ask my employees. They were there. And Scott and I worked all night. I just...I don't know why someone would do something like this." Mr Cutter said and we sat in silence for a moment before Jenny speaks up.

"Has there been anyone around the house lately? Contractors, handymen?" She asked. "Not that I know of. No." Mr Cutter said. "Anything missing in the house?" Beau asked. "No." Mr Cutter said then Beau turns to the girl. "And I understand you were at your boyfriend's all night last night. Is that correct?" He asked her. "Uh-huh. I got back late from
a volleyball tournament, so I stayed at my boyfriend's." She replied.

"Were you in touch with your mom?" I asked her. "Of course. I texted her, and I told her I wasn't gonna be home." She said. "Was she okay with that?" I asked and I noticed that she looks down at her phone before she sighs and replies. "Yeah."

"Has she mentioned anything strange lately? Odd phone calls, somebody in the yard? Anything we can go on?" Beau asked them. "No. Not that I remember." The girl said. "So, you think this was just some sort of random attack?" Mr Cutter asked us.

"Unfortunately, in cases like this, it's usually someone the victim already knows." Jenny said and Mr Cutter and his daughter shares a look.

"It's usually the husband, but I don't know." Jenny said as we walk out of the house. "Now, why's it always gotta be the husband?" Beau asked, a bit annoyed. "'Cause it usually is." Jenny replied. "Uh-huh." Beau grumbles. "Not always true, Jenny. Sometimes it can be the wife." I said and Jenny rolls her eyes as she puts on her sunglasses.

"Yeah, did you see the daughter when (y/n) asked what her mom thought of her boyfriend? She looked at her screen, got all weird. You saw that. Something's not right about that house." Beau said as we get to Beau's car.

"So, what? You think the daughter did it?" I asked him. "I'm just saying we shouldn't rule it out." Beau said, shrugging. "I don't think Autumn's a killer." Jenny said and I nod. "I'm not sure she is either. "Well..." Beau mutters, unsure. "Could it be random?" I asked them. "It could be. But my gut's saying it ain't." Beau said then Jenny turns to me.

"Changing subject for a moment, are you gonna tell us what happened this morning? I mean, you rarely sleep in on a work day." She said and I look between them and noticed the look of worry on Beau's face. "Uh, maybe once we get back at the station. Don't want it out here in the open." I said and they nod. "Okay..." Jenny said and she pats my shoulder before we all load up in our respective vehicles.

*3rd Person POV*

At the Barnes' campsite, Dakota, Avery, Emily and Harry were at one of the table, eating breakfast, when Sunny comes up to them. "So, what are you guys doing this morning?" She asked as she walks up to them.

"Oh, we thought we'd go for a hike up to the lake or maybe even a group trail ride." Avery tells her then he looks over at the others. "What do you guys think?" He asked. "Well, I was actually thinking that we could go look for my Knife." Emily said. "Oh." Sunny said then she digs into her pocket and pulls out another knife.

"Happened to have a replacement for ya." she said as she hands Emily the knife. "Oh, wow. Uh, it was a gift from my dad, so I have to find it, but thank you." Emily said as Avery takes the knife out of her hand to look at it. "Yeah. Well, you can use that one until you find yours." She said. "That's very thoughtful. Thank you." Avery said as he sets the knife dow .

"My pleasure. Well, the lake is beautiful this time of the year..." Sunny said then she looks over at Harry. "It's a great place for pictures." She said and Harry smiles. "...so if y'all need anything else, just holler. Okay?" She said and she stands up and starts to walk away but Emily speaks up.

"Oh, I do, actually." She said and Sunny turns to her. "Hit me." She said. "Did Paige get back to New York okay? We were just curious." She asked her while Avery looks a bit nervous, Dakota gives a suspicious look to Sunny and Harry looks between Emily and Sunny, who seemed taken aback from his question.

"She sure did. Paige made it back safe and sound, honey, so you don't have to worry anymore." Sunny assures them. "Well, that's great news, isn't it?" Avery said, smiling, but the others weren't really buying it. "Okay, well, I hope y'all put all this behind you and have a good time. Okay? See you later." Sunny said and she walks away. "See ya." Avery said while Emily looks over at Dakota, who gets into a thinking stance.

