Chapter 14 #2
This isn’t happening…
“Carter… Something is really wrong,” I whisper into the phone as I take in the scene.
My head is spinning. Why would he pack up his clothes?
Why the hell is his phone off? He left work early and didn’t tell me?
I try to think of a thousand reasons why he would do these things, but I can't even come up with one.
“Get over here. Now!” Zeke says loudly enough to reach through the phone, and then he storms out of the room. His loud footsteps rush down the stairs, and I hear him yell for Damien again.
“Alex and I are on the way. Do not move.” He abruptly hangs up, and just for good measure, I try to call Damien again, but I end up with the same result.
It goes straight to voicemail, and I can almost feel the floor tremble beneath me.
I turn and walk out of the room on shaky legs, only to meet Zeke’s eyes as I go back down the stairs.
The moment I step onto the main floor, he wraps his arm around my shoulders again and tucks me under his hold, but I’m not sure if it’s for comfort, or because he’s just as scared as I am now.
After only about ten minutes, the house erupts into chaos. Carter storms into the house and immediately runs upstairs, while Ezra and Alex lead the K-9s inside with Darnell. The moment they all step in from the garage door, Darnell speaks.
“Set,” he commands, and all three dogs instantly obey.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask and step forward, but Zeke pulls me back at his side.
Ezra gives me a sympathetic look before walking back outside, and my skin crawls.
The alarms in my mind are blaring, and suddenly, it’s too cold in here.
My limbs are riddled with goosebumps, and I can’t help but shiver.
Carter runs back down the stairs with one of Damien's shirts and one of my blankets, only to quickly hand them to Darnell.
He holds them in front of the dogs and allows them to take a few sniffs each before moving on to the next.
Zeke takes a small step in front of me and crosses his arm, looking entirely unimpressed.
“What the hell is that going to do, Darnell? Their scents are all over the house.”
“Exactly. They're searching for unfamiliar smells. This is so they know who belongs in the space.” Once Darnell lets the last dog, Duke, sniff the fabric long enough, he slips the two pieces into a trash bag and hands it back to Carter.
As he walks it out to the garage, Darnell turns back to the dogs and stands at attention, almost like he's expecting them to lead him instead. “Seek.”
They immediately get to work. Daisy, Diesel, and Duke immediately split off in separate directions, beginning their search of the house.
I wasn’t sure those dogs could look any more intimidating than they already do, but watching them in action is always a different sight entirely.
They look wound so tightly that if someone were to even stick a hand in their direction, they’d bite it off.
Zeke envelops me with his arm again, and leads me over towards the couch.
“Sit down while the dogs do their job,” he orders me in a quiet but stern tone, and I comply without question.
I don’t want to get in their way, and my legs are trembling so harshly that I might fall over anyway.
As soon as I hit the couch, Zeke stands in front of me with his arms crossed like he’s standing guard.
He’s never been this way with me, and the devastated look in his eyes is just as scary.
Something is definitely wrong, and they know it.
Alex is fidgeting, and Zeke is as still as stone.
I’ve never seen them this nervous before.
My chest feels empty, like deep down I know something horrible has happened, but my mind won’t catch up.
I’m too busy looking at everyone else, silently begging for an answer, but they’re just as clueless as I am.
Everyone stands off to the side as the dogs sniff their way through the first floor, and as Daisy makes her way around the living room, I can’t help but keep my eyes on her.
We’ve obviously spent more time with her than the other dogs, and while I know she’s working, I just want to pet her.
I crave her soft fur and her warmth, almost believing that cuddling her could take the worry away.
As if she can sense my needs, she smells her way over to me and sits in front of Zeke.
She takes a moment to inhale him like she’s sizing him up, and then she walks around him to stand directly in front of me.
“Daisy,” Darnell calls out, instantly grabbing her attention.
I turn my head as well to look at him with worried eyes.
Is she going to be in trouble? I didn’t distract her, did I?
“Guard,” he commands. The moment she hops onto the couch and lays beside me, a relieved sigh escapes me.
