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"I didn't think you guys would be riding my ass the whole time, so I let Brown know what was going on. Let's do a recap." He leans back and throws his dirty napkin on the table between us. "Eve's been missing for four days, counting today. Has been seen at two hotels and one gas station. We have-"
He's cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. I don't think much of it until Detective Brown straightens in her seat, eyes focused on the phone in his hand.
Suddenly, he's flying out of his chair, not caring as it smashes to the ground. I vaguely notice his partner dropping cash onto the table as we all rush out the door. Hot on his heels, we come up short when he hangs up the phone and turns to us.
"Kyle's car was just spotted in a town about twelve miles from here. We have the direction in which he left. We have to go. Now." With that, he and Brown slam their car doors shut behind them and peel out of the parking lot.
Turning to my family with my eyes probably bugging out of my head, I notice that we all have varying expressions of shock and determination.
"Get in the fucking car. Now!" Korren's yell has us all jumping into action, ready to get Eve.
The screech of the tires on the asphalt has my adrenaline spiking. Gripping the 'oh shit' handle, I hold on tight in the back seat with Amiri as we get flung back and forth. Too hopped up with anxiety, seatbelts are the least of our worries.
"Go, go, go!" Nolan demands from his spot next to the racecar driver that Korren has become. His tattoos and fierce expression, as he catches up to Smith's car, would be fucking epic if this weren't such a dire situation.
I'll tell Eve all about it when we get her back, though...she will definitely find it sexy. My heart flutters, thinking about the possibility of having her back with us soon. Like today. My greasy blonde hair flops in my eyes when I twist my head to look at Noly.
His glasses are haphazardly on his face, and his curls are in complete disarray. Yet, the fire lit in his eyes, and his locked jaw have my worry for him dimming. We may be a mess, but we are fucking unwavering in our hunt for Eve.
Korren's ringtone blares through the speakers of the SUV, making me jump in surprise. Smith's name pops up on the dash and is quickly answered.
"Yes?" Kor grits out through clenched teeth. His white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel definitely makes indents as he rides the detective's ass.
"We are a few miles out. I'm going to need you to back off a bit." Smith's voice tumbles through the vehicle.
"No," we all respond at the same time.
"Listen here, little shits," Brown's raised voice has us all cringing, "you will stand down. We don't need you riding our asses as we speed into a new town. You endanger all of us and Evelyn if you don't listen." Her voice softens, "Trust us."
"Fuck, fine. What are you going to do?" Amiri demands.
"We are going to follow the road they were last seen on. They have a head start on us. Just stay back a ways, I promise I will call when we spot them. Be aware of others on their trail. And don't be stupid."
With that, Smith disconnects the call. The roar Nolan lets out rocks me to my core—the sound filled with pain, frustration, and rage.
"We should fucking be there!" His hands yank on his brown curls like he's unable to contain the emotions demanding his attention. "We can't - we should have - we have to find her!"
His final statement ends with a gut-wrenching sob. It's the sound of a man separated from his best friend, the love of his life, for the second time in their short lives. It's the sound of a man feeling completely powerless to help the woman he loves from further torment and pain. Nolan's devastation hits us like a ton of fucking bricks, making my eyes burn, and Amiri shuffles in his seat.
"Baby," I go to soothe him while Korren weaves his way through the next dingy town.
"NO!" He shakes his head vehemently, not allowing my words to pierce his panicked fog. "No, no, no..." He trails off, his breaths coming rapidly enough to freak me the fuck out.
I'm about to make him do Eve's breathing exercise, but Korren beats me to it. Except it's not what I would have done.
His tattooed hand shoves Nolan's head between his shaking knees. "Breathe, Nolan. We are so close; I need you to put your big bitch boxers on. Right the fuck now." Korren's voice is firm, but his tone is tinged with understanding and love.
Miraculously, I watch Nolan's heaving back begin to slow, slowly gaining control. Kor removes his hand to focus on keeping us safe while we leave behind the small town.
The tension in the car lingers after that while we follow Smith. Korren keeps us far enough away that his car is a speck on the horizon; none of us want to get yelled at again and kicked off of this team we've made with the detectives.
Time keeps moving...the miles pass by. Until the sun began to set, we drove and found nothing all day. We know Smith and Brown didn't find them either because their car is still a speck on the horizon before us.
Hope begins to dwindle, and dread makes my stomach churn...the realization that, at some point, we fucked up. Big. Somehow, somewhere we lost them. We lost Eve.
Coming up on Smith's pulled-over car, we park behind them and hop out, needing some fucking answers.
"Where the fuck are they?" Korren rounds our car, creating a cloud of dust in his wake. Unable to reach him in time, I tense as I watch his shoulders square back before he shoves Dominic into the side of his vehicle.