*(y/n)'s POV*

"Wait, James came over to your house last night?" Jenny asked me, shocked, after I started to explain to her and Beau about last night. The three of us were near Beau's office but standing close together so we could hear each other. "Yeah..." I sighed. "What did he want?" Beau asked me and I rub my eyes with my fingers. "He...he wanted to get back together." I grumbled and Jenny's jaw drops and Beau looked confused.

"Are you serious?! After what he did to you?!" Jenny said, angrily. "Yeah, that's what I said." I said before I lean back against the wall and sigh as I fold my arms across my chest. "But get this! He also said that he had nowhere else to go. His family has cut him off and the woman he cheated on me with, she's left him." I said. "Sounds like he was wanting to use you." Jenny said and I nodded. "Hence why I slammed the door in his face." I said.

"Sonuvabitch has some nerve." Beau growls and I smile. "Understatement of the century." I said. "You think he's gonna continue to pursue you?" Jenny asked me and before I could respond Beau speaks up. "He better not or he and I are gonna have a talk." He said, in a firm tone, and I chuckle. "Aww, you do care." I teased and Jenny laughs and Beau gives me an exasperated look.

"I'm serious, (y/n), if he bothers you again...you let me know. Doesn't matter when or where. Give me a call." He said and I give him a genuine smile at him. "Thank you, Beau." I said, softly, and he smiles and nods at me as I noticed Cassie coming up to us.

"Hey." Cassie said as she walks up to us. "Hey, Cass." Beau greets. "Sorry to bother you. I know you're busy with the Cutter murder." She said. "No, never too busy for you. What's up?" Jenny asked her. "Yeah, what's going on?" I asked.

"I just wanted to get another set of eyes on this backpacker case. I can't be %, but I think he e-mailed an old photo trying to play it off as recent." Cassie said as she hands us a print out of the picture which was a selfie of an young man in front of the mountains.

"Well, there's no law against that." Beau said. "Beau's been using a 10-year-old picture for the department website." Jenny teased and Beau smiles and laughs. "I have." He said, proudly. "You really got to change that photo." I tell him. "Never." He said, shaking his head, and I roll my eyes at him.

"Was this taken from his phone?" Jenny asked Cassie as she looks at the picture. "Uh, yeah, but I don't think Mark sent it." Cassie said. "Wait, this Logan Pass, is this anywhere near Emily's camp?" Beau asked her and I start to worry. "It's miles away. Someone could be trying to throw us off the scent. So do you think your tech guy can take a look, see if he can get anything from the photo?" Cassie asked us.

"Of course." Jenny said. "Great. Appreciate it." Cassie said and she starts to walk away. "See ya." Beau calls out after her then Poppernak comes up to us. "Hey. I got something weird you guys are gonna want to see." He tells us then he starts to walk and we follow him.

"So, we pulled footage off a game cam a neighbor set up. Raccoons were getting in his trash cans. Really good thinking, by the way." Poppernak said as he looks over at Beau and we go over to the desk where one of the officers had the video up on their computer. "Thank you." Beau said. "Okay, enough with the suck-ups. What do you got?" Jenny asked Poppernak.

"Right. So, as you can see, raccoons, possums, and..." Poppernak as they speed through the video until they stop on what looked like a person in a scary wolf-man costume. "What the hell is that?" Jenny asked, confused.

"Is that a werewolf? That's a first for me." Beau said. "Same here." I remarked as Jenny leans in and turns to the officer operating the computer. "Zoom in." She said and the officer does that and we noticed some blood on the person's arm. "There's blood on his arm. Maybe our victim fought back." Beau said. "Maybe she fought back with that broken glass, whatever that was from." I suggest and Beau hums at this.

"Looks like we need to go have a chat with the family again." Beau said. "Let's do it. I'll meet you guys there." Jenny said and I nod as we walk off.

Later, Beau and I walk out of the station when a female voice calls out. "Hey. Hey." Beau and I look over and I see a woman with tan skin, long black hair and wearing business attire. "Hey, I'm, uh, heading up to meet Em and Avery tomorrow. I figured I'd stop by." She said and Beau seemed startled to see her and I put two and two together.

This had to be his ex-wife, Carla.

"Um..." Beau stammers and I look over at him and smirk. "(Y/n) (l/n)." I greet her and shake her hand. "Uh-huh." Carla said as she shakes my hand. "This is my ex-wife, Carla." Beau said to me before he turns to Carla. "Listen, could we not do this right now?" He asked her. "Do what?" She asked him. "That thing you do." Beau replied, a bit annoyed.

