Chapter 38
CHARLIE
Charlie glanced down at his watch for what felt like the umpteenth time.
It had only been a small issue with one of the auction items that had pulled him away from Sam, and it had been solved quickly enough that Charlie made his way to stand with Peter and Angel until Sam came back.
They chatted amongst themselves, eager conversation soon dying off into distracted comments as they waited for her return.
He was starting to feel unease creeping up his spine the more time passed.
It had been too long.
Way too long.
Of course she was an adult and had very likely just bumped into someone she knew.
Everyone they’d grown up with, gone to school with, had been invited to this, after all.
Even he had spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd, so it would stand to reason that she might have made a pit stop to chat with someone. Maybe even more than one person.
It was just the night making him feel on edge; that must’ve been it.
This whole spectacle, though beautiful and incredibly well planned on his mother’s part, must’ve still had him on edge.
He tried to calm his nerves, rationalizing every which way he could. Even feeling a bit ridiculous about it.
He looked down at his watch again.
No, something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something just didn’t feel right.
Even Angel appeared to share his thoughts, occasionally rocking up onto her tiptoes to look over the crowd.
“She’s been gone too long,” he said finally.
Angel nodded, clutching Peter’s arm for leverage as she once again stood on her toes to peer over the crowd. “I agree.”
Charlie began threading his way through the throng of people without a word. He hoped that he’d bump into her on the way there, and she’d laugh about him overreacting again. Being overprotective again. That, he could handle.
Angel forged ahead and led the way into the bathroom, leaving Peter and Charlie behind for what felt like ages. When Angel walked back out moments later empty-handed, Charlie knew something had happened.
Panic choked him.
“Charlie!” Tyler called out from a short distance away. His father and two other individuals trailed after them, security guards, adding fuel to the fire burning in Charlie’s throat.
“Where is Sam?” Tyler asked—something in his tone only confirmed Charlie’s worst fears.
Paul was here.
Angel stepped forward next to Charlie. “We don’t know. She went off to the bathroom earlier, but I just checked, and she’s not in there.”
The search began immediately.
Charlie’s mother was asked to stay behind to keep everything running and prevent a panic—and just in case Sam did show up. Angel, on the other hand, refused to stay behind with her, despite Peter’s protests. Not that Charlie could blame her, though his thoughts were pretty singular at the moment.
The group wandered out into the cool night’s air through the back exit, closest to the restrooms.
Charlie cursed himself for separating from her at all.
He’d been too high on cloud nine with the most recent developments in their relationship that he’d almost completely forgotten about the whole situation with Paul. Or Jonathan, or whatever the hell his actual name was.
Fear twisted in his gut—with nothing but dense forest surrounding them, they could be anywhere.
They might not even still be here.
They could be long gone.
But that was when the silence around them broke. A voice. The sound was distant and barely just loud enough against the backdrop of the chaotic chatter, music, and loudspeakers blasting from just a few steps behind them. But it was just enough to have the hair raise on the back of Charlie’s neck.
He spun around in the direction of the voice, waiting to see if he heard it once more.
Then he did. Coming just a distance away from the nearby park, he heard the voice again. Everyone around him seemed to hear it that time, all freezing in place as they listened. Angel even clapped a hand over Peter’s mouth mid-order as he tried to tell the security guards something.
Then they heard it again.
Louder and a bit more clear, but suddenly cut off, as if forcibly. The sound of it sent a shock of terror down Charlie’s spine like a lightning bolt, the recognition immediate.
It was Sam.
She was screaming his name.
Charlie immediately broke out into a dead sprint.
His heartbeat was in his ears, pure adrenaline taking over. The shouts of the others behind him faded into the distance as he ran—there was no way in hell he was slowing down or stopping.
His girl needed him.