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Sam’s despair was silent but no less cutting than if she had been able to cry out and yell. She sat cold and alone with tears streaming more freely now.
Kelly and Jack, Chad and Jennie, they would lose their children, at least temporarily. Logan would be brought up on charges and possibly convicted.
Even if he was only arrested pending a trial, Sam knew he couldn’t handle prison right now. The close confinement. The lack of freedom. The need to defend himself constantly against attacks. He would lose it.
He needed to be working on getting his life back, on rebuilding ties with his dad, and on getting well again. He needed to keep up with sessions with Ernie. She wouldn’t allow any of that to be stalled again. He’d sacrificed enough. No more.
Sam took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. She nodded robotically to the woman, then stood, speaking softly to Billy as she walked him back to the building. She didn’t get lunch or even stop to speak to Logan. She went straight to the receptionist’s desk.
“Amanda, can you take Billy for me?” Everyone in the office had been introduced to the service dog in the last week. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to go home and lie down. Can you watch him until Logan comes to get him?”
“Sure, Sam,” Amanda said, worry creasing her brow. “Do you want me to call Logan and have him walk you to your car or take you home? You don’t look so good.”
Sam wanted to laugh. No, she imagined she didn’t look very good. All she’d wanted in life, all she’d ever hoped for—Diya had ripped it from her. She imagined she looked like she felt. Nauseated. Run over. Desperate.
She wanted to run to Logan and bury herself in his arms. She wanted to run to her family and see them, let her mother tell her everything would be all right. But, she couldn’t do any of that right now.
“No, thanks. He’s actually in a meeting for another hour at least. Maybe more. Can you let Billy lie out here with you? I’ll text Logan and let him know to come out for him when he’s finished.”
“Yeah, no problem, Sam.”
“Thanks,” Sam said and turned and walked out. With any luck, that would buy her a little time.
She felt numb on the drive to her house. She didn’t stay long. Just long enough to grab her laptop and write a note saying goodbye to Logan. She told him she needed space to think things over. That she loved him, but things had moved quickly. Too quickly. Writing the words brought on a fresh wave of tears, but she brushed them away and walked out, grabbing the raincoat Jack had bought her on the way out.
* * *
Logan looked up at the clock and blinked. He was trying to catch up after their mini vacation, but he was pretty sure Sam had left at one thirty to walk Billy and grab lunch for them. It was two forty-five. She should have been back a while ago. He looked at his cell phone and didn’t see any missed calls or texts.
He pulled up his messages and fired off a quickeverything all right?text to her, and then went back to his computer, saving the file he was working on before sending another file to the printer. Turning back to the phone, he picked it up with a frown. No response.
Maybe she stopped to talk to Chad or Jennie. He texted each of them, asking if they’d seen her. Negative replies came back in quick succession, followed by aneverything all right?from Chad. It seemed they were all still a little on edge after all they’d been through the last few weeks.
Sam was most likely fine. She’d probably just gotten into a conversation with someone at the park and forgotten the time, just like he had.
But that grating at the back of his neck said otherwise. The fact that she wasn’t responding to his text supported his gut. He walked to the lobby to see if Amanda had seen her and stopped short at the sight of Billy sitting at Amanda’s feet. Billy came over immediately, circling his legs as Logan walked closer to Amanda. God, he didn’t want to know why his dog was out here without Sam anywhere in sight.
“Hey, Amanda.” He tried to keep his tone light. “Where’s Sam?”
“Oh, are you done with your meeting? She said not to bother you, but she wasn’t feeling well. She went home an hour or so ago.”
Logan cursed and took off back down the hall toward Chad’s office. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. No way in hell Sam would leave without telling him, even if she did feel sick. Not unless she had a reason to. And for her to actually lie to Amanda and make sure someone was watching Billy, well, that didn’t add up.
He dialed Sam’s phone number as he and Billy made their way to Chad’s office.
“We have a problem,” he said to Chad as he entered his office. Jack and Chad both looked up from where they stood over Chad’s desk, looking at something.
“What’s up?” Jack asked.
“Sam. She took Billy for a walk an hour and a half ago and didn’t come back. I just discovered she left Billy with Amanda and told Amanda not to bother me since I was in a meeting.”
Chad raised his brows. “No meeting?”
“No meeting,” Logan confirmed. “I have a really bad feeling about this. She’s not responding to texts or calls.”
Chad dialed his phone and asked Jennie to come into his office. Since her office was only two doors down, she appeared quickly.
“Can you try to call Sam? See if she picks up?”