"I'm not doing anything. Ugh, so sensitive. Big old man baby." Carla said, defensively, before she laughs and I just give a small smile as I shake my head. "Yeah, I'm not gonna...I'm not gonna do this. Okay. See?" Beau grumbles. "I'm joking." Carla chuckles. "Right. We got to get to work. Uh, we got a break in the case. We're kind of in a hurry, so..." Beau said.

"Does this have anything to do with that missing backpacker where Avery and Emily are camping?" Carla asked Beau. "Yeah, uh...No, it's..." Beau stammers. "Avery said he saw you up there." Carla said. "It, uh...I was gonna tell you about that." Beau said. "Still working on those communication skills?" Carla asked while Beau looks down and I decided to jump in to defend him.

"He's actually getting better. It's one of his best qualities." I said and I could see a smile form on Beau's lips. "We have a murder to solve." Beau said as he raised his head to Carla. "Yeah. I don't want to keep you from that. Okay, but I...I need a word, please." She said and Beau stares at her the he turns to me.

"Could you give us a minute?" He asked me. "Oh, yeah, I was just going to suggest that." I said and I turned away and walked away a few feet, then started to type on my phone, sending a text to Jenny saying we might be a little late, but I could still hear their argument.

"Yeah. What's up?" Beau asked her. "It's just...Avery said that everything is fine up there, but he just wants this bonding weekend to be so perfect and..." Carla said, trailing off a bit. "And you don't trust him. Great, me neither." Beau said. "Stop. I just know he can get, like, hyper-focused." She said.

"You know, you didn't even ask me if Em could go camping with, uh, pbht." Beau said, nonchalantly. "Avery. His name's Avery." Carla tells him, annoyed. "Yeah, well, I can think of others." Beau grumbles. "Okay. And you know what, Beau? We did talk about it. You just weren't listening. I was supposed to be up there with them. I had an emergency at work. I just need to know that there's nothing to worry about with this whole backpacker thing." Carla said, worried.

"There's nothing to worry about." Beau tells her, firmly. "Okay. Good." Carla said. "Don't forget, you promised Em she could stay with me the first weekend back from this, uh, camping crap." Beau said. "I know." She said. "Okay. See ya."

"Okay." Beau said and I look up from my phone and Carla looks over at me and waves. "Nice meeting you." She said as she walks away. "Back at ya." I called out as she heads to her car and I hum at this. "What?" Beau asked me. I sigh as I think about my question before I take the shot.

"You still love her?" I asked him and he seems surprised by my question. "Why are you asking me that?" He asked me and I shrug. "It's just the way you were talking to her and how you acted. I don't know...seems like you still hold feelings for her." I said, my heart pounding in my chest. "No, I don't. Okay?" He said but I couldn't help but think he was lying but I nod as he starts to walk to his car. "C'mon, let's go." He said and I follow him.

Later, we pull up to the Cutter's house and we see the garage door is open and we see Autumn with a boy around her age inside. We pulled up and parked then get out of the car. "Hey, Autumn." Beau greets as we walk in and she stands up.

"Hi. Um, my dad's not home. Um, just my boyfriend, Derek." She said as she gestures to the boy next to her. "Ah. Where's your dad?" Beau asked. "I don't know." Autumn replied. "Autumn, I know this is a really bad time, but found an image of the person who we believe is responsible." Jenny said as she digs in her pocket.

"It came from a game cam your neighbor set up. Any chance you recognize the mask?" I asked her as Jenny unfolds the paper and hands it to Autumn and she looks at the picture of the Wolf-man. "No." She replied. "What about you?" Beau asked Derek, who looks at the picture. "No." He said.

"You mind pushing your sleeves up for me?" Beau asked him. "What?" Derek asked, confused. "Just want to check something on your forearms. You mind pushing your sleeves up?" Beau asked again. "Uh, okay." Derek said and he pulls up both of his sleeves, which showed no injuries. "Great. Thank you." Beau said and I could tell he was a bit disappointed.

"Do you want to tell me what this is about?" Autumn asked. "Is there anything you can tell us about your mom that could help us?" I asked her and she sighs and Derek looks over at her. "Just tell them." He encourages her. "I just...I don't want
my dad to find out." She said, upset.

