Chapter 45
Caleb drove back to the Brotherhood campus, going as much over the speed limit as he dared without getting a ticket. His hands ached from gripping the wheel so hard, his pulse loud in his ears. The guys were already there.
Chase stood at the head of the conference table, arms braced on the surface. Dex sat to his right, laptop open, fingers already moving. Titus, Finn, Ryker, Zach and Will looked up the moment Caleb came in.
“Sitrep,” said Chase.
Caleb swallowed hard. His throat felt tight, like he hadn’t taken a full breath since he had left the house.
“Mia is missing. According to her father, she took off with Roy last night, supposedly to get her car. Roy isn’t at his apartment.
He’s missing too.” He dragged a hand through his hair.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on.
I don’t know who would want to hurt her.
Or if she is hurt. Or if they were in an accident. ”
Chase didn’t hesitate. “First thing, we loop in Liam. See if the sheriff’s department has had any reports of accidents or abandoned vehicles.”
Caleb nodded, annoyed with himself. Damn. He should’ve thought of that already. But his head had been spinning, chasing fragments instead of structure.
“You’ve contacted friends?” Chase asked.
“Yes. No one’s seen her in the past day or two,” Caleb said. His chest hurt, as if the room had lost air.
“What about her contacts at the farmers’ market?” Will asked. “Sarah’s there every Saturday. And Norah’s been helping lately. Did you talk to either of them?”
Caleb shook his head. “No. Didn’t even think of them.”
“Do you have a number for either?” Chase asked.
Will frowned. “No, but Frank, the market manager, would know who was working which booth. They require vendor badges.”
“Can you get that information?” asked Chase.
Will nodded. “I’ll call Frank.” He stood and walked into the library.
Caleb turned to Dex. “Get into the security feeds from the farm last night.”
Dex’s eyes locked on the screen. “Already pulling them.”
A few minutes ticked by. Too long. Each second stretched uncomfortably.
“I’m in,” Dex said. “It looks like Roy and Mia took off around nine o’clock.”
Caleb leaned forward. His stomach tightened. “Can you follow the truck?”
Dex exhaled. “Give me a minute. If it stayed on covered roads, I can track it. If it cut through back routes or dead zones …” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.
Chase straightened. “Until we know more, we treat this as a missing-persons case with escalation potential.”
Caleb nodded, pressure building in his chest. “She wouldn’t just disappear.”
“No,” Chase agreed. “But until I hear from Liam and confirm there were no reported accidents …”
The door to the conference room opened, and Will came back in, phone in his hand.
All eyes went to him.
“She hasn’t seen Mia since Saturday. Nor has Norah.”
Damn. Caleb’s stomach dropped hard, a sick lurch that left him lightheaded. Where are you? Are you okay? That was dumb. Of course, she wasn’t okay. Please be alive. He hated himself for it, but he’d take an accident over the alternative. At least accidents were survivable.
Will continued. “You know who else you might speak to is Sabrina Masters of Savory Designs. I have her number. And Dana Cole, who owns Live Oak Catering. They’re both in town and know Mia.”
“Any reason to think they matter?” Chase asked.
“Sarah said there was some professional jealousy,” Will said. “Mia picked up clients they lost. Could be nothing. But it’s worth checking.”
Caleb took the numbers. His fingers felt slightly numb. Could be motive, he thought. Or nothing at all.
He dialed Dana first. She answered on the second ring.
“I haven’t seen Mia in a while,” she said.
Caleb ended the call and immediately dialed Sabrina. Once. Twice. Voicemail.
He tried again, then set the phone down on the table, harder than he meant too.
“Sabrina isn’t answering,” he said. “And Dana says she hasn’t seen Mia in a while.”
Too smooth. Not helpful but not incriminating either.
“I’m going to stop by Sabrina’s,” Caleb said. “Then I’ll head back to Mia’s place. See if anything stands out.”
“I’ll come with you,” Titus said immediately.
“Me too,” chimed in Finn. “More eyes. Fewer misses.”
“I’ll continue tracking Roy’s movement,” said Dex. “See if the truck resurfaces.”
Caleb nodded, already moving. The three men walked out into the bright sun, which felt wrong given how dark everything suddenly was.
It didn’t take them long to reach Sabrina’s place. She lived just outside town. A car was in front of the small bungalow. The sign out front read Savory Designs.
“There’s movement inside,” Finn said.
“Wait here,” Caleb told them. “I don’t want to scare her.”
He knocked.
A tall, dark-haired woman answered. She gave him a quick, assessing look. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Mia,” Caleb said. “I was told you might know her.”
“Mia?” She looked surprised. “I saw her at LilyPad Confections a few days ago with Autumn Spencer. Why? Is she okay?”
“I’m hoping you can tell me.”
She frowned. “I don’t like the implication. What’s this about?”
“She’s missing,” Caleb said evenly. “And you were one of the last people to speak with her.”
“Look, I saw her a few times. We were competitors. That’s all.”
“I heard you lost some clients to her.”
She huffed. “That’s nothing more than business. Am I thrilled about it? No, but I have plenty of clients.”
Caleb studied her. Annoyed, yes. Defensive, maybe. But not afraid.
“What about Dana Cole?”
“Dana?” Her brow lifted. “She lost clients too. Took it harder than I did.”
