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He and I walked over to the counter and leaned against it, waiting for whoever was inside to open the door. An agonizing minute later, a tall, elegant-looking older woman, dressed in jeans and a paint-spattered t-shirt came through the staff door. Her name tag read ‘Pepper.’ So this was the woman Sera had left in charge of her store.
She had no sooner looked up than she called out, “Well, hello there,” the warm smile she directed to us curling the edges of her mouth. “What can I get you?”
I visibly relaxed as soon as I saw her. “We were hoping you could help us,” I greeted Pepper, holding out the missing persons flyer.
She looked the picture over quickly and tipped her head to the side a bit. “Are you friends of Sera’s?”
Caden nodded, saying “That we are. We’ve been looking for Sera and we were hoping she might be here. Is she still missing?”
Pepper nodded, her expression grave. “Well, she isn’t here. I haven’t seen her in a couple of weeks now. The whole town has turned out looking for her, but no luck.”
“You’re sure no one’s seen her?” Caden asked. “Just in the last day or so?”
Pepper shook her head, crossing her arms. “That’s a curious follow-up question. I don’t suppose you’re friends with one Emrys Tedros?”
I glanced at Caden and then back to Pepper. I couldn’t see the point in hiding what we were doing from her, especially if it would help us find Sera.
“We are friends of his and Sera,” I confirmed.
Pepper raised an eyebrow skeptically. She didn’t comment on how we knew Emrys. “If that were true, I think I would have met both of you before now.”
“We just recently reconnected with Sera,” Caden added. “Two days ago we returned from an unexpected trip and we thought she had headed home.”
Pepper frowned and shook her head. “Maybe you should have walked her to the door, because if she had turned up I would have known. Sera is one of the most reliable people I know. She would have checked in with me if she got home safely. I would have seen her.”
Pepper’s words chilled me to the bone because I knew them to be true. Sera was missing and all five of us should have been more careful. Pepper was right. We could have allowed her space after making sure Sera had gotten home safely.
“Do you have her address?” I asked, hating the fact that I didn’t know where my mate lived.
“Why in the world do you think I’d give a stranger her address?” Pepper said, pursing her lips.
“Sera told us she knew you would keep Charmed Brews running while she was away and that she wished she had a way to reach out to you to let you know she was safe. She didn’t worry about her family, she worried about you.”
Pepper’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her attention turned towards the door. “Anyone could say that.”
“Look me in the eye,” I said, again catching Pepper’s gaze with my own. It was very important for me to say how much I loved Sera and how badly I wanted her to come home safe. “It’s my fault, well our fault. We swept away Sera from her life these past few weeks. I swear to you, Caden and I will not rest until we get Sera home safe to you, just as we promised you we would find her. Not just anyone would make such a promise; we mean every word.”
Her gaze lingered on me for a few more silent moments before she nodded her head slightly. When she nodded, my breath released in a ragged sigh. Pepper grabbed a business card from the counter and scribbled an address on the back.
“This is her apartment. It’s not too far from here. I’ve gone by every day hoping for a sign she’s back, but nothing so far.”
Caden swiped up the card, reading the address. “We’ll find her, Pepper. Thank you for your trust.”
“I expect you to deliver, gents,” Pepper replied. “Sera’s family is looking for her too, and you’d do well to get her home safely before they find you.”
We thanked Pepper and headed down to the car. Once inside, I started the engine and drove off with Caden navigating. We were quiet for a few minutes, save Caden’s gruff directions, as I stewed in my thoughts.
Caden got on his phone, and I could guess who he was calling.
“Hey Marcos,” he said into the device, putting the phone on speaker. “Sera wasn’t at her work, and her gal Pepper said she hasn’t shown up.”
The line was quiet for a moment and then I heard the rest of the guys muttering as Marcos turned on his speaker and filled them in.
“What’s the plan?” Marcos asked us.
“We’re headed to Sera’s apartment next,” I replied.
“Makes sense. Do you have any working theories?” Marcos asked.
