I gesture at his truck with the beers.“You work forQuick Fix Construction?”
“Shit, no.I own it.”
No way.No wonder this guy’s got a laundry list of one-star reviews.He can barely hold himself up, let alone hold a hammer.
Dick blinks down at his rusted key, like he can’t figure out what the hell to do with it.“I can’t get into Clo’s house—don’t s’pose you got a key?Ya know, if you two are…” He wiggles his brows.
I recoil slightly.What sort of father talks about his own daughter like that?
“No,” I say.
Dick grips his hips, his eyes widening at the two bottles.“Wanna share a beer while we wait for her?”
A muscle in my jaw ticks.“No, I don’t want to share a fucking beer.I want to ask how someone who owns a construction business can let his daughter live in a house that looks like it’s about to blow out to sea.”
Dick’s narrowed gaze swings from the house back to me.“Who the hell do you think you are?”
“Someone who actually knows what he’s doing.”
He glares at me, then stomps down the stairs to his truck, slamming the door and spinning out of the driveway.
Good riddance.
Back at my own place, I keep a careful eye on Chloe’s house.With every silent hour that passes, the knot of worry in my gut tightens further.
Come on, Chloe.Where are you?
As gale-force winds whip up the sea and thick clouds swallow the horizon, the girl next door doesn’t come home.
CHAPTERTWELVE
CHLOE
I stranglemy phone as I stare at the message on the screen.
Lola
Hey, Doll
Sorry for the late text
Rick showed up again an hour ago
I’m trying to close up, but he’s refusing to leave
David wants to call the police
Said I’d text you first
I can’t believe this.
Actually, I should rephrase that.
Icanbelieve it.
I finally arrived home late after a long day of work and what felt like hours getting Mugs storm-ready, only to find my cottage empty.Nothing unusual there—Rick has been known to skip town without a word of goodbye.Except his tennis shoes were still sitting beside the couch, along with one of his T-shirts, and his shaving kit was on the edge of the sink.I’d asked him countless times to keep his stuff contained in the spare room, but he never listens.
My house is small.Any bit of mess only makes it feel smaller.