"Find out what?" Jenny asked her. "I saw my mom with another guy." She said and I was genuinely shocked by this. "We totally walked in on them." Derek said. "Last night?" Beau asked. "A month ago. I confronted her. I told her she had to break it off before my dad found out." She said. "The dude was weird." Derek adds. "Do you have a name?" Jenny asked her.

We enter this old shop and see just a bunch of random objects and stuff scattered around the building. "Hello? Anybody here? It's the sheriff's department." Jenny called out but no one responded. "When Autumn said her mom's boyfriend owned an antique shop, I wasn't expecting this." I remarked as I see some items in jars or dome cases.

"Interesting antiques. My brother used to drag me to places like this when we were kids. I remember this one shop. There was a...There was a severed human finger floating in yellow fluid. No matter where you were, it would always point at you. Never figured out how it did that." Beau said as we split off and look at different shelves.

I then walk down a shelf and come upon what looked like several realistic-looking animal mask, similar to the one Wolf-man was wearing. "Hey, check this out." I called out to the others. "Yeah." Beau said as he and Jenny come up and they stop and stare at the masks.

"Whoa." Beau said, stunned.

"Yeah." Jenny whispers, just as stunned.

"At least we know we're in the right place." I said. "Yep." said Beau. "I'll say." Jenny said as we look around then saw a man behind us with a battle axe. "Sheriff's department. Don't move." Beau said as we all pull out our guns and aim it at him.

"Drop the weapon now." Jenny demanded as the man jumped, startled. "Whoa. It's an antique. Setting it down." He said as he sets the axe down then raises his hands. "Is this about Jody Cutter?" He asked us. "You tell us." Beau said. "We know about the affair, Craig." I said as Craig looks between us.

"Her daughter tell you about that?" He asked. "She did." Jenny said. "So what happened? Jody cut it off and sent you over the edge?" Beau asked him. "What? No. I'd never hurt her. She was the love of my life. It doesn't make any sense. She was still alive when I left." Craig said and I furrowed my brow.

"Wait, you were there last night?" I asked him. "We had dinner. A few drinks." Craig admit. "Let me see your forearms." Jenny ordered and Craig pulls up his sleeves and we saw no injury, so we lower our guns and holster them.

"Tell me something. What can you tell us about that?" Beau asked him as he holds up the picture of the Wolf-Man. "Do you recognize the mask?" I asked him. "Of course I do. I sold it to her." Craig said. "Her? Her who?" Beau asked. "Jody. It was for a Halloween party. Her and Grant were doing a Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf thing." Craig said and this made me, Jenny and Beau a look of confusion.

I swear this case is starting to give me a headache.

"Grant?" I called out as we walk into the bike shop. A loud metal clanking rings out and Jenny, Beau and I place our hands on our guns, just in case. "Grant Cutter, you here?" Beau calls out as we walk into one of the rooms and see someone working.

"Sheriff's department." Jenny calls out and the man turns to face us. "Oh, uh, can I help you?" He asked us. "Yeah, we're looking for Grant." Beau said. "Oh, sorry. You just missed him." The man said. "You Scott?" Jenny asked him. "That's me." Scott said.

"Grant said he was here all night doing inventory." I said. "That's right. Is this about what happened to his wife? Horrible. Just horrible." Scott said. "Were you with him?" Bria asked him. "Yeah. Built three bikes, too." Scott said. "Did Grant step away last night or take any calls?" I asked him. "Just to get some pizzas." Scott replied.

"What time was that?" Beau asked him. "Late." Scott said. That's specific. I thought, annoyed. "Wait, you don't think that Grant did this? Look, Grant's a good man. He loves Jody." Scott said.

"Where is he now?" Beau asked. "He said he was headed over to our shipping warehouse." Scott replied. "Great." Beau said. "Thank you." I tell Scott before the three of us leave the shop.

*3rd Person POV*

"Tired of her and her little sidekick following me around, making these accusations. Just tell them to stop. Just tell them to stop. I'm not having it." Luke tells Avery as Emily and Harry walk across the camp and notice them arguing. "Learn some manners while you're at it." Avery argued. "That's your job as a parent." Luke snapped at him and Dakota comes up.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's the problem here?" Dakota asked as he gets in between the two men and Luke turns to him. "And you! You need to stop encouraging them! I'm tired of the accusations." He growls, angrily. "Well, listen here, boy, I don't appreciate the way you're talking to me or to my friend here. And maybe if you didn't act so damn suspicious then we wouldn't have a problem." Dakota sneered and Luke just glares up at him, as Dakota was a few inches taller than him.

