“We’ll find him.”
“Can you get someone to trace his phone?” She texted him the phone number.
“On it.” He turned and walked a few steps, putting his phone up to his ear.
Elyxandre stood staring at the treeline, but she wasn’t seeing the trees. Her mind was walking back through the last few weeks with Lucas.
Seeing him for the first time in the emergency room waiting area.
Watching him with the students. Sharing popcorn with a student. Covered in papier-mâché while helping the freshman with their float.
The dinner with him and Ezra.
The kiss in his kitchen that could have been so much more.
Standing in her kitchen, sweeping up broken glass.
Crawling into bed with her to hold her.
His dark head between her thighs, driving her to the brink.
The feel of his cock deep inside her, coaxing out pleasure she hadn’t known existed.
Lying in bed with him, face-to-face, sharing their innermost fears and faults.
Breakfast in his clothes with his son.
The world couldn’t be so cruel as to teach her that good men did exist just to rip him away from her. Could it?
“Elyxandre!” Quint was walking back toward her. “We’ve got problems.”
“What now?”
“The officer I just sent to talk to Ezra. The kid told him that Ryker didn’t show up for the last class of the day. He’s on his way here now. He remembered something.”
GHOSTS IN THE ATTIC
LUCAS
“Dr. Vaughn?”
The soft voice reached out to him in the darkness, the dulcet tone persuading him to open his eyes and wake up.
“Dr. Vaughn.” This voice was more urgent, and the register was lower.
“Please wake up, Dr. Vaughn!” The sweet voice again. Pleading with him.
His body was jostled abruptly by something large and blunt. It didn’t have a distinct shape but was more of a blob with solid mass. Both of the voices were working together now to try and wake him. Why wouldn’t they just let him sleep?
The softer voice he now understood was feminine, almost childlike, and there were tears behind it. Whoever she was, she sounded afraid. He needed to help her. It didn’t sound like Elyxandre, but he couldn’t risk it in case it was her. She wasn’t safe. She needed protection. He needed to help her.
With a groan, he opened his eyes, or at least he tried to. When he did, everything around him was pitch black. Where was he?
“He’s awake,” the male voice said.
Sobs of relief came from the female.
He groaned. “Who’s there?”