“Well, thanks for the information.” He started to leave but turned around. “Do you know Roy Spencer?”
Her lips pursed. “Roy? No. I believe he’s Dana’s boyfriend.”
That stopped Caleb cold.
“Boyfriend?” he repeated.
She nodded. “At least that’s what I heard. Oh,” she added, almost as an afterthought. “You might want to speak with Heather Pierce. She writes the Taste of Haywood blog. She’s plugged into everyone.”
“Thanks,” Caleb said. “Any idea how I can reach her?”
Sabrina gave him a suggestion. He thanked her and stepped back.
Every new detail made the fear settle deeper instead of easing.
“One more stop,” he said, getting into the truck.
They found Heather Pierce in front of her laptop at Greens & Grounds in town. He’d never been there before.
The café occupied a converted warehouse, all exposed brick and beams softened by an abundance of green plants. The space was broken into smaller, more intimate seating areas. The low hum of conversation blended with the hiss of the espresso machine.
Near one exposed brick wall, a woman similar to Sabrina’s description of Heather was furiously typing on her laptop. Behind her, metal shelves held books and small antique coffeepots arranged with care.
Caleb stopped a few feet away. “Heather?”
She looked up, puzzled for a second, then smiled. “Yes.”
“Caleb Jennings,” he said. “Sabrina suggested I talk to you. I’m trying to find Mia.”
Heather’s smile faded immediately. “What do you mean, trying to find her?”
“She’s missing.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s not meant to be.”
She studied his face, then slowly closed her laptop. “Sit.”
Caleb slid into the chair across from her. Finn and Titus lingered near the counter, close enough to hear if things went sideways, far enough not to hover.
“When was the last time you saw her?” Caleb asked.
“Sunday,” Heather said without hesitation. “I stopped by her kitchen barn to show her something.”
Caleb’s chest tightened. “Show her what?”
“An anonymous blog post,” Heather said, irritation flashing across her face. “Claims about cancellations. Accusations that Mia was undercutting competitors. All bullshit if you ask me.”
“Was Mia upset?”
She shook her head. “Not outwardly. She was resigned. Like she knew people were going to talk no matter what she did.”
That answer bothered him more than anger would have.
“Who was talking the loudest?” he asked.
Heather thought for a moment. “Some of her competitors were grumbling. Jealousy. Anger. But Sabrina Masters is the most vocal.”
A chill settled over Caleb. “Anyone else?”
Heather hesitated. “Dana Cole is quieter. She frames everything as a concern. Like she hated seeing Mia treated unfairly.”
“Did that strike you as odd?” he asked.
Heather met his gaze. “Not really. Dana doesn’t usually do concern without a reason.”
Caleb leaned back slightly. “Did Mia ever mention Roy Spencer?”
“No. I think he helps around the farm, but that’s all I know.”
Caleb stood and handed her his card. “If you remember anything else, call me.”
“I will,” Heather said softly. Then, after a beat, “Caleb?”
“Yeah.”
“Find her.”
He nodded once and stepped away.
The knot in his chest tightened. The more people he spoke to, the clearer it became.
Mia hadn’t vanished suddenly.
She’d been surrounded long before she disappeared.
Caleb found Mia’s father at the kitchen table, staring into a mug that had gone cold.
He looked up when Caleb came in, hope flaring for a second before fading. “Any news?”
“Not yet,” Caleb said gently. He took the chair across from him. “But we’re working every angle.”
Her father nodded, fingers tightening around the mug. “She wouldn’t just disappear. Mia’s not like that.”
“I know,” Caleb said. He let the quiet sit for a beat. “So, she was here and left with Roy?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
Caleb nodded. “You trusted him.”
“Of course I did.” The response came fast. “That kid’s been around for years. He needed direction. Structure.” He sighed. “I took him under my wing. Thought I was helping him get his footing.”
The words landed heavier than they should have.
“She wouldn’t have gone with him if she didn’t feel safe,” Caleb said.
“I know,” her father replied softly. “That’s what scares me.”
He stared past Caleb, lost in a memory. “Roy isn’t perfect. But he isn’t cruel. He wouldn’t hurt her.”
Caleb didn’t argue. Not yet.
They sat in silence for a moment in the quiet house, every sound amplified. The tick of the clock. The hum of the refrigerator. Ordinary things that felt wrong now.
“I wanted to ask you about people from her past,” Caleb said finally. “Friends. High school, maybe. Anyone she stayed in touch with.”
Her father leaned back, exhaling slowly. “Most of them moved away. College, jobs, families.” He frowned, thinking. “Mia was always focused. She kept a small circle.”
“Anyone local?”
“A few,” he said. “She didn’t have much time for friends. School, work, studying.” He hesitated. “Roy. Though he is a couple of years older. And Dana Weston. They weren’t friends exactly.”
“Anyone else?” he asked.
Her father shook his head. “If there is, I can’t think of them.” His voice cracked. “If I missed something …”
“You didn’t,” Caleb said quickly. “None of this is on you.”
Her father looked at him. “You’ll find her?”
Caleb didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
As he stepped outside, the late afternoon air felt sharp. The trust Mia’s father had placed in Roy sat heavy on his chest.
It didn’t feel wrong.
That was the problem.