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My jaw worked. “Thank you,” I said, my voice rough with emotion.
“You have to consider the possibility that your father has something to do with this,” Brien said.
Blackness edged my vision. I threw him a savage look. “He is not my father.”
Brien dipped his chin. “Esposito, then.”
“Hey.” Moving up on my other side, Cain bumped my shoulder with his. “Take it easy. We’re on your side, bro.”
I grabbed for the ragged shreds of my control. “Sorry,” I told Brien. “That was out of line. And yeah, that occurred to me. That he’s in this somehow.”
“Call Mary,” Brien said. “Maybe she knows something.”
“Good idea. Should’ve thought of it myself.”
Unfortunately, my mom knew nothing, either. “You’re saying your dad is on the island? I haven’t seen him—I swear I haven’t. But he wouldn’t have anything to do with this, either. I know it. He’s not violent—he wouldn’t hurt Eden. He—”
The buzzing in my head was back. “I have to go,” I said, cutting through her stumbling defense of the SOB. “Call me if you see or hear from him. But if he gets in touch, I want to know. Is that understood? You let me know immediately.”
“Yes. I—”
I didn’t hear the rest because I ended the call. “You guys heard?” I asked my friends.
“Yeah,” said Brien.
“What if—?” I swallowed over something acrid. “What if Eden left on her own? What if she planned this?”
Cain spoke first. “No fucking way. Don’t let yourself go there. Maybe that’s what they want you to think, but that woman loves you. Even I can see that.”
I stared at him, shocked that he of all people was defending her. But it helped quiet the buzzing, especially when Brien added, “Why would she leave now? She’s due in February—that’s what, ten or eleven weeks from now? She wants that baby. Even if she hated your guts, she’d stick around until after he was born.”
“Yes. She would.” I dragged a hand down my face, reminding myself that it didn’t add up.
“So we’ll go on the assumption she was kidnapped,” Brien said.
Kidnapped.
Hearing someone say it out loud was like throwing a match on the gasoline fire of my fear. Brien and Cain were still talking but I couldn’t hear them. I could only stare into the rain, horrified that Eden was out there somewhere. I almost wished she had left willingly. At least then she’d be safe. Dry. Warm.
“Talon,” Brien said sharply. “Focus, damn it.”
He’s right. Don’t think about it. Focus on getting her back.
I nodded. Shoved the cracked phone into my pocket.
“Okay. Okay.” I somehow made myself switch into planning mode. “One of you wake up the mayor, get her to mount a search along with us. Eden’s a local, and they’ll want to help—and who knows, maybe someone will get lucky. Meanwhile, I’ll start at the marina. If they’re thinking of taking her off island, it would be by boat.”
A helicopter would be noticed, but the locals took boats in and out all the time. One more wouldn’t be remarked on.
“Go,” Brien said. “I’ll get some of our people on it, too. They can search the woods and the beaches.”
I was already heading for the porch steps. Icy raindrops pelted my face, drenched my T-shirt and pants. I noticed the needle-like sensation, but from far away as if the rain—and my body—were on the other side of a window fogged with dread.
Behind me, Brien and Cain were working out which of our people were available to search. Brien was going all out to find Eden, even if it meant leaving the castle only lightly guarded, and I was grateful to him, and Cain as well. For their support. For their willingness to put aside what Eden had done and help find her.
But it was still like looking for a needle in a fucking haystack. And that was assuming Eden was still on the island.
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