Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
All I can think about is how depraved I am for blowing this to kingdom come.
“No,” I say. “You should get home. She’s probably just hiding out somewhere. It’s not your problem.” Even as I say the words, I know they’re lies. But Junie smiles, accepting my usual no-nonsense logic.
“You’ll see her soon, Arch. Give it time.”
Yeah, time.
If Winnie ever shows up again, I’ll be the happiest idiot alive, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I never lose her again.
“I’ll keep you guys posted.”
Dexter holds my gaze. “You mean you’ll actually call her? Brave man.”
“Don’t be an ass.” I don’t tell him I’ve already tried calling and received the worst response. Silence.
“Don’t deserve it, then.” He pulls me into one of those half arm-wrestling handshakes brothers do. “Call me the second you need anything.”
Patton fakes a yawn beside me. “Don’t call me. We’ve got an early morning with Arlo, big karate tournament here.”
“He’ll kill it. What’s he up to now, third degree black belt?” I smile at the little boy, who’s already passed out on his dad’s shoulder.
“If anything comes up, call anyway,” Salem says. “I’ll make sure his phone stays on.”
“Hey!” Patton protests. “You can’t make promises when a guy needs his beauty sleep.”
“I can and I will.” She lowers her voice ominously. “He’s your brother and he needs you.”
“I’m right here,” I say dryly. “Kindly pray for me if I need help from this bozo.”
Salem gives me a knowing smile.
“Don’t be a stranger, Uncle Archer,” Arlo pipes up, suddenly awake and rubbing his eyes.
Everybody laughs.
“Right. Now get lost, all of you,” I say.
They’ve done enough for one night, coming over here and keeping me company until it’s almost midnight.
I wait for them all to leave before trying Winnie’s number again, breathing around the worry in my throat.
Just like before, there’s nothing on the other end.
That boulder of worry snowballs into a mountain.
As if on cue, another call comes in, this time from Higher Ends’ head of security. She’s a newer hire after our old guy retired, just brought on a couple weeks ago.
Janine, I think. Frowning, I swipe to take the call.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Rory? I’m sorry to disturb you so late, sir.”
“It’s fine, Janine. What’s going on?”
“We’ve been barraged with calls at The Cardinal from a young lady in Springfield who insists on speaking with a Miss Winnie Emberly. She wouldn’t let our manager off the line until he promised we’d try to contact you personally. She believes you can help her. Miss Emberly’s name comes up in the system as a guest, so I told her I would forward her number to you.”
Holy flaming shit.
Springfield, huh? I’m instantly suspicious, knowing how Winnie’s family treats her, but Janine said ‘young lady.’
Winnie never mentioned a sister or nosy cousin or anything.
I close my eyes and press the phone to my forehead before answering, my voice husky. “Yes, send the number along. Right now. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, sir. Again, my apologies for bothering you this late.”
“Don’t apologize, Janine. Just enjoy the bonus on your next paycheck.”
She’s smart enough to leave it there.
We keep a security help desk open twenty-four hours in case there’s an emergency at our properties. If this is a clue about Winnie’s whereabouts, I don’t care if nothing comes up for a year—it will have paid for itself ten times over.
My phone buzzes with a text as the number comes through and I call it immediately. A slightly sleepy voice answers.
“Is this Archer Rory?”
“Speaking. What happened to Winnie?” I can’t hide the ruthless demand in my voice.
“That depends. Are you…” Her voice sharpens as she inhales. “Are you the dude she was seeing?”
“You know about that?”
Fuck.
“Not all the details, no. Winnie never spills about stuff like this over the phone—you have to pin her down in person and squeeze, but still, I know enough.” She seems to realize who she’s talking to and coughs. “Um, do you know where she is?”
Huh? That’s not the question I expected.
“No, I thought you called me because you’d know. I’ve been trying to get in touch with her.”
“Oh, man. Oh, crap.” She’s quiet for a second before saying, “So, I got this weird picture from her about an hour ago. Winnie asked me to guess where she was. If I figured it out, she told me to tell her because I think she’s lost. She wouldn’t show up on the map at all.”
“Picture? What picture?” I growl.
“I don’t know. It came through on Snapchat. Just darkness and trees. I thought she was joking, but she wouldn’t pick up and her phone seems dead. If she’s lost or kidnapped…” The girl breathes harshly. “I don’t like it one bit. I’ve tried calling her, but it’s like her phone got disconnected. I thought about just calling the police, but after everything with her family, that’s my last resort.”