Chapter 25
twenty-five
Leo
My body was exhausted from the heat and being out on trail rides all day. Sweat poured down my face as I climbed the stairs two at a time to get into my parents’ house and out of the sweltering heat.
It was just after six, and all I wanted to do was shower and eat a light meal before Carolina and I spent some time with Luke before he went to bed.
Hopefully, we'd have another meaningful conversation tonight.
Her words from the night before ran through my mind all day.
As I opened the door, the coolness from the air conditioning hit me, and I let out a groan at how good it felt.
“Dad,” Luke said from his spot at the table. Seeing him after a long day made everything better.
“Hey, little man,” I said with a smile.
I searched for Carolina, but came up empty.
“Where’s Carolina?” I asked as I closed the door behind me.
I looked back and forth between my parents; a worried expression passed between them as they both shook their heads.
“Are you going to come eat with us, Dad? We saved you plenty,” Luke said as he took a bite of food. I hadn’t even taken the time to see what was on his plate as I stilled at the looks on my parents' faces.
“Not right now, bud. I need to do a couple of things. Be good for your grandma and grandpa. I’ll be back shortly,” I told him as I walked over and kissed him on top of his head.
I didn’t want to scare him, so I tried to hide how I felt.
I pulled out my phone to check to see if she’d messaged me, but nothing was there.
“I’m goin’ to go find her,” I whispered as I passed my parents and waited until I was out of Luke’s sight before I ran to the front door and raced out of it.
Frantically, I pulled up her number and tried to call her, only for her voicemail to pick up.
“Hey, this is Carolina. Leave a message….” her voicemail said before I ended the call and called her again. Only to be met with her voicemail yet again. That was when I noticed her missed call and the voicemail she’d left. I clicked on the notification and her voice sounded into the truck.
“I’ll be a few minutes late today. Just wanted to let you know,” she’d said. It’d been longer than a few minutes. Even with her being a little late, it was well past the time that she should’ve been back to the ranch.
I hopped in the truck, headed in an unknown direction to try to find her.
She wouldn’t go to the house, would she? I asked myself, but balked at the idea. She knew it wasn’t safe. There was no way she’d go there without someone with her.
Again and again her voicemail picked up. I beat one hand against the steering wheel in frustration; my other hand gripped my phone just in case she returned the numerous calls I’d placed.
Frantically I searched the backgrounds as I sped down them in hopes to find her just pulled off to the side broken down. But that didn’t explain why she wouldn’t have answered my calls.
I tried not to let my mind wander to the dark thoughts that threatened and failed.
What if he got to her?
What if I didn’t make it in time to save her?
What if I found her but something horrible had happened?
I shook my head to break the cycle of the thoughts that tortured my mind.
My phone rang just as I saw our street up ahead. I clicked to answer the call, not bothering to check to see who’d called.
“Carolina,” I said frantically, hoping like hell it was her voice that responded on the other end.
“I take it you haven’t found her yet,” Brooks’ worried voice said on the other end.
“No,” I ground out as I turned down our street and caught sight of Carolina’s SUV parked in her driveway.
I let out a relieved sigh as I pulled into her driveway and threw the truck in park, not bothering to shut off the engine.
“I found her. She’s at her house,” I said into the phone as I rushed out of the truck and across the yard. I took the steps two at a time and came to a halt as I saw the front door ajar.
“I’m glad you found her,” Brooks said, but his voice sounded like it was in a tunnel as I crept forward, and my grip on the phone tightened as I pushed the door open with my boot.
“I’m not so sure yet,” I said as I peered inside, no Carolina in sight.
“What do you mean?” Brooks asked and I told him to hold on a minute as I walked inside.
I ran from room to room, calling out for her, only to repeatedly come up empty.
I ran back into the kitchen and that was when I saw it.
A broken vase on the floor.
I walked over on unsteady legs, and my heart hammered in my chest the closer I got.
When I saw the blood drops around the broken glass, and Luke’s EpiPen case on the floor, I dropped to my knees and wailed.
My phone fell from my hands as I pulled at my hair.
“She’s gone. He got her,” I screamed as I pulled harder, so hard that I probably pulled some out at the root.
I pushed myself to my feet and picked up my phone.
I had to find her.
She had to be okay.
I couldn’t lose her.
Not again.
“Call the sheriff,” I yelled into the phone to Brooks and ended the call.
Turning around, I raced out of the house and the sound of the door slamming echoed in the air as I rushed back to my truck.
I couldn’t sit here and do nothing.
I had to find her.
Only I had no clue where to look.
He could be anywhere with her by now.
I rested my head on my steering wheel and beat my forehead against it.
“I can’t lose you again, cara. I won’t,” I pleaded for no one to hear.