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“What can you see around you?”
“Don’t think about me. Think of Red.” A single flicker shone from her phone, then it died.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Red couldn’t believe Viv had stormed off, taking Lucky with her. As he replayed their conversation, he realized he would gladly give up his career for her if it meant they could be together.But, would it really come to that? Two dedicated and creative people could surely come up with a plan.
He quickly dismissed the thought of calling Val. He remembered Val’s stern warning about making Viv unhappy and using him for target practice if he did. Val hadn’t seemed like he was joking.
Feeling lost, Red grabbed his keys and climbed into the truck. He knew Viv could be stubborn and might prefer walking all the way back home to Val’s rather than asking for a ride, but it was cold, and she wasn’t dressed for this weather or a nighttime hike. The quiet streets were dark and silent. The tension of their earlier exchange weighed heavily on him, his heart aching with every passing minute. And then he began to worry. Where would she have gone in the cool night with only a sleeveless dress and a dog?
A nagging thought crept into Red’s mind: everyone always seemed to leave him eventually. At least the only people he cared about had. Those in it only for a good time would have stayed forever. The painful realization that he might have driven her away made him even more desperate to find Viv and make amends for his stupidity. Their relationship and her love meant everything to him. Viv had become the air he breathed. He needed to stop thinking of himself and make things right with her.
In a last-ditch effort to locate Viv, he stopped by Bishop’s Brewhouse thinking she’d perhaps walked there to get a ride from Jackson. He entered, but only Doc sat at the bar. Next to him was a napkin with a game of tic-tac-toe. He was nursing the beer he’d won.
“Hey, Doc.”
“Are you here for more therapy? You look like someone stole your puppy.”
Red’s eyes widened. If Doc only knew how close he was. “I could use some advice, but I’m in a hurry.”
Doc slugged his beer down. “And I could use another.” He slid his mug to the edge. “Jackson!”
Jackson emerged from the back room. He looked at Doc’s empty mug and then at Red. “You buying?”
Red pulled a ten from his wallet and took a seat. “Just for him.”
Jackson poured Doc another and disappeared once again.
“Listen here, son, we need to make this quick anyway. Lovey likes lights out by eleven. What’s on your mind?”
“We argued, and she stormed off with Lucky.”
Doc looked up from his drink, his eyes lighting up. “I was only joking about the dog.”
“I’m not. Viv’s been gone for nearly an hour, and I don’t know what to do. I called her phone, but she’s not picking up. Now it seems like she shut it off. I drove around looking for her, but she wasn’t anywhere to be found. What do I do?”
“Give her some time, son. If she walked away, then she needed space. It’s never a good idea to chase down an argument. Go home, sleep on it, and you two can figure it out in the morning.”
He knew Doc was right about chasing the argument, but the thought of Viv out there, unhappy, made it difficult for him to walk away. Despite Doc’s advice, Red continued searching for her, desperate to make things right and prove that he was different—that he wouldn’t let her walk out of his life. He was also worried about her but knew she was very resourceful and would have called Val to get her if necessary. Red calling Val would only inflame things.
When it became clear that he wouldn’t find her and every call went to voice mail, he went home and got ready for bed. The faster he fell asleep, the quicker he’d see her again. As he drifted off, his mind played out how very different he thought this night would be.
Sometime later, a cool hand rested on his chest and slipped down his stomach.
“You came back,” he said groggily. Against his better judgement, he left the door unlocked and the alarm unarmed just in case, but for once it worked in his favor. “I’m so sorry.” He rolled over and pulled her into his arms. Everything was wrong, from the feel of her skin to the smell of her perfume. Viv never wore perfume; she smelled like sunshine and flowers and happiness without it. The woman beside him smelled like stale cigarettes, whiskey, and desperation.
“It’s okay, love; I got back in. We have some time.”
He flew out of bed, pulled on his jeans from the chair beside the bed before he flipped the switch to turn the light on, and found Sarah naked and in his bed.
“You? How the hell did you get in here again? Where’s Viv?”
She laid back and rolled her eyes. “I left her in the woods. You should be happy. I got rid of what was getting in our way.”
Panic ripped through him, and strangely enough, it was quickly followed by a sense of relief too. Viv hadn’t left him, despite the evidence to the contrary. He rushed toward Sarah, ready to extract the truth from her by whatever means necessary, when suddenly, a loud noise came from the front door. Sheriff Cooper stormed in with his gun drawn and a look on his face that could cut right through steel.
Within minutes, the sheriff had Sarah dressed, cuffed, and in his cruiser.
