Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“I agree. I’d go with you both, but I can’t leave. I’m working on a few other cases and doing all of this on the downlow.”
“We’ve got this, Randy. But thank you for offering,” Liam said. Turning to Billy, he added, “We need to get in touch with Josh and see what his availability is. The sooner we can leave for Chicago, the better.”
Confused, I asked, “Who’s Josh?”
All eyes went to me. It was MaryAnne who answered. “Josh is a pilot.”
“You know a pilot?’ I asked Liam.
He nodded—and suddenly seemed to get shy. “I have a private plane, and Josh flies it for me.”
My mouth fell open. “You have your own plane?”
Liam’s reply was a one-shoulder shrug.
Billy explained, “It’s easier for the business, when we need to fly anywhere, to just fly from here instead of driving to the closest airport, which is three hours away in Great Falls.”
I knew Liam had money, as evidenced by his large ranch and beautiful home, but a private plane?
“Where does it take off from?” I asked.
“The landing strip on the ranch,” Liam said, his cheeks turning pink.
Randy seemed oblivious to my reaction to Liam’s owning a private plane, because he started to make plans. “Once you get to Chicago, my advice would be to go directly to Arcola. Mallory must have had some friends that she shared her plans with, maybe even gave them a forwarding address.”
“But it’s been a few weeks now that we know of. Wouldn’t someone have reported me missing?”
Randy sighed. “You’d hope. Unless you were going on a trip to Montana and people weren’t expecting you back.”
“She would’ve had to be camping in the middle of nowhere for her not to at least call and check in with someone.”
“I don’t have all the answers, Liam. I think the only way to find them is to go to Illinois.”
“Randy’s right,” MaryAnne said. “And so are you, Mallory. You need to start in the last place you know you were.”
Billy stood. “I’ll call Josh now.”
“Are you okay with this?” Liam asked, nothing but concern in his eyes.
I nodded, then let out a chuckle. “Maybe I’ll find my clothes.”
Billy had come back and informed Liam that Josh was available immediately. They made arrangements for us to fly out tomorrow morning, so we could arrive in Chicago with some daylight left. The hope was that I would see something familiar and spark some memories.
After everyone left, I went to my room to pack for the trip. Liam had been kind enough to let me use one of his smaller suitcases. I stood at the foot of the bed and stared at what I’d packed. I hadn’t even packed the majority of the clothes yet.
A light knock on the bedroom door caused me to glance over my shoulder.
“Hey,” Liam said as he walked into the room. “How are you processing all of this?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I don’t know if I should be excited? Worried? Scared? I keep wondering if someone took me to Chicago and maybe sold me to a creeper here in Montana. Then again, I did watch a special on human trafficking when you were gone, so there’s that.”
Liam chuckled and took my hand in his. “I’m going to be with you every step of the way, okay?”
“I know,” I softly replied.
“I’ve got a bit of a surprise for you downstairs if you’re finished up here.”
Looking at the suitcase, I nodded. “I think I’ve got what I need.”
“Great,” he said, tugging me closer until I was pressed against him. “It’s nice to meet you, Mallory Lee Wilson. I’m Liam Michael Sanders. Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?”
My heart skipped a beat as I placed my free hand on his chest. “I would love that.”
Liam leaned in and gently brushed a kiss over my lips. “Piper’s waiting.”
“Oh. You’re bringing two girls out on this date, huh?”
He winked and said, “Technically, we’re not going out. We’re staying in.”
“Even better.”
Liam held my hand and led us back down to the living room. I gasped when I saw what was before me.
The lights were down, and a few candles were lit around the room, as well as in the kitchen. A fire was going in the fireplace, and Piper was lying in her bed not far away, soaking in the warmth from the blaze. Liam had moved the coffee table and made a cozy little spot for us to sit with stacks of pillows on the floor.
He pointed to the kitchen table. “Over here, you have your choice of snacks.”
I laughed when I saw all the bags of sweets, popcorn, a large bowl of ice with sodas, and some bottled water as well.
I reached for the bag of Reese’s Cups and a bowl of popcorn.
“To drink?”
“Mmm, I wonder if I like any of those.”