Luke scoffs as he looks between the two men then walks off just as Emily and Harry walk up to Dakota and Avery. "What was that about?" Emily asked. "Well, uh, Luke overheard you talking to Sunny about Paige, and he thinks you're still suspicious about him." Avery replied.

"Well, yeah, I just think that he's acting weird." Emily said. "I agree with you there." Dakota said. "What else did he say?" Harry asked. "You should, uh...You two should mind your own business." Avery said. "You see it, too, right?" Emily asked Avery. "Oh, yes. But we don't know the full story, so..." he said.

"What, you want us to stop?" Emily asked and Avery thinks for a moment before Emily sighs. "Fine. If you want me to stop, I'll..." Emily said, annoyed. "I didn't say that. Did I?" Avery asked her. "Okay. Nice." Emily said and her and Harry share a small smile.

"Look, your mum's arriving tomorrow. Let's keep this secret between us. You know how she gets. She wanted us to do some bonding." Avery said. "Gross." Emily said, with a small smile. "Her word, not mine." Avery said. "I know." She said.

"Anyway, point is, she thinks we're up here riding horses, having fun, not looking into some disappearance. So let's just keep this on the down-low, shall we?" Avery asked her. "I can do that." She said, nodding. "Good." Avery said then he turns to Dakota.

"And I would appreciate it, my friend, if you didn't say anything about this to my wife as well." Avery said to him and Dakota nods. "I understand. Your secret is safe with me." Dakota said and Avery smiles. "Thank you." He said and they shake hands.

*(y/n)'s POV*

Beau, Jenny and I were all riding in Beau's car when his cellphone goes off and he answers it. "Hey, what you got, Pop Star?" Beau asked and I snort, softly, at this. "I'm at the shipping warehouse now. They haven't seen Grant all day." Poppernak said and we all share a look.

"He lied to Scott." Jenny said, shocked. "Alright. We're on our way to the Cutter house." Beau said then he hangs up and turns the car around and head to the Cutter house.

We get up to the house to see that the door was slightly ajar and we share a look before we, slowly, go up to the door. Jenny opens the door and we don't see anybody. "Sheriff's department." Jenny calls out. "Grant? Autumn?" Beau calls out as we, cautiously, walk in and I noticed some blood on the wall of the living room.

"Blood." I whisper to them and we get our guns out and split up. Jenny heads upstairs, Beau walks down the hallway and I head into the living room. I look around the room but see nobody around and then I head over to the kitchen as I see another splatter blood on the doorway that leads to the kitchen.

I walk in and see someone on the ground, knocked out. "Beau! Jenny!" I shout as I go over to the body and see that it is Grant, but he was bleeding from his stomach. I place my fingers on his neck, feeling a faint pulse. "Guys!" I shout and Beau comes up and Jenny comes in after him.

"Call an ambulance. I got a pulse. He's still alive." I tell them and Jenny pulls out her phone and calls the ambulance.

Beau and I were at the hospital, checking on Grant and waiting on any news until Jenny comes in. "Hey." She said. "Hey. Any sign of Autumn?" Beau asked her. "No, but I have forensics looking into the blood in Autumn's room. How's Grant?" She asked. "He's alive, barely. That knife wound went really deep." I informed her.

"Alright, so now that we've ruled him out, where does that leave us?" Beau asked just as a nurse comes up to us. "He's awake now." She tells us and the three of us share a look of relief before we head into Grant's room.

"Hey, Grant, can you hear us?" Beau asked him. "Your daughter's currently missing. Do you have any idea where she could be?" I asked him and he nods. "Yeah. Scott." Grant said and I was shocked. "Wait, what'd you say?" Beau asked, confused. "Scott took her." Grant said, a bit louder and breathing heavy. "Scott is in love with her. I should've listened to Jody." Grant said, upset.

"Call Poppernak, get an address." Beau tells Jenny. "I'm on it." She said as she pulls out her phone.

*3rd Person POV*

Harry and Emily walk around the forest, looking for her knife, when they heard splashing. They share a look before they walk towards the stream and see Luke washing his face. He turns around to see them.

"Sorry. Just looking for my knife. Dropped it when..."

"When you were running away from me?" Luke asked Emily, interrupting her. "Yeah." Emily said and Luke shakes his head then takes a few steps towards the kids, Emily pushing Harry behind her. "What do you want?" He asked, annoyed.

"I know that you spoke with my stepfather and Mr Dakota." Emily said. "And I know that you think I did something to Paige. Well, I didn't. Truth is, I don't know what happened." Luke said. "You said that she left." Harry pointed out from behind Emily. "Yeah, but there was somebody else out there." Luke said and the kids stare at him.

"Do you guys believe me?" Luke asked as the two kids share a look then Emily sighs. "I don't know what to believe." She said. "Yeah, there's just things that don't add up." Harry said. "I would never do anything to hurt Paige or anyone else, for that matter. It's not who I am. But I just really, really need you to stay out of this. You don't know what you're dealing with." Luke warns the kids. "Okay." Emily and Harry said as they raise their hands and Luke walks away.

Emily pulls out her phone and presses the stop button as she had just recorded the whole conversation.

*(y/n)'s POV*

We pulled up to Grant's house, several cop cars surrounded the house and many officers walking about. We get out of Beau's car and head inside, where Poppernak meets us. "The whole house has been cleared. No sign of Scott or Autumn. Headed to the bike shop to see if he shows there." Poppernak said. "I'll go with you." Jenny said and Poppernak nods.

"We're gonna take a quick look then head over to the Cutters' for another pass. Call me if you get anything." I tell them and Poppernak nods. "Yeah." Jenny said and her and Poppernak leave.

"So what? Jody discovers this guy was creeping on her daughter and told him to stay away?" I asked Beau as we look around the room. "Well, maybe he went over there to get Autumn and ran into Jody instead." Beau said and he looks at a wall.

"Hmm. That's weird. I used to, uh, build houses with my uncle every summer during high school." Beau said and I turn to him. "Huh?" I said. "Listen, there's something...There's something off about this house. It's, uh...I felt it the moment I walked in. It's like the dimensions are wrong." He said and I look around.

"Weird." I muttered as I look towards the stairs. "I'm gonna take a look upstairs." I said. "Right behind you." He said and we head up the stairs and walk towards a bedroom that had the door open. I walk up to it and grab the doorknob to open it wider. I felt something sticky on the knob and pull back my hand, covered now in blood.

I look over at Beau and he stares at my hand then looks back at me before we nod and we pull out our gun. We walk into the room and walk in when we hear a thud then a knock in the closet. Beau reaches over and opens the closet door and we aim our guns but don't see anything but clothes.

But we could hear a lullaby playing, softly. Beau pushes the hanging clothes aside and see that there was a door behind the clothes. Then Beau opens the door and we could hear the music clearer and louder.

"What the hell?" I whispered, shocked, as we see an entirely hidden room. Beau and I share a look before I go in first and Beau follows me. We enter and see that the room was decorated as a young girl's room, including pink walls. Then I look over and see Autumn passed out on the little table.

"Autumn." I said as I go over to her. "Hey. You okay? Autumn?" I said as I try to shake her awake and she slowly raises her head, which sways a little. "I think she's been drugged." I said as I look over at Beau, who looks around the room. "We got to get her out of here." He said and I look back at Autumn and noticed that she had shackles around her ankles.

I pull on them but no use as I noticed there was a lock. "Damn it." I grumbled and I look back at Autumn. "Hey, look at me. Autumn, did you see a key?" I asked her. "This is my room." She slurs. "Did you see a key?" I asked her again but she doesn't respond.

"He's been planning this for years...since she was a child." Beau said then there was a click and the lights go out. Beau pulls out his gun and I stand up and pull my gun out; we look around until I heard a noise behind me, I turn and see Scott had appeared and was fighting Beau.

He knocks Beau's gun out of his hand and punches him across the face, knocking him down. I go over and fire at Scott but he pushes my arms out of the way and he punches me a few times and knocks me down.

I shake my head as Scott started to loom over me but Beau comes up and pushes him away from me and they start to fight. I then saw Scott had a knife and he slashes at Beau as they struggle and fight then Beau takes his knife and stabs him in the stomach and Scott falls down.

Beau begins to breathe, heavily, as I get up to my feet then look towards the window curtains. I go to open them but see that it was a fake window. "Ah, he got me." Beau said and I turn to him to see his right hand was covered in blood.

"Hey." I whispered as I walk over to him, standing in front of him. "You okay?" I asked as I start to look at his shoulder. "(Y/n)!" Beau exclaims and he spins me around, his right arm right across my chest, and I saw Scott was standing up.

