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“I’m sure it’s something entirely different. I just wish she’d call,” Shelly said absently.
I took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds while I struggled to gain control. “I appreciate you confiding in me. There is something wrong and Iamgoing to find her.”
“Be careful. From what I hear, the guy is dangerous. I only hope we’re both wrong.”
Dangerous. The man had no idea the meaning of the word. “So am I.”
I didn’t wait for Shelly to try to argue. As I bolted out the door, jumping on the Harley, I grabbed my phone, trying Chasity’s number one more time. It rang the same number of times.
“Come on, babe. Answer the goddamn phone.”
When the voicemail kicked in, I revved the engine, shoving the phone into my pocket then yanking on the helmet.
I’d always trusted my instinct. This time I’d pushed it aside. I only hoped in doing so I hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of my life.
I couldn’t care less about the speed limit, powering through the streets, zigzagging around cars and trucks. When I hit the two-lane road leading to her place, I slowed down, trying to pay attention to the surrounding area in case she’d been involved in an accident. There was nothing amiss and when I rolled into her driveway, I was hopeful the reason was something simple, although she was far too responsible not to pick up the phone.
Her car wasn’t in front of her house. I left the engine idling, heading toward the porch, trying the front door. It was locked. I took a few seconds, walking to several of the windows, peering in. Nothing inside was amiss that I could determine.
I turned around, staring at her yard. Where the hell could she have gone? Was she just trying to get some space? No, I didn’t buy it. Not by a longshot. She enjoyed tormenting me with the exercises. That would keep her on track. The girl could be sick as a dog, and she’d still come to the hospital to make certain I completed my program.
“Calm down and think.” I spun in another circle, fighting to keep my anger in check. Even worse, I had a sick feeling pooling in my stomach. This was bad. This was very bad.
Taking long strides, I returned to the bike, barely tossing the helmet on my head before gunning the engine. As I flew down the driveway, I was hard on myself for not spending time on the computer scoping out her past. What did I really know about her? Almost nothing regarding her past other than the brief glimpses of the time she’d spent in the war. However, if she had been stationed with a particular unit, there would be records. All I needed to do was make a few phone calls to discover the truth.
First things first.
I’d pay a visit to Gage, demanding he tell me every scrap of information he knew. Then he’d find out the remaining details. The shit was about to hit the fan.
* * *
“Whoa. Whoa!” Gage snapped as I tossed him against the wall of his office.
“You weren’t forthcoming,” I managed. “Now, you will tell me everything.”
“You need to back off, Snake. I’m serious about this. You can’t come into my office and start a fight.”
Like hell I couldn’t.
I took a deep breath, finally releasing my hold on his shirt. “Then talk to me. Chasity didn’t show up to work. She’s not at her house. There’s no sign of her. What happened to her years ago, and don’t dare and try to tell me you weren’t curious and went looking. It’s something to do with a Marine she helped. Then he started stalking her. That’s all I know. Other than I was told he’s dangerous.”
Gage’s angry features softened. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
“I’m standing. Why aren’t you ordering your deputies out to look for her?”
“For Christ’s sake. She’s a grown woman. Maybe she went shopping. Maybe she’s planning a surprise. Hell, maybe she went to see another patient first.”
“Not without telling the people at the hospital where she was going. I was her first appointment.” I jammed my forefinger against my chest for emphasis. “You need to start looking for her.”
He exhaled, his expression remaining hardened. “She hasn’t been missing for twenty-four hours.”
“My God. She could be dead by then.” I slammed my fist on his desk, the sound jarring enough his muscles twitched. “Then you tell me what we’re dealing with. This psychopath who kidnapped her or this love-sick dude she worked with?” I’d surprised him again.
After glaring at me for a few seconds, he sat down in front of his computer. “One might not have anything to do with the other.”
“What? Tell me what!”
“Hold your damn horses.” He typed on the keyboard for a few seconds then shifted the monitor to where I could see it. “Corporal Lance Rollington. He was wounded and she was listed as the attending nurse overseas.”
