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“I absolutely think he’s capable of this.” And if anything happened to Pepper because of him, I’d never forgive myself.
“What good does it do for him to take Pepper? And we don’t even know for sure that she was taken.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” I threw my hands up.
“I want to find Pepper too. But we need to think clearly.”
Easy for him to say. I could barely think at all. My mind was all tangled up in possibilities and worst-case scenarios. Now that the seed had been planted, my father was at the center of every single one of those thoughts.
“Call him.” I pointed at my brother.
He pulled out his phone and dialed without hesitation. My emotions were mixing up my ability to reason clearly. Lincoln was on my side. Always. He simply didn’t jump to conclusions as he puzzled things out.
He held the device up to his ear.
We waited.
And waited.
And waited.
“He’s not answering.”
Chapter Three
Pepper
“Well, well, well. She’s awake.”
The voice sounded far off in the distance.
I blinked my eyes open and found I was still shrouded in darkness.
Are the dogs okay?
For a moment, I listened. No dogs barking. No hushed whispers. No footsteps.
Only silence.
Please let them be safe.
I prayed Muffy, Sadie, and Ash had escaped unharmed and made it to safety.
The dark was disorienting. I had no concept of time and very little of the space surrounding me.
My hands were on my lap. I moved them, expecting resistance yet finding none. I stretched my legs and found the same.
I wasn’t restrained.
With my newfound freedom—sort of—I tugged on whatever was over my head.
Dim light blinded me.
I squinted, impatiently waiting for my eyes to adjust.
The floor was concrete and cracked. I was seated in a metal chair. It was impossible to see beyond the circle of light illuminating the immediate area surrounding me.
Click. Click. Click.
