Chapter 31
“Judging by the look on your face, she didn’t forgive you,” Jack said when Carson walked into the office the next morning.
“I didn’t talk to her,” he confessed, setting his things on his desk before flopping down into his chair.
Jack got up from his and sat on the corner of Carson’s desk. “What do you mean, you didn’t talk to her? We had this discussion yesterday. You were going to apologize and tell her everything.”
“I did go to her place, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk to her.” He had sat on her curb for a good twenty minutes, watching her through a part in her curtains. She looked good. Happy even. He drank in the sight of her like a parched man in the desert finding water.
It had only been two days since he’d last seen her, and yet it felt so much longer. He’d gone through the speech he’d prepared a million times in his head before finally getting out of his truck and stopping in front of her door with his knuckles raised to knock, but froze at the last minute.
Carson had doubts. He wasn’t sure he could give Allie everything she wanted.
She’d seemed content without him as if she already was over him.
Maybe he should just slink off and let her live her life.
A life without worrying where he was or the secrets he had to keep from her.
He didn’t want to see the same distrust that had come over Jenny’s eyes every time he had to leave.
Wondering what was truth and what was lie.
“You’re an idiot.”
Maybe he was. “It doesn’t matter. She’s better off without me.” Even if he wasn’t. Carson had never felt more alone than he did right now. It was his own fault and his insecurities that caused it.
“But are you?”
Carson looked up at Jack, wondering how much more to share, when Sandy walked into the room looking around frantically. She saw them at his desk and rushed over to them.
Jack either heard her or saw his look of concern because he turned around and stood up. She stopped in front of them, wringing her hands in a nervous motion.
“Sandy, what’s wrong?” She didn’t appear hurt, but obviously, something was distressing her.
She turned her gaze on him. “I’m not speaking to you. I came for him.” She tilted her head toward Jack.
“Me?” Jack asked in shock. Carson was just as stunned. Sandy didn’t like Jack. Why would she want to talk to him? Allie would have told Sandy what happened between them and that was probably the cause of her ire towards him.
“Yes, I need your help. Allie is missing.”
Carson pushed up from his chair. Blood rushed through his ears. Surely, he hadn’t heard right. “What do you mean, Allie is missing?” She couldn’t be missing. He had just seen her last night.
“I said I’m not talking to you. You hurt my best friend and didn’t deny it or try to make it right,” she said, not looking at him but keeping her focus on Jack.
Jack gave him an ‘I told you so’ look.
Now wasn’t the time for that. Allie was missing.
“Why do you think Allie is missing?”
“When she didn’t come into work this morning, I went to her house. The front door was open, and there were broken trinkets on the ground like there had been a fight,” Sandy replied to Jack as if he had asked the question. Her voice cracked, and Carson saw tears pool in her eyes.
Before Carson could cross the distance to her and comfort her at the risk of his bodily injury, Jack pulled her to his chest.
“I’m so scared for her. She’s not answering her phone. Her purse is at home as well as her car. Someone took her,” Sandy wailed.
Carson gripped the edge of his desk, blaming himself. He had been there. He had seen her. If only he had talked to her, he might have been able to prevent this. Now he stood here feeling powerless.
Jack looked at him over Sandy’s head. “Carson, you said you were there last night.” Sandy whipped her head around to glare at him as if he had something to do with her disappearance.
“I didn’t even talk to her. I got out of my truck and went to her door, then turned around and left. She was there inside,” he explained.
“What time did you go over?”
Carson tried to think back. “Around eight.” Jack gave him a look.
Yeah, it had been hours from the time of their meeting to when he’d gone to Allie’s house.
He’d used the excuse she had been at work to wait, then it had been about working out what to say, and finally getting the nerve to go to her house.
“What’s going on here?” Luke asked, coming into the room. The rest of the guys were behind him. His eyes darted around taking in the scene.
“Sandy came to tell us that Allie is missing. Her house appeared broken into. The door was left open, and there was broken furniture.”
“Sandy, did you call the police?”
“No, I came straight here. I knew you guys would have a better chance of finding her.”
It was true, but it was a matter for local police. However, now that he knew Allie had been kidnapped, he wasn’t leaving it up to local police to find her. He and his team had the skills and resources to bring her home.
Luke nodded. “Alright, let’s head over to Allie’s house and see what we can find. Sandy, why don’t you—”
Sandy pushed out of Jack’s arms; her frantic look was replaced with fury. “If you think for one second, I am going to just walk away like a good little woman and let the big men folk take over, you have another thing coming.”
Luke wisely left it at that, and they headed out, taking two vehicles.