I raise my gun and fired three times at Scott and he finally goes down. I take a few deep breathes while I could feel Beau's breath on my left ear, I could feel his chest rise and fall against my back. I look over my left shoulder to see his face was really close and my heart jumped up in my throat and I turn my head forward, my face turning warm at this.

Beau, Jenny and I take Autumn to the hospital to see her dad. She goes to his bed and Grant opens his eyes to see her. "Hey." He said. "Hey. I'm so sorry, Daddy. He did all this because of me." Autumn sobs as Grant takes her hand in his.

"No, it's my fault. I should've protected both of you, and I'm so sorry." Grant said and Autumn hugs him and they start to cry together. Beau, Jenny and I leave the room to give them a moment. "Why does it feel like the monsters always win even when we get them?" Beau asked us. "Yeah. At least those two have each other." I said. "Yeah." Beau mutters.

"A loving dad can't protect you from everything. But it goes a long way." Jenny tells Beau. "We still talking about them, or we talking about somebody else?" Beau asked and Jenny smiles up at him then walks away. I sigh and rub my eyes at this.

"Well, I'm just glad it's over. This case was giving me a headache." I said and Beau chuckles a little. "Well, I think I'm gonna head home and just...unwind." I said and I start to walk away as well. "Well, hey..." Beau calls out to me and I turn to him and he suddenly looked a bit nervous.

"Uh, would...would you like some...company?" He asked me as he runs his hand behind his head and I stare at him then I smirk. "Are you asking if you could come over to my place?" I asked, with a chuckle. "Well, I just...I just know that, uh, you were worried about James coming back and I was just...you know, wanting to make sure you're safe and sound...but if you don't want me to then I understand..." he stammers and I couldn't help but laugh at how cute it was.

He shuffles a bit nervously and I fold my arms across my chest as I give him a smile. "As long as you bring the drinks and I bring the food..." I said and he smiles. "Sure, no problem." He said and I giggle.

Later, I set down a bucket of chicken on the coffee table next to the bowl of chips. I look it over and wonder if this looked good, I just kept having this voice in my head that told me to make sure everything was good.

Why am I worried? I mean, this isn't a date...is it? I thought then I shake my head. No, it's just two friends hanging out... I told myself just as I heard a knock on the door. My heart jumped at this as I start to worry, was it Beau or was it James?

My heart beats hard in my throat as l stood there for a few moments before another knock sounds out and I go to the door and open it, slowly and cautiously, only to smile as I see Beau at the doorway with a couple of six packs. "Hey." He greets and my smile grew. "Hey, Texas." I said as I let him in. "You okay? Took a bit to answer." Beau said, concerned.

"Yeah, sorry, I was afraid maybe...James came before you did and I had no idea how I would deal with it." I said as I shut the door and Beau set the six packs on the table next to the food. "Well, if it was James; all you would have to do was call me and I would've hightailed here to kick his ass." Beau said as he turns to me and I smiled. "Careful, Texas, people will start to think you play favorites." I teased. "I'm just looking out for my partner, is all." He said and I continue to smile. "I appreciate it, Beau." I said, softly.

We share a smile before Beau clears his throat then scratches the back of his head. "So, uh...what's the plan tonight, darlin'?" He asked me and I felt butterflies in my stomach and my face heats up. "Well, I was thinking of just watching some TV and enjoy some food and beer." I said and Beau smiles. "Sounds great." He said.

*3rd Person POV*

(Y/n) was flipping through the channels as her and Beau eat on the food, not finding really anything on besides game shows and reality tv shows. "Man, there isn't much on..." Beau said. "Yeah, no wonder streaming services are kicking TV's ass." She said. "Well then we should flip over to Netflix or something." Beau said. "I don't have a subscription." (Y/n) said. "Why not?" He asked her. "Don't really have enough money." She said then sighed.

"I do have some DVD's we could probably look through." She said and the both of them head over to her shelf that held some of her DVD's. "Wow..." Beau said as he looks over the shelf. "What?" (Y/n) asked. "Just that you're the first woman I know that has nothing but 80's and 90's action films." Beau said and she chuckles. "I've got a soft spot for them, thanks to my brother." She said and Beau laughs then (y/n) pulls out a movie.

"How about this one?" She asked as she pulls out the DVD to Raiders Of The Lost Ark. "Ooh, Raiders of the Lost Ark? Good choice!" Beau said as (y/n) smiled. "You know, when I saw this as a kid, I wanted to be a treasure hunter." She said and Beau turns to her. "Really?" He asked her and she nods.

