Chapter 37 Gage
Thirty-Seven
Gage
I was running full steam when we heard another gunshot.
It hadn’t been that long since the first one, maybe a few minutes if that.
But then again, I had lost track of time while focusing on whether Julie was okay, and the cabin seemed a lot further away than I expected.
There were several more gunshots fired, sending a chill through me.
“Help! Help!” a little voice cried, pulling my attention to the trees off to the side of the path.
Duke barked, getting to her first as Patrick and I followed him.
“Daisy!” I yelled out, making sure she knew we were there. “Stay where you are, sweetheart. We’re coming for you.”
“Gage! Mommy needs help!”
“I know, we’re on our way. Where are you, sweetie?”
“Here,” she cried, her voice getting closer as we went through some brush and saw her sitting on the dirt with her arms wrapped around Duke.
“Baby girl, are you okay?” Patrick asked, swooping down and picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried. He held onto her tightly, as if afraid of what might happen if he let her go.
“Yes. But my mommy...”
“I’m going to go get your mommy now. Stay with Uncle Pat, okay?”
She nodded and held him tightly as he stepped carefully out of the brush and back onto the trail.
“Duke, home,” I said, nodding to the inn. While we hadn’t practiced much at the inn, I trusted he was smart enough to know what I needed of him right now, given the command was the same as what we used at home.
Once I saw him leading Patrick and Daisy back to the inn, I took off running at full speed until the cabin came into view. I flew around to the front door and pushed it open, stopping when I saw a few people inside.
“Julie!” I yelled, waiting for my eyes to adjust to what was happening in front of me. The room smelled damp and mildewy, likely due to the rundown condition of the cabin that had been abandoned for years. “Julie!”
“This is an active crime scene. You need to leave,” a female said, moving to stand in front of me, blocking my view as two males stood off to the side as they shielded a body.
My heart raced in my chest as my blood pressure skyrocketed.
Seconds felt like minutes as they ticked by without me knowing whether the woman I was madly in love with was alright.
That body on the floor could be hers. There was no way of knowing who fired those gunshots, and worse—who had been killed.
“Julie!” I called again, even louder this time. I looked at the woman standing in front of me, my eyes pleading with her. “Please. I just need to find my girlfri—”
“I’m alright,” Julie said quietly, pulling my attention to the corner of the room where she sat in a chair. “Where is Daisy?”
“She’s safe. She’s with Patrick,” I said, stepping toward Julie when the female stepped in front of me again, holding her hand up as she continued to block me.
“I’m not going to tell you again,” she warned.
“I’m sorry. I really need to see her and make sure she’s okay.”
“I understand. However, this is an active crime scene. You cannot be in here. You need to step outside and wait. An ambulance is on the way to check her out, but as far as we can tell, she appears to be okay. We will update you if anything changes.” She nodded to the door, indicating it was time for me to go.
I nodded, chewing the side of my cheek to keep from fighting with this woman. Julie and Daisy were okay, so that was all that mattered.
“I’ll be outside,” I said to Julie, hating that I couldn’t go see her yet.
“Okay. I’ll be out as soon as I can.”
I turned and walked out of the cabin, allowing myself a moment to catch my breath. I had no idea what had happened or whether Julie was truly okay, but she was alive and breathing, and that was good enough for now.