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He turns to open the fridge, placing the cream on the counter before reaching to grasp the sugar. I can’t help but appreciate the corded muscles along his back and arms that ripple with his movement.
Get with the program, Lara. It’s never happening again.
… A girl can look though, right?
He places the cream and sugar in front of me and I realize he had been holding them up for me to take from him.
“Fuck, I’m so sorry. I’ve never zoned out this much in my life.” I mumble, snatching both from him as he chuckles knowingly before returning to his food.
Dan comes sauntering toward his plate as we all dig in. I watch his dark tail wag as he sniffs the food before taking a mouthful and chomping down.
“I messaged Tammy again today.” I mumble after swallowing the last bite of eggs.
Caspian stiffens but continues to chew a piece of toast as he looks at me.
“She still hasn’t read anything I’ve sent her. This is really out of character. I checked all social media too and she’s been radio silent. Also very unlike her considering she’s a social media manager.”
Caspian nods and checks his phone, then slides it into his pocket.
“I reached out to a few contacts last night and 2 of the 4 have gotten back to me. From what I know so far, Tammy took PTO last second, and said she had a family emergency. That was the evening you met… what was it you called him?”
“Leathery Man.”
“Right. Leathery Man, the day you met him in the woods.”
“Right, the night your brother drugged me.”
Caspian continues, “Tammy’s PTO is still ongoing for another two and a half weeks. Apparently, she had quite a bit saved up. My other contact pulled her bank and credit card records. It seems she flew into town the day she took PTO.”
My eyes widen and I squeal, “She’s here!?”
“So it would seem.” Caspian’s demeanor remains unchanging, but there’s tension he’s holding in his neck and arms, which likely means I’m not getting all the information.
“So what are your other contacts looking into?” My voice wavers and is quiet, I almost don’t want to know.
“One is pulling video footage from the airport and surrounding buildings but we’re running into some red tape. The other is looking at hotel and motel records near the airport since her credit cards don’t have any charges beyond plane flights.”
Unease makes my stomach flip at the thought that she might be in trouble, and have been for days. It must be clear on my face because Caspian is staring at me with a hard look when he speaks again.
“If she’s anything like you, she will be strong enough to make it through this. Assuming the worst and that my brother has her, he won’t kill her. He needs her alive to get to you. He won’t be able to convince you to come to him if she’s dead.”
My chest tightens and I nod, staring at the countertop as his words sink in. I can only hope his brother shows her the same decency he did for me that night.
He may have drugged me, but he didn’t do anything else. In fact, he seemed adamant that he wouldn’t.
We will find you and bring you back safely, Tammy.I promise.
Chapter 21
As we pull into my driveway, I glance around to see if I can spot Dan or anyone in the woods but the foliage is so dense that I focus my attention on the house.
It’s dark inside and there are no windows or doors broken, we didn’t get any notifications of anyone coming around after Caspian’s brother. It’s safe to say that it’s empty, but you can never be too careful.
Caspian enters first, I close and lock up behind us, before following him through the rooms. He pauses at each door, gun held ready as he checks every space small enough for someone to hide within, under or behind. After a few minutes, Caspian determines everything is clear, and we go to my room to pack my clothes. I walk to the closet and pull out my suitcase, and another duffle bag.
First, I pack an assortment of comfortable clothes, pajamas and underwear, then move onto casual wear and two dresses, one pair of business attire pants and a blouse. The duffle bag is perhaps a bit too full, but I’d rather have what I need.
Once I’m in the living area, Caspian shoulders the duffle bag, I lock up behind us and Dan meets us by the truck before we make our way back to Caspian’s house.
