“I’m sorry.”
His shoulders drop in relief, and in two long strides he reaches me and pulls me into his arms.
“It’s okay, Angel. We both don’t know who to trust right now.” He pulls back, hooking his finger under my chin and lifting my head until our eyes meet. “But we have to trust each other. We’ll never get through this if we don’t have that.”
I nod, fisting his shirt. “I love you. I’m sorry,” I mutter.
“You don’t need to be sorry.” He presses his lips to my forehead. “Come on. Let’s search for your sister while Lewy does his thing.”
I nod, giving him a long squeeze before we emerge from Tahli’s room and go in search of my little sister.
We spend ten minutes searching the lower floors, and then make our way upstairs.
In Ringo’s room, the lights are on, obviously left that way from others searching, and I notice through the windows that the sun is slowly rising, lighting the sky beyond.
There aren’t many places to hide up here, so I check under the bed while Ringo checks the bathroom, and then I step into the wardrobe, the light already on.
“Tahli?”
“Abbey!”
The screech of my name fills the small space, and a moment later, my little sister bursts through the hanging dresses and coats, throwing herself into my arms.
“Oh my God!” I cry with an umph as we collide, and I hold on to her so tightly as Ringo stares in at us from the open doorway.
“We found her!” he calls, and I can hear excited and relieved yelling beyond, but keep my focus on my little sister.
“Chook, what the hell?” I snap, shoving back from her to take her in.
Her blonde hair is a mess, and she’s still in her PJs, clutching something in her hand.
“Don’t what the hell me!” she yells right back. “I woke up, and my lamp was on, and I don’t remember leaving it on, but then there was this note, and I read it, and I panicked, and I came up here but you were gone.” She shoves me. Hard. And I stumble backwards, nearly tripping over Ringo’s riding boots. “You were GONE!”
“Chook, I…”
“Riggs wasn’t here either! I went over to the barn looking for him, and he wasn’t there. No one was around. No one even saw me. I could have walked right down the road and I don’t think they would have even noticed.”
My eyes flick to Ringo. “Where was everyone?”
“I don’t know, but perimeter security is still tight.”
“Except for where we left,” I point out, and Ringo nods.
“There were a couple of Marx men that knew we had left. That’s why we got off the property without a hitch.”
“Where did you go?” Tahli cries, still distraught, and then I remember what she said.
She woke up. Her lamp was on. And there was a note.
My eyes flick down to her hand. “Is that the note?”
Tahli nods, holding it out to me.
Taking it, I unravel it from its crumpled ball form, smoothing it out as I start reading, and I swear, the blood in my veins turns to ice.
Tahli.
Those bad people have kidnapped you.
