13. Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
Brooks
Iknew as soon as I saw that her car was missing from my driveway.
Aria was gone. I picked up my phone that had been set to silent.
One missed call from her. I held my breath as I listened, but I didn’t believe she would disappear.
On me, maybe. On her sister, never. I didn’t know who had convinced her she wasn’t the staying kind, but she was.
In the last few days, I’d seen how much she loved her sister, her loyalty and her fear.
She’d gone to the cottages. Without thinking, without coming up with a plan, I reversed the Jeep out of the drive and took off at a speed much higher than the posted limit.
I reached Dune Garden Inn in record time.
The office was closed, locked up tight, but Aria’s car was still parked out front.
That had to mean she was still here. I got out of the Jeep and strode over to it.
The engine had cooled. I tried the door, and it opened.
I leaned in, shaking my head when I caught sight of the keys still in the ignition.
Her bag sat in the passenger seat. I dug around and looked under the seat to be sure.
Her phone wasn’t here. I dialed her number that I’d saved just a few short hours ago.
It rang and rang, then went to voicemail.
Shit.
I called the office of the Dune. Answering machine.
Panic seeped in. All I could remember was the last time I’d felt this helpless. I’d been six years old, and I’d watched my best friend drown.
I pushed it away and started down the path, looking for any sign of Aria. She was not dying. Not tonight.
I had just come to a turn in the path and was trying to figure out which way to go when a woman ran around the curve, terror in every scrambled step. In the darkness, she looked just like Aria, but not. I caught her in my arms.
“Where is she?” I demanded.
Her eyes were wild and her breathing out of control. “I—I don’t know. Sh-she told me to run. Oh my God.” She clutched my arms. “I left her there.”
“Is anyone coming after you?”
She shook her head. “I think they stopped and went back. Aria… She said she was me.”
Of all the stupid, impulsive, wonderful things that made Aria who she was. I wanted to kiss her and shake some sense into her all at once.
“Which cabin?”
“Ten.”
“Get to the office. Her car and keys are there. Take it and go to the lighthouse. Tell them Brooks sent you. Go.”
I watched her run the way I’d come. When she disappeared around the corner, I took off again, only this time, I had a destination.
When I reached the cabin, there were signs of a fight and tire tracks. Wherever Aria was, it wasn’t here.
The men that wanted to kill her had gotten their hands on her. Fury, hot and swift, filled me. I’d tear this town apart to find her.
Running full speed back to my Jeep, I hauled myself in. As I peeled out of the parking lot, I called Rafi.
“Code eight-oh-eight,” I said when he picked up, knowing he’d understand. “I sent the sister to you, but right now I need you to track her phone. They have her.”
“Send me the number.”
I disconnected the call and shared her contact.
Two minutes later, a location popped up. She was where I’d just gotten back from. The marina.
Another text pinged on my phone. Backup is on its way.
It didn’t matter. The rules I’d followed since I was six years old didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Aria back alive.