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“I’ll give you a ride.” I crawl out of bed and drag on the nearest clothes.
“I’m sorry to wake you. You don’t have to give me a ride, I can call for one. I just didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”
“No problem.” I wave my hand. I’m not a morning person. But I can’t just send her out of my house looking for a cab. We walk down the stairs and to the car in the garage.
On the drive across town, I start to wake up a little more. “Did you get any sleep?” I ask her.
“A bit. I’ll be tired later.” She reaches across the center of the car and rests her hand on mine. “But it was worth it.”
I smile back at her.
I pull up to the front of the bakery and drop Caroline off. She leans over and I kiss her goodbye.
She unlocks the bakery door, then enters and locks it behind her. She waves to me from inside.
I pull my car around to the other side of the street and park behind Jake’s vehicle. He’s the soldier that’s on watch this shift. I walk up to the passenger side as he unlocks the door from inside.
I can feel him looking at me as I get in, but I don’t look up. Finally, he speaks. “Were you keeping her safe last night?”
“Shut it,” I tell him. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but I don’t want to joke about this. Not about Caroline.
“Anything going on here?” I ask.
“Nothing. It’s been quiet. Haven’t seen Kelly or anyone else. But,” he pauses, “we found the owner.”
13
CAROLINE
The dayat work seems to drag on. We were up late, so I didn’t get much sleep. Time moves so slowly when you’re already exhausted.
I can’t get Raf off my mind. So many little things I see or do remind me of him. Putting on my apron. Getting chocolate on my fingers. Seeing the first aid kit on the wall. It all makes me want to be somewhere else.
I yawn and picture what it would be like to have stayed in bed with him. We could have slept in and lazed around for the rest of the day. But this bakery is important to me. I’m committed to helping my aunt and uncle. And that means getting up before sunrise every day.
Somehow, I make it through the day. Raf shows up just after closing. I unlock the door to let him in. He kisses me, but there’s no spark in his eyes. Is he just tired?
“I’ve still got some cleaning to do after I finish counting up the register. Then I’ll be ready to leave.”
Raf looks to the backroom. “I’ll start cleaning while you finish what you’re doing.”
“Thanks,” I say as Raf walks to the back. He seems distracted. Did last night change things? Raf doesn’t seem like someone who would change that quickly. Still, I’m a bit concerned.
At least he’s going to help me get out of here sooner. Maybe we can go back and take a nap at his place after.
I eventually finish up with the register and receipts and head to check on Raf. “How’s it going in here?”
“Pretty much done.” He finishes wiping down the counter then looks at me. He’s got a serious look on his face and it worries me. “We need to talk.”
I follow him to the same table where I patched his stab wounds. I sit next to him.
He grabs my hand and holds it in his. “We found your Uncle Allen.”
He doesn’t even need to say anything else. The room feels like the bottom dropped out. I feel Raf’s arms wrap around me, and I bury my face in his shoulder. I know Allen’s gone. Raf doesn’t need to say it. If my uncle was alright, they would have just brought him home.
I’ve been holding everything in since I heard Allen was missing. Clinging to what little hope there was to be strong for Lisa. With that gone, I can’t stop the flow of tears. Raf holds me tight while I let it all out, sobbing into his chest.
After what feels like hours, I catch my breath. I want to know what happened. But I don’t. I have hundreds of questions, but I’m scared to hear the answers. Finally, I hear myself ask, “Who?”
