Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
The house was still filled with people, but I’d never felt more alone.
Mick texted me updates, but so far there hadn’t been anything of use. He’d gone to Chicago, but now that I knew Ryland never made it to Chicago, it seemed pointless for him to be there. I told him to come back this morning, and we would figure out where to go from here.
Then my phone chimed, and my chest tightened when I saw the name.
Brayden.
He’d been ignoring me for weeks, and it was odd for him to be contacting me now. I glanced around the room and realized I didn’t want to read this in a room full of people, so I stepped out onto the back porch while they planned out more search efforts.
I swiped the screen and scrolled through my messages.
I need you to meet me.
It’s about Ryland.
My heart skipped as I pressed send on Brayden’s name. But it just rang out. I tried him twice more before I gave up and started tapping out a text. Before I could even send it, another one came through. With an address and a time, and nothing more.
I stared at the phone in confusion. This meant Brayden was in San Francisco, but why? The horrifying realization that he might have had something to do with Ryland’s disappearance haunted me. I tried to call him again, but he didn’t answer.
Another text came through a moment later.
Don’t bring anyone with you or tell them where you’re going.
He’s in danger.
Frustration and relief both warred inside of me. If he was in danger, it meant that he was still alive. That there was still time. But I didn’t understand why Brayden would be helping him if that’s even what this was. Or why he wasn’t answering his phone.
I glanced over my shoulder and looked through the window at all of our friends gathered around the sofa, working hard to try to find Ryland. It was stupid for me to go alone to this address. I texted Brayden back.
I can’t come alone.
A reply came through almost immediately.
You have to. Or else he’s dead.
Just trust me.
Panic engulfed me. I didn’t want to believe those words. And could I even trust Brayden at this point? I had no idea. But this was my only ray of hope. Every other lead we had was dead. And I couldn’t just ignore it.
The time on my phone told me I had an hour to get to the address on my screen. It wasn’t a lot of time, considering I was on Belvedere Island, but I would have to make it work. The only problem was sneaking out of the house without anyone noticing. There was no way they would let me go anywhere with the shape I’d been in over the last few days.
I walked back in and gave Nicole a smile when she looked up at me with a worried expression.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” My voice was shaky and totally unconvincing. “I’m just going to go upstairs and lie down for a nap.”
Nicole stood up to help me. She was like a mother hen, hovering over me and trying to do everything for me. It was incredibly sweet, but right now, I needed her attention elsewhere.
“I’m fine, Nicole,” I told her. “I can manage on my own. It makes me feel better knowing that you’re all down here looking through everything.”
She nodded and bit her lip in clear frustration. We hadn’t found anything in Ryland’s records, which didn’t really surprise me. He had a lot of files on a variety of different people, including Alex Burton, but none of them gave away the really shady details. He always seemed to keep those to himself somehow.
“Well, just let me know if you need anything,” Nicole said. “I’ll be right down here.”
“Thanks.” I nodded and scurried from the room as quickly as I could go. I was seven months pregnant, and everything about me was slowing down.
I walked up the stairs so I didn’t arouse any suspicion and went straight to Ryland’s office. The keys to his jaguar were in his key box, complete with a label and all. It fractured what little was left of my strength. Only my husband would put a label on keys to a Jaguar.
I hoped that I could help him. I hoped that Brayden wasn’t deceiving me.
I walked out onto the balcony and took the stairs that led down to the back yard. Luckily the garage was far enough away from the sitting room that I didn’t think they would hear me.
I felt ridiculous slipping into his Jaguar. Ryland didn’t like me driving anywhere, so I didn’t. I was fine with that. I felt safe riding with Ted, and I’d grown used to it.
The interior smelled of leather and cinnamon, and I closed my eyes to inhale. I needed him to be safe. I needed him to be okay. I didn’t know what I would do if he wasn’t.