“Following Ducky’s signal. You wanna tell me how you let her out of your sight,prospect?” I snarled.
“Well, unlike you, I let your sister make decisions for herself. I don’t keep her on a leash or locked in some dungeon.She has full autonomy over her person.” He sighed. “That being said, had she fucking told me she was leaving, I would have gone with her.”
“Perhaps a bell would be good.”
“Isn’t that why she wears the bracelet?” he challenged.
“You have a point.” I glanced at my phone. “Ducky means everything to me, man. If anyone hurts her again… I just…”
“Yeah, Cash, I get it,” he said. “We’re gonna find her, and whoever took her is gonna die.”
“On that we agree.”
“I’ll follow you.” Huck headed to an old truck parked off to the side of the house and then we hauled ass to find my sister.
* * *
Teagan
The second I could sneak away, I closed myself into an office in the shop and called Cash. He answered on the first ring. “Hey, baby, I don’t have long.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m following Ducky’s signal. Huck’s behind me.”
“Does he know what happened?”
“No. She disappeared from Safeway and that’s all we know so far.”
I covered my mouth with my hand. “Oh my god.”
“Baby, we’re gonna find her.”
“Please be careful.” I could no longer muffle my sobs. “Come home. Bring her home. Okay?”
His sigh sounded through the phone. “Turtle, you’re breakin’ my heart.”
“The two people I love the most are in trouble, honey. My heartisbreaking.”
“I promise with everything I have, I will bring both of us home.”
“Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I closed my eyes and whispered, “Text me as soon as you can.”
“I will.”
We hung up and I slid to the floor and completely broke down.
This is where my mother found me, I’m not sure how much later, but it was starting to get dark. I was on the floor, my knees up to my chin, back to the wall. I glanced up at her as her worried eyes met mine.
“Teagan, baby, we’ve been worried sick.”
“Sorry,” I whispered. “How did you find me?”
She smiled gently, settling herself next to me. “Tracked your necklace.”
