Unlocking Melodies (Oakwood Grove #3)

25. Fractured

Chapter 25

Fractured

I probably set some kind of land speed record getting to Oakwood Grove. My father's comment about traffic laws echoed mockingly in my head, but I couldn't bring myself to care. Not when Jimmy was missing, not when every second felt like an eternity of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.

My car’s tires sprayed gravel as I skidded to a stop outside Rolling Hill Ranch, the car's pristine paint job probably ruined. Another thing I couldn't care about. My hands shook as I killed the engine, muscle memory somehow getting me out of the car despite my brain being completely offline.

I must have looked like hell - suit wrinkled beyond saving, tie hanging loose like a surrender flag, hair probably resembling something closer to a hedge than my usual careful styling.

Caleb materialized on the porch before I could reach the door, his hand raised in what was probably meant to be a calming gesture but felt more like a stop sign. “Ethan, you need to breathe.”

“Breathe?” The laugh that escaped me sounded slightly unhinged. “Jimmy's missing, and you want me to focus on respiratory functions?”

“I want you to not pass out before we can actually help him.” He gripped my shoulder, steady and grounding. “We've got people here who know what they're doing. But they need you thinking clearly, not spiraling into a panic attack in designer shoes.”

The mention of my shoes - which were definitely not made for ranch gravel - somehow cut through the static in my brain. Trust Caleb to use fashion to reach me at my most unhinged.

“Fine.” I forced myself to take a deep breath, then another. “I'm breathing. Happy?”

“Ecstatic.” His dry tone carried a warmth that made my chest tight. “Now come on. Everyone's waiting inside.”

I followed him through the door, my heart hammering against my ribs. The sight that greeted me in the living room would have been almost comical under different circumstances - Liam and Elliot huddled over maps spread across the coffee table, Jake and Officer Dawn reviewing what looked like security footage, and Clark of all people sitting in the corner with an expression that suggested he'd rather be anywhere else.

The cavalry had assembled. Now we just had to figure out how to use it.

“What do we know?” The words came out sharper than I intended, but panic had a way of stripping away corporate polish.

Jake stepped forward, tension evident in his stance. “We've got surveillance footage. Shows the car they used, but we lost the trail once it left town limits.”

“That's it?” I couldn't keep the bitter edge from my voice. “A car disappears and we just... what? Give up?”

“Actually,” Jake's eyes shifted to Clark, “we might have something else.”

Clark lounged in his corner chair with an ease that made my skin crawl. Something about him felt off - like watching an actor playing a role they hadn't quite mastered.

“Some interesting chatter going around,” Clark drawled, examining his nails like we weren't discussing Jimmy's life. “About people using that old barn out past Miller's property.”

“Chatter.” I tasted blood and realized I'd been biting the inside of my cheek. “And why exactly should we trust your convenient intel?”

His smile didn't reach his eyes. “Because unlike you, rich boy, I've got connections in places that don't take American Express.”

“You want to test how far my connections reach?” The threat slipped out before I could stop it. “Because I'd be happy to-“

“Enough.” Jake's voice cut through the tension. “Clark's information checks out. We've had reports of unusual activity out there - vehicles coming and going at odd hours.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” I was already moving toward the door, but Liam stepped in my path.

“We need a plan.” His voice was steady, reasonable - which just made me want to scream. “We can't just rush in blind. That's exactly what they'd expect.”

“Every minute we waste planning is another minute Jimmy's in danger.” My hands were shaking again, corporate control completely shot. “Do you understand what these people are capable of? What they might be doing to him right now?”

“Do you understand what happens if we go in unprepared and get him killed?” Liam's bluntness felt like a slap. “Think, Ethan. You're not the only one who cares about him.”

The words hit home, forcing me to really look at the people around me - all wearing different versions of the same fear I felt. Even Clark's carefully crafted nonchalance had cracks showing.

“The barn's isolated,” Jake said into the heavy silence. “But there are back roads we can use for approach. What we need is eyes inside before we move.”

“I can help with that.” Clark's voice had lost some of its affected drawl. “Know some people who owe me favors. Folks who can get close without raising alarms.”

I wanted to argue, to demand we move now, to do something besides stand here talking while Jimmy was God knows where. But Liam was right - rushing in would only put Jimmy in more danger.

“How long?” I managed through clenched teeth.

“Give me an hour.” Clark stood, all pretense of casualness gone. “Maybe less.”

“One hour.” I met his eyes, letting him see exactly what would happen if this was some kind of game. “Then we move, with or without your intel.”

He nodded once, already pulling out his phone as he headed for the door.

“Not so fast,” Liam interjected, his tone calm but firm. “We need a plan, Ethan. We can’t just rush in without knowing what we’re walking into.”

“Plan?” I couldn't keep the edge from my voice. “While we're sitting here planning, Jimmy's out there somewhere, probably terrified, and you want to what - draw up spreadsheets? Create a PowerPoint presentation on rescue operations?”

A warm weight suddenly landed in my lap - Luna, apparently deciding my expensive suit was the perfect place for a concerned cat intervention. Her purring felt like an engine against my chest as she headbutted my chin with surprising force.

“She's been restless all day,” Clark said softly from his corner. Despite only having opened his cat cafe a few days ago, he had this way of moving that seemed almost... otherworldly. Like gravity was more of a suggestion than a law. “Animals sense things, you know. Especially when something's wrong with someone they love.”

Luna's purring intensified, as if agreeing. For a cat who usually treated my designer clothes like personal scratching posts, she was being unusually gentle.

“You'll make time for a plan,” Caleb insisted, though his voice softened watching Luna attempt to groom my tie. “Because rushing in like some corporate knight in shining suit isn't going to help Jimmy.”

I stroked Luna absently, trying to ground myself in her steady purring. “And what about Gary? He's the reason Jimmy's in this mess, isn't he? Where's dear old dad while his son's life is on the line?”

Jake shook his head. “Off the grid. But right now, Gary Reed isn't our priority. Jimmy is.”

“The barn's our best lead,” Clark said, rising from his chair with an almost floating grace. For someone who spent his days serving cat-themed lattes, he moved with an uncanny precision. “You'd be amazed what people let slip when they think they're just talking to the friendly cafe owner.” His eyes, an impossible shade of blue in the right light, sparkled with hidden knowledge. “Especially when they're distracted by kittens.”

Luna chirped softly, turning her golden eyes to Clark with an intensity that felt almost like communication. He smiled back - not his usual sunny cafe owner grin, but something older, wiser.

“How can you be sure?” I pressed, even as Luna kneaded my leg with surprising purpose.

“Let's just say I have a... special insight into things that try to stay hidden.” Clark's smile turned mysterious. “It's kind of my thing. You could say I was born for it.”

Something about the way he said it made me look closer - really look, past the cheerful exterior and cat-themed apron he still wore. There was something else there, something that reminded me of old stories about guardians and watchers and...

Luna headbutted my chin again, effectively derailing that train of thought.

“Jimmy needs us,” Clark said simply, his voice carrying an authority that seemed to come from somewhere beyond his apparent years. “All of us. Even if some of us are more than we appear to be.”

The clock ticked away precious seconds, but somehow Clark's steady presence made them feel less like a countdown and more like gathering strength. Luna's purring had taken on an almost musical quality, a rhythm that seemed to match the determination building in the room.

“Time to decide, Ethan,” Clark said softly. “Do you trust us? All of us?”

Looking between them - Caleb with his grounding strength, Jake with his tactical mind, and Clark with his... whatever he was - I realized I didn't really have a choice. Jimmy was out there somewhere, probably giving his kidnappers lectures about proper cat care protocols, and he needed every ally we could get.

Even if some of those allies seemed to defy the laws of physics and had an unusually strong connection to cats.

Luna stretched in my lap, her golden eyes seeming to say “Finally, he's getting it.” Clark's answering smile was just a touch too bright to be entirely human.

Sometimes saving the people you love meant accepting help from beings you didn't fully understand. And right now, Jimmy needed all the otherworldly assistance we could get.

Besides, who was I to question someone's true nature? I was just a corporate titan sitting in a farmhouse with a lap full of surprisingly strategic cat, taking rescue planning advice from a cafe owner who occasionally seemed to forget about little things like gravity.

Just another Tuesday in Oakwood Grove, really.