Her warmth instantly seeps into my body, and as she nudges her head into my small belly, my heart breaks in the softest way.
This can’t be happening. This isn’t happening.
Damien’s going to walk through the door any minute now and yell at everyone for overreacting.
I know it. He probably ran to the store because we’re out of avocados.
Yeah, that’s it. He’s always checking that damn app and incorporating whatever food it tells him into the meals we eat.
It’s sweet, truly, but I swear to God…if that’s what caused all of this panic? I’m deleting the damn thing.
“I called Ser to check. Damien isn’t there, and there haven’t been any John Does admitted into the hospital today. She’s on her way here now.” Carter walks back inside and stands behind the couch, mimicking Zeke’s protective stance.
John Doe? Does he think Damien could be hurt?
He could be. What if he’s lying on the side of the road in pain?
What if someone hit him and they just drove away?
If he did go to the store, he could’ve seen something in an alleyway and tried to stop it.
He could’ve been shot, or even hurt his back.
Out of all the wounds he’s healed from in the past month and a half, his back was one of the worst. What if he aggravated it again, and he just can’t call for help?
I start to stand up, feeling the overwhelming urge to get in the car and find him.
The moment my ass lifts from the couch, Daisy nudges her snout into my belly, and I take that as a cue to keep sitting.
My legs are softer than limp noodles, so I probably wouldn’t get very far anyway.
Cries try to bubble up my throat, but I swallow harshly to keep my voice from shaking when I speak.
“Do we have people out looking for him?” I turn my head to look at Carter, and his face is firm with dread, but he grins anyway, like it actually softens the harsh blows.
“Yeah, Ash. Ezra’s starting a search party right now.”
“The dogs aren’t picking anything up,” Darnell reveals, walking around with the canines instead. My heart sinks, and Alex steps up to the rest of us.
“We need to talk about calling it,” he says softly, like he’s trying to make sure we’re the only ones that can hear him, and Zeke’s head snaps in his direction.
“Absolutely fucking not.”
“Call what?” I ask and shift my eyes to the three of them.
Alex opens his mouth to speak, but as the front door flies open, I flinch.
A burst of panic explodes in my chest, and I reach out to grip Daisy’s fur.
It’s hot as hell out, but somehow, an ice-cold breeze sweeps through the room.
Satori and Kade walk in the entryway, and the house feels even emptier with their presence.
“What the hell is going on?” Satori asks, and Daisy jerks her head up. She growls softly, like even she can sense the bad aura surrounding him, and I pet behind her ears to calm her down. I’ve seen what she can do to a person, and the last thing we need is blood to contaminate our house.
“This isn’t your fucking concern, Macher. It’s family business,” Zeke says harshly and stands a little straighter. I know that his dislike for Satori—and Sahara in general—is pretty extreme, but he’s not being very subtle about it right now.
“Where’s Damien?” Kade asks, but I keep my focus on Daisy and try to ignore them.
I focus on how my fingers disappear beneath her fur, and the way it stays raised as my hand retreats.
This distraction is better than thinking of the possibilities.
I don't want to answer Kade. I can’t bear to say it out loud.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Alex replies in a smartass tone, and I’m kind of taken aback by it.
He’s normally the calm, cool, and collected one out of us all—even more so than Carter.
So, the fact that he’s this hostile towards them is strange.
I don’t know what’s going on between all of them, but this silent war isn’t necessarily helping right now.
“His phone is off and he isn’t home,” Carter clarifies in a nicer tone. I finally look up at them, and immediately regret it. Kade’s face is hinted with concern, and Satori has that exasperated look that predominantly shows in his brows and eyes.
“So…because he’s late coming home, that requires all of this?
” Satori asks, clearly annoyed, and twirls his index finger to gesture around the house.
The motion kind of pisses me off. He doesn’t know Damien.
He doesn’t understand how this is so out of character for him.
Plus, this is our fucking house! Who does he think he is? !
“If you aren’t worried, then why the fuck are you here?” Zeke asks angrily.