Chapter 25 #2
When I fly into the parking lot, all my suspicions are confirmed when I spot Ryder, Hailey, and Mitch waiting for me.
Everything inside me goes ice-cold as the rage I’ve always feared lived inside me grips me by the throat and won’t let go.
I get out of the car, and Ryder starts talking before I even hit the sidewalk. “Okay, let’s not panic, but you’re right. We can’t find her.”
With every word, I grow more remote.
Ryder holds up Jessica’s cell. “Hailey and Jessica share their locations, and we found the phone lying in an empty parking spot. I didn’t notice anything in the vicinity, but I have Sadie working on blocking it off just in case.”
Hailey’s chin quivers as her big blue eyes well. “I can’t remember when I last saw her.”
I study the parking lot as if it will reveal some secret to me, but all I can think is, she’s gone.
Someone took her.
Someone snatched her from this fucking parking lot.
I don’t know if she’s dead or alive.
They are all watching me, waiting to see what I’m going to do. I remain mute, virtually motionless because I’m blinded by fury.
“Charlie,” Mitch says, like he’s trying to get my attention.
I want to yell that I trusted them to keep her safe and they failed.
I want to berate them for losing her.
For letting her get stolen from me.
I clench my jaw to prevent every cruel, intrusive thought raging through me from pouring out. The monster I ran away from when I left my life and moved to Revival threatens to consume me.
The door I keep shut pounds like a war drum, threatening to rupture with each punishing beat.
Under the rage, I come face-to-face with the boy I do my best to forget, and I see the sharp, lost fear in his eyes. The shame that he’s the common denominator in tragedy.
Hailey’s hand brushes my biceps.
My gaze locks on hers, and her expression is pleading, her blue eyes luminous. In that moment, I see the similarity between her and Jessica instead of their differences.
Hailey’s fear matches my own.
“Please, you have to find her.” Her voice trembles.
It shakes me from that distant state, and the world blares into sharp, agonizing focus.
There’s no place for emotions right now.
Jessica needs me.
For her, I must keep a cool, level head.
So, as I’ve done thousands of times before, I shove everything behind that door and turn to the subject at hand.
I swallow hard, clearing the tightness from my throat. “The most likely person to hurt a woman is a man close to her, so let’s start there. The ex-boyfriend? The proposal guy? Did she give any indication he was harassing her? Or unable to let go?”
There’s a shifting in the air.
Ryder and Mitch glance at each other but say nothing.
Hailey’s expression creases as she wrings her hands.
“She hasn’t said anything about Travis, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t try to contact her.
He was obsessive over her, but she would have told me if he kept bothering her.
The last contact she told me about was an altercation she had with him at work before we moved here.
” Hailey’s brow furrows as she looks at her brother. “Did you think Travis was dangerous?”
Ryder shakes his head. “He was clueless and thickheaded, but she talked about him more like he was a nuisance than someone she was afraid of.”
The question is, would Jessica let herself feel fear? Or would she brush it off because she believes she’s invincible?
“Statistically, he’s the most likely suspect,” Mitch says.
“Agreed.” The word comes out level and controlled. I address Hailey. “Do you have her password?”
She nods, and Ryder’s already handing her the phone to unlock. Quickly, she presses numbers on the screen and turns it over to me. The first thing I do is see what apps are open, and that’s where I find the first ray of hope, because she recorded something on her voice memos.
“Thank fuck, she’s smart.” I hold out the phone and press play.
Through the speaker, it sounds like she’s walking, her heels clicking on pavement. The recording is garbled and loud, but indistinguishable, like it’s pressing against fabric or is in her purse.
Her voice comes over the line. Hey! Stop that.
More rustling and muffled noises. I hear voices but can’t make anything out for a good thirty seconds until the sound clears up.
Man: Shut up.
Jessica: You’re overreacting.
Man: I have nothing to do with that project. Stop hounding me.
Jessica: I’m not. It was a simple question. Shane Donovan said you were involved in the early stages, and I had some holes I thought you could fill in.
Man: What’s it to you?
Jessica: I’m the lawyer working on the environmental impact report, and I wondered if you dropped out of the project for a reason I should know about. People don’t usually bail on multimillion-dollar deals without a reason, and it’s my job to mitigate risk.
There’s a shuffling sound.
Jessica: What is wrong with you? Let go of me.
Man: I’ll take that.
The recording picks up the sounds of the phone hitting the pavement, then Jessica yells, You’re going to regret this!
A car door slams.
An engine roars.
Then nothing.
“Fuck,” Ryder says.
“Go get Shane,” I snap to Mitch.
“On it.” Mitch takes off without hesitation.
I drag my hand through my hair. “I’m going to kill her.”
“You and me both,” Ryder agrees.
My voice is thick with authority when I address Hailey. “Go inside. Do not speak to anyone about this. This needs to be kept as quiet as possible until I figure out next steps.”
She searches my expression before nodding and turning to leave.
I’m all business when I turn to Ryder. “Get Sadie. We need a plan. Whoever took her is stupid, messy, and dangerous. Our best shot is to be on offense, and the last thing we need is mass chaos. Since he didn’t plan to take her, he’s going to be on edge and panicked as he tries to figure out what to do next.
He’ll be looking for any reason to get rid of her, and we cannot let that happen. Understood?”
“Understood.” But instead of leaving, Ryder steps toward me, puts his hand on my shoulder, and squeezes, looking me in the eyes. “It’s going to be okay, Charlie. I know my sister, and she can outwit this guy. We’ll find her.”
It almost breaks me, but I push away from the emotions threatening to swallow me whole, and when I speak, my voice is a deadly, eerie calm. “We’d better.”