“Did you find her?” he asked as he answered.
“Not yet. Where are you?”
Eve’s house came into view, along with his truck in her driveway. No other vehicle was parked beside his, and disappointment slapped him harder than the wind barreling across his cheek. “Almost to Eve’s place. I thought maybe he brought her there. I don’t see his truck, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
“No one’s seen her. I spoke with the sheriff’s department. They’re figuring things out, but I don’t want to waste time. I’ll meet you at Eve’s and tell Dax and Ben to do the same. Can you get inside?”
He jogged down the driveway and tried the handle. “It’s locked.”
“I’ll have Lily call Becca. She might know where a spare key is. Hold tight. I’m on my way.”
Normally, knowing Madden was close by to help solve a problem eased some of Reid’s anxiety, but not this time. His friend’s presence wouldn’t do anything to help Eve.
Fisting his hand, he pounded on the front door. “Eve! Are you in there?”
Nothing.
He yanked at the door again, but it refused to budge. He could run to the back door or try the windows, but he’d made sure the place was locked up tight. Besides, the sinking feeling in his gut told him she wasn’t inside anyway.
With his phone still in hand, he dialed Eve again. This time the line went straight to voicemail. Shit.
Needing to do something, he peered into the windows for any sign of movement.
Any sign of Eve.
When he arrived at the broken bedroom window, he squared his shoulders and prepared to shimmy his way through the tight space. The window was already busted, and if there was any chance she was inside, he had to get in and fast.
“Reid!”
The sound of Madden’s voice stalled his momentum, and he redirected himself to the front of the house.
Madden hunched over a flowerpot and straightened with a key in his hand. “Becca told Lily where the key was. She’s a mess. She wants to help, so Lily stayