Kayleigh wasn't in the guest chambers when they knocked. Colton shifted his weight from foot to foot impatiently. "Maybe she went back to her kingdom?"
"No," Luke replied. "I've put a lock on the castle. No one leaves or returns without my consent."
"We need to split up. It doesn't matter where we search as long as every inch is searched." Colton looked at Luke. "Can you give us just a generic layout of the castle?"
He did. "And we need to search in pairs. One team upstairs, the other team on the first floor. If you find something, one of you comes to find the other two immediately."
They agreed. Drake asked him about basements, and Luke told him all that he knew.
When he finished, he described Kayleigh. "If she's responsible for the poisonings or Sarah's disappearance, she'll be as slippery as a snake. Keep your guard up."
Colton agreed. "And we meet back here in two hours." He and Tyson headed off down a hallway toward the staircase that led to the second floor.
Drake looked at Luke. "We need to search the basements."
"Most of the lower floor hasn't been used in years."
"Then what better place to hide someone."
"I looked down there once, but you're right. Let's do another sweep."
Luke led Drake through the kitchen. He hated searching the same area again, but there really weren't any new places to look. He sucked in a deep breath to fight back the fear and frustration that threatened to take over. He needed to focus, for Sarah's sake.
They were almost out of the kitchen area when loud voices caught their attention. Luke pivoted from the path to the stairs that led below to see what the problem was. It seemed that two of the servants who worked in the kitchen were having a disagreement.
Luke wanted to pull his hair out when he got in between the men. Both were trying to tell him what happened, but they were talking over each other so badly that he couldn't understand anything. When they failed to pause long enough that he could cut in, he finally let out a shrill whistle and held up his hands.
"Everybody shut the hell up." He didn't have time to be proper. "If you can't do your damned jobs, then grab your shit and get out of my castle."
He looked over where Drake was anxiously motioning for him. He turned to head over but stopped at one of the men. "If I hear any more of your childish bickering, you're both out. Understand?"
Drake stood at the start of a corridor and pointed. "I think I saw that Kayleigh woman go down there. Some guy is with her."
"Are you sure it was her?"
"Not completely, but she matched your description."
"Okay, I'm going to wait here in case she comes back. Go find the others."
"I don't think we have time."
Luke sighed. He had already thought the same thing. Every bone in his body wanted to keep going to see if it had been Kayleigh, and they were wasting too much time. Each second that Sarah was missing was one that they would never get back. He wanted her back just as badly as Drake wanted his sister found safe before it was too late.
It was thetoo latepart that scared him. They had been in rough spots before, and they had always gotten out of them. But one day, their streak of getting out of sticky situations would end, and Luke didn't want it to be this time.
He glanced back at Drake just as a movement crossed his peripheral vision. He turned his head to see Kayleigh come out of a side door and head down the hallway, a tall, older man with her. Luke stepped against the wall and motioned for Drake to step back a bit so he wasn't seen as Kayleigh hurried away. He watched them walk away.Who’s the guy? That’s not her dad, is it?
Afraid of losing them, Luke gestured with his head, and they silently padded down the hallway after her. As they came around a corner, the two were heading down a staircase.
"Stay behind me a bit." Luke gave it a moment before he followed, constantly peering ahead to make sure he didn't inadvertently catch up to her. The man bothered him. He had only met her parents briefly, but he couldn’t get a good enough look at the man to see if it was her father.
At the bottom of the stairs, Kayleigh unlocked a door and they slipped through. Luke glanced back over his shoulder and waited for Drake to catch up before he tried the door, but it had been locked from the other side.
What are they doing in the basement?It seemed like a really weird place for guests to wander.
"I'm going back to get someone to go find your brothers. Stay here and keep an eye out now that we know where she is going."
Drake nodded and moved forward as Luke headed back up the stairs.
