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It soothes me, halting my whirling thoughts. Like a defibrillator just shocked my heart back into rhythm, the heaviness abates, strength filling my limbs. Lifting my head, I survey the vacant, dilapidated lot surrounding me. Hoisting myself to my feet, my thoughts are clear and focused on one thing—finding her.
My phone is missing, so I have no way to receive updates from Bryan. Since he had his hands full with Savannah, it’s unlikely he’s behind me, considering she collapsed in his arms.
I’m on my own.
Turning toward my car, it sticks out like a sore thumb in this bad part of town. The area is pretty much deserted except for a few birds and animals running around the old, decaying buildings surrounding this lot.
Fuck! I wish I had my phone.
Like a lightbulb, it hits me that I have a spare burner phone in the center console of my car for emergency situations. Sprinting to my car, I rip open the door, reaching in and grabbing the phone from the console. Pressing the power button on the phone to turn it on, I close the console lid, then climb out of my car, nervous energy flowing through me.
My eyes lift as the rumbling of a vehicle engine flies toward me. My hand reaches for the gun holstered on my hip, but I stop as the car draws closer. Squinting against the sun, Darin stops his Jeep behind my vehicle, cutting the engine and jumping out.
“What are you doing here?”
Darin’s worried emerald eyes lock with mine. “Bryan called me and told me what happened. Luckily, I was running some errands in town when he called.” He steps into my personal space, a frown on his lips. “Do you know who took my sister?”
Frustration wells inside me as I shake my head. My jaw aches from clenching my teeth so hard. The camera footage has been on repeat in my mind since I saw it. I can’t make out any identifying information about the hooded man who jumped out of the van and injected my woman with something, knocking her out, before he threw her in the vehicle.
Feeling defeated again, my shoulders deflate like a balloon. My vision blurs as I stare at the crumbling sidewalk beneath my shoes, feeling like a helpless kid.
Darin reaches his hand out, squeezing my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him. “Don’t do that, Will. Everleigh needs William to find her and get her back.” He stares at me for a few beats. “I need you to focus. Think of some enemies you may have, someone who—”
My snort interrupts him. “Someenemies Imayhave?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I give him a scathing look. “That would likely take the rest of the year, and neither Everleigh nor I have that kind of time.”
Darin gives a brief chuckle. “Okay, asshole, so you have a lot of people who hate you.” He shakes his head, leaning against my car. “I’m here to help you. Pull your shit together and man the fuck up. Become the callous, shrewd bastard William who is always two steps ahead of everyone else.” He glowers at me before rolling his eyes. “My sister is turning you into a pussy.”
My hands grip his throat, slamming him against my car, cutting off his air. “A pussy, huh?”
Darin slowly smiles and I release his neck, breathing heavily. He slouches against my car, hand coming up to massage his throat. “There he is. Hello, William.”
Eyeing him with cold disdain, he chuckles.
He pushes off my car, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Let’s get down to business. If you were me and this happened to Vanessa and I started freaking the fuck out, what would you tell me?”
“Aside from telling you to pull your shit together and not melt down like a pussy?” A smirk curls my lips before I say, “We’d go over everything we know, and I’d have you list anyone who has a grudge against you for any reason…” I pause, my hand going to the back of my neck, lost in thought.
“What is it?”
I quickly dial Bryan’s number on the burner phone, putting it on speaker so Darin can hear.
“Will. Thank fuck. Is Darin with you?” The sound of his vehicle engine comes through the line, indicating he’s on his way.
“I’m here,” Darin says before I can. “It’s a good thing, too. Will was—”
“Have you heard anything from Colin Fry?” I cut Darin off, shooting him with a warning look. “His whereabouts? Where was he last spotted?”
Bryan curses as he says, “Hold on. Traffic is a bitch. Let me pull off and I’ll check.”
Savannah’s voice is audible as she says, “I want to help, Bryan. I… I need to. What can I do?”
There’s a pause and then Bryan says, “Grab the laptop. I’ll have you start digging into Colin Fry while I drive.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I’m barely able to contain the anger welling inside me. “How long will this take?” I snap.
“Easy, William,” Darin says, raising his brows at me. Then to Bryan he says, “I’m assuming you’re following Will’s tracker and heading here. The location of Everleigh’s tracker is nothing but an abandoned, ruined parking lot. How could she just disappear?”
The sound of fingers flying over the keys comes through the line as Savannah says, “That’s a good point. If someone took her underground somehow, like maybe a bunker or something, wouldn’t that block the signal?”