"Yeah, I mean, going to these exotic places? Finding legendary treasures of the past? That just sounds exciting!" (Y/n) said and Beau chuckles. "That does sound fun. And I'll admit, I also thought being a treasure hunter would be fun too." Beau said. "You were just hoping to get some ladies, weren't you?" (Y/n) teased and Beau chuckles. "A little bit, maybe. But going to other countries does sound cool." Beau said.

"Well, then, it's settled. We're watching this movie." (Y/n) said and she starts up her DVD player and puts the movie in. Beau goes to sit down on the couch and watches (y/n) kneeling down in front of the DVD player. Once she got the DVD in, she grabs the remote and goes to sit next to him and started the movie.

As the movie begins, Beau started thinking over his thoughts on (y/n) and how he was noticing some small things about her. The way her hair falls down to her shoulders and over her face when she looks down, even when it's pulled back in a ponytail the loose strands fall over her eyes and she pushes it aside.

Every time she smiled or laugh, he found it contagious and he would either smile or laugh with her. He also liked how she calls him Texas but the rare times she actually says his name, made his heart sing.

He also liked that she had similar tastes in movies and now he won't be outvoted on watching movies with Jenny and Cassie, being forced to watch Ryan Gosling movies or any other movies like that. But he also wouldn't mind just having movie nights with (y/n), alone.

As the movie goes on, the two would either make jokes or comments on the movie until they got to the part where Indiana falls into a pit, surrounded by snakes. Beau noticed that (y/n) looked a bit uncomfortable at this. "You okay?" He asked her. "I don't like snakes. No matter how many times I've watched this movie, it still freaks me out." (Y/n) said and Beau gives her a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry." Beau said as the scene continues and shows that the pit is full of snakes and Indiana Jones freaking out a bit. (Y/n) squirms at this then Beau goes to place his left arm around her shoulder, comforting her. She actually relaxes at this and she turns her head to him and he looks over at her. She gives a small appreciative smile to him, which made his heart beat hard in his chest.

He actually started to like the idea to be her protector, even though he knows she can take care of herself which he does like as well, but it's nice that she lets down her walls a little bit and let herself be vulnerable around him.

She then leans her head against his shoulder and he felt his face turn red. He bites his lips as his heart beats hard against his chest again but he does his best to relax as the movie continues on.

Little did they know, a person was lurking outside of (y/n)'s house as he looks into the window from the outside. It was James. He had indeed come by the house to talk to (y/n) again but he heard the movie playing a bit loud. He walked over to the tall window that was a few inches away from the door and could see Beau and (y/n) sitting on the couch.

Seeing his ex-wife with another man did bother him. He knows they are divorced but still seeing her with another man, he honestly didn't expect her to move on like she did. He had hoped to win her back but to see her leaning her head on Beau's shoulder and Beau looks down at her with this look of admiration in his eyes was breaking James' heart.

He glares at them then stomps away while Beau and (y/n) continue to watch the movie.

"I had a really nice time, Beau." (Y/n) said sometime later as Beau stands on her porch, (y/n) leans against the doorframe. "Yeah, I did too. Maybe we could do this again?" Beau suggests and (y/n) smiles. "Ooh, have a secret movie night without Jenny and Cassie? Sounds exciting." (Y/n) teases and Beau laughs.

"Well, if I have to suffer through Ryan Gosling again, I need a night to counteract that." Beau said and (y/n) laughs. "I don't blame ya." She said and they share a chuckle before Beau smiles at her. "Well, I better head home. I'll see you later, sweetheart." Beau said and (y/n) smiles, affectionately. "See ya, Texas." She said and Beau waves then walks off of the porch and towards his car.

(y/n) watches him leave for a few moments then goes to shut her door behind her as she goes back into her house. Beau gets into his car then looks back toward (y/n)'s house and could see her through the window to her living room, watching her putting things up before she turns off the light.

Beau gives a smile towards this and felt this warmth over his chest and heart, something he hadn't felt since Carla. Then it hit him. He was developing feelings for (y/n) and he didn't know what he should do. Part of him just wanted to keep it to himself but another part of him wanted to confess to (y/n) that he was liking her in that way.

He decided, for now, to wait and figure out what he would say to her as he starts his car and drives off.