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Endangered missing person.
Veronica’s heart began to thunder in her chest, and she couldn’t seem to draw enough air into her lungs. The world around her blurred and warped as she took a step back. She gripped the doorframe for support, her skin feeling too cold, too clammy.
Endangered.
“Veronica,” Cal said softly, reaching for her, but she pulled back, shaking her head.
“No.” She whirled on him, her voice raising several octaves with panic. “Where is he? He should be here by now. It only takes fifteen minutes to drive from the Mad Dog.”
“We’ll find him.” Ash’s voice was as gentle as she’d ever heard it. He stepped toward her, hands raised as though she were a skittish animal. “With all the shit happening around here recently, I’m just being overly cautious. It’s probably nothing. He probably just stopped somewhere and lost track of time.”
“No,” she spat out, the fear rising like bile in her throat. “You don’t understand. He wouldn’t just... He wouldn’t. I’m calling him.” She tore herself away from her death grip on the door frame and fumbled through the house until she found her phone on the kitchen counter. Her shaking fingers slipped on the screen as she dialed, and she pressed the phone so hard against her ear that it hurt.
The ringing filled her head, echoing through her like a ticking time bomb. It rang once, twice, three times before his voicemail kicked in: “Hey there, this is Conn... you know the drill.”
Beep.
She hung up in frustration, then redialed. One ring, two rings, three...
“Hey there, this is Conn…”
She hung up.
“Veronica.” Cal’s voice was heavy as he walked into the kitchen. “Stop.”
“No, no, no,” she mumbled to herself, her fingers frantic on the touch screen as she tried calling again.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
“Hey there, this is Conn…”
Everything around her seemed to stand still. The tick of the clock on the wall, the refrigerator hum, Alfie’s concerned whines, Rebel’s anxious pacing... they all faded into insignificance. She could only hear her own heartbeat and the ghostly echo of Connelly’s voicemail.
“Hey there, this is Conn…”
She needed to feel something solid and sank to the floor to wrap her arms around Rebel. Alfie nuzzled into her lap. She held the dogs tight, trying to ground herself as she dialed again.
Her best friend. The man she loved. Her lifeline...
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
“Hey there, this is Conn…”
“He’s not answering. Why is he not answering?”
Cal’s silence was telling.
She looked up at him, desperate tears blurring her vision. “Did he say anything to you before he left the pub? Did he mention stopping somewhere or... or...” She couldn’t think. She felt fractured, the world around her surreal and dizzying. It was like being in free fall. The terror of not knowing where Connelly was consumed all rational thoughts.
“No. I’m sorry. I—” Cal broke off, and his eyes bugged. “Oh, fuck.” He strode back through the living room and called through the open front door. “Ash! Try the Firestones’ house. Connelly was going to stop there on his way home.”
