Page 109 of All I Feel

“No. Let me try calling her.”

Lark and I disconnected, and it was the most agonizing few seconds while I waited for her to call me back. If Tessa wasn’t ready to talk, I guess I’d have no choice but to accept it. My phone had barely started ringing when I answered. “Did you get in touch with her?”

“No. And it’s strange, because… Well, Ace, I talked to her at work today. She told me that you two had your first fight, and she was really upset. But I helped her work through it, and from what I could tell, she was remorseful and eager to talk it out with you.”

“Well, where the hell did she go?” I asked. “She didn’t mention stopping anywhere else, did she?”

“No.”

I was feeling worse and worse. This was the first time she’d driven to work since that truck ran her off the road. What if her ex was up to something again?

“I’ve got to make a few phone calls,” I told my sister.

“Let me know once you’ve gotten in touch with her.”

“You do the same if you hear from her.”

“I will.”

I ended the call with my sister, found the name of the next person I needed to talk to, and tapped on his name. It rang once before Kash said, “Yeah?”

“Kash, are you still on Hastings?”

“Yep. Boring as hell, too.”

“You’re with him now?”

There was a moment of hesitation before Kash answered, “I’m not exactlywithhim now, but I’m sitting in my vehicle in the parking lot outside the business office where his firm is. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know where Tessa is,” I confessed. “I just got home from work, and she’s usually here before me. I tried calling, but she didn’t answer. And when I called my sister, she told me they left work at the same time.”

“He’s still here, Ace. His car hasn’t moved since he arrived this morning.”

Something wasn’t right. I could feel it. I just didn’t know what to do.

Kash’s voice cut into my thoughts. “Do you want me to get another man looking into it? Maybe we can track her down.”

I sighed. “I… I don’t know if I’m overreacting. We got into a fight this morning, so I don’t know if she’s just blowing off steam, or if something’s wrong. Let me make a few phone calls to her sister and friends. And I’m going to drive to her salon. See if there’s anything along the route that indicates if there’s an actual reason to be concerned.”

“Sure. Let me know if you need any help.”

“Will do. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

After ending my call with Kash, the panic really began to settle inside me. I didn’t want to think Tessa would do something like this intentionally and not even send a text to let me know she was okay and simply wanted some time to herself. Not with what had happened recently.

Recognizing I wouldn’t get any answers like this, I decided to take off for the salon. Before I got her sister, family, or our friends involved in something that might not have been anything more than just emotions for her, I’d drive the route she’d take to the salon.

I locked up the house and made my way to my truck.

And as I drove, desperation took hold of me. Ifsomething happened to Tessa, especially after how we’d left things between us this morning, I’d never forgive myself.

KASH

Kash Cunningham couldn’t recall a time when he had ever been so bored on a case before this one.

Other than one incident at a café one afternoon a couple of weeks ago, there was nothing linking Ryan Hastings to the recent life-threatening situations Tessa Stone had found herself in.