For the first time in years, I feel like I can finally take a full breath.
Me:Hour two check-in.
Anna:Thank you. We are about to get dessert. Emma and Olivia came to join us, do you want Nathan to come get you? >
Me:No, you guys enjoy your night with your girls. I've intruded on enough family time over the last few weeks.
Anna:You are family, honey. You're always included in family time.
Me:>
My alarm goes off, letting me know that my time is up for a check-in. Reluctantly, I step out of the tub.
Athena runs around my legs and then to the door, only to come back again.
“You need to go out, pretty girl?” I ask her.
She whines in response and increases her pacing. “Okay, okay. Just let me put on some clothes.”
Digging through my drawers, I find a pair of clean shorts and a tank top to throw on, then go down with Athena. Opening the back slider to let her out to roam, I turn to go back in to get my tea ready so I can read in bed.
“Hello, darling daughter.” My father's voice comes from the darkened living room just as I pull my mug from the shelf. My blood runs cold as the ceramic shatters around my bare feet. The shards dig in and cut the bottoms of my feet as I scurry back to the slider to call for Athena.
“Sorry, darling. I can't let you do that.”
A sharp pain tears through the front of my head, and I reach up to touch the spot. It feels warm and sticky, but before I can figure out what happened, the world goes black.
How fucking long is this going to take? I've been sitting here waiting for almost four hours.
A frantic woman comes through the swinging double doors. “Officer Wyatt Keaton?”
“Yes ma'am?”
“We just got an urgent call over dispatch. I think you should hear it.” She doesn't wait for me to answer, just rushes back through the doors, leaving me with no choice but to follow her.
My heart sinks as I walk into the room and hear Chief giving my address to the other officers.
“... now! We need back up.”
“What is going on?” I ask, my voice cracking.
“Balsam Cliffs is reporting a break-in with a missing woman. We thought it might be related to your guy you've been waiting for.”
I dig in my pocket for my keys. “It's my address. And my fiancée who's missing. Do not let that asshole out of here under any circumstances.”
I run out of the department and get in my cruiser without James. He can wait. Because there's only one person who would break into my house and take my girl.
I call Pops immediately once I'm on the road. He answers on the first ring. “Wyatt, I'm so sorry."
“What the hell happened?” I snap.
“We were at Rebels. She was checking in every hour. Religiously. On the dot. But when we were leaving, we noticed it was two minutes past. Mom called her and got no answer. She called Chief right away, knowing you weren't here. When we got to the house, your front door was wide open, and Athena was running around the yard. When we came inside, there was glass all over the floor and drops of blood. We found your cast iron pan on the floor, too, with blood on it.”
Hitting the gas pedal harder, my speedometer ticks up.
“Where the fuck is she? Who is at the house? Who is looking for her?” I throw out a million questions without waiting on an answer. Because if Sophia is missing, none of the answers matter until she's found.
