Page 75 of You Know You Wanna

“So she slept in the suite?” he asked.

I nodded. “She got some news that upset her and she ran off.”

“With that man for a father, I’m surprised it took her this long,” he muttered.

“Alan!” I admonished.

“Sorry, now’s not the time.” He checked his watch, his brow furrowing. “It’s been a few hours. They haven’t found her yet and it’s going to start getting dark in just a few more. Does he have any idea where she might be? Anything we might have missed?”

“Unfortunately not.” I pushed past the flare of panic that shot through me as I thought about what he’d said.

Irrespective of where she’d gone, we had to find her before it got dark. A young girl alone could not spend the night in the woods or anywhere else. It was too dangerous, and with all the storms this summer, it was even worse.

“We’ll find her,” Gracie said, giving me a quick hug before she grabbed Declan’s arm. “Come with me. Let’s check the lake. That’s been a favorite with the girls, right?”

“Right,” I said, fighting tears.

Gracie and Declan took off, jogging out of the lobby and breaking into a run once they were outside. They wouldn’t be able to keep up that pace all the way, but the sooner they got there, the sooner we’d know. Alan left to coordinate with the other teams of staff members he’d sent out and I went back to Remington.

Sitting down in the armchair beside his, I reached for his hand and took it, not giving a damn who saw the affectionate gesture. “The sheriff will be here soon. He’ll want to talk to you, but they’ve already got a few cops out searching the roads between here and the town.”

All the light seemed to have left his eyes. He dipped his head in a nod but didn’t say anything. His knees were still bouncing and suddenly he was on his feet. “I need to get out there. I need to help them look for her. I’ve told you everything I know, so you can tell the sheriff.”

“No, Remington,” I said, trembling but trying to keep my voice as calm as I could. “He’s going to want to talk to you personally and there’s nowhere you can search where we’re not already looking. Just sit with me, okay? Can I get you a glass of water? Whiskey?”

“No, thanks,” he said, eyes darting this way and that like he was considering making an escape. “If the sheriff wants to talk to me, he better get here fast. I’m not standing here for the rest of the afternoon.”

“You won’t,” I assured him, taking his hands again and urging him to sit. “He’ll be here soon. I promise. We called him over an hour ago and he was going to send out some of his men before he came up here. I’m sure he’ll be here any minute.”

Remington grunted, but he sat down, his knees immediately beginning to bounce again and his fingers tight around my own. I felt the desperation pouring off him, mingling with worry as we waited for the sheriff to arrive.

“You know, I ran away once,” I said to distract him.

He frowned. “You did?”

“I did.” I smiled a little at the memory. “My dad was so angry. I’m not sure he ever fully forgave me, actually. He said I took at least ten years off his life when I disappeared.”

“I think I know how he felt,” Remington muttered, those eyes moving from one of mine to the other. “Where did you go? Why did you run?”

“Well, I had a fight with him about a party I wanted to go to, but the guy hosting was known as a bit of a troublemaker in town. Dad said no, obviously, and I uh…” I trailed off, my tongue coming out to wet my lips as I glanced back at him. “There used to be a lookout point at a place called the Gorge. It’s beautiful out there, with a waterfall and everything. It was my happy place. A place where I could be alone. Think. When I was there, I always felt like everything would be okay, so that’s where I went.”

I shot up straight. “I know where she is! She’s at the Gorge, Remington. I mentioned it to the girls during the camping trip and Cassidy said kids still go there all the time. She must’ve told Lulu more about it. That’s where she is. I know it!”

The next thing I knew, I was running. Remington’s footsteps rang out behind me as I called to Alan that we knew where to look. We kept running. It would be faster on foot instead of wasting time going around the mountain by car.

On our way, I caught a glimpse of my old neighborhood just down the hill. As much as it was within a few miles of where I’d lived for the last ten years, I hadn’t seen my old house for a long time. I’d been avoiding it since my dad died, the pain of it just too much for me to go back.

Situated at the foot of the hill, I could see it clearly from here, and I stopped momentarily, resting my hands on my knees to catch my breath.

Remington stopped next to me, looking around and frowning as if he wasn’t sure we were in the right place. “This is the Gorge?”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not. We still have a couple miles to go, but that’s the house I grew up in.”

He blinked hard. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” As I straightened up, I couldn’t help but notice that the lights were on inside. I’d sold it after my dad passed away, but I’d never known if anyone had moved in.

It seemed they had, though. Even from up here, it was obvious that there were also new kids living there now, the backyard littered with bikes, toys, and even an inflatable swimming pool with a slide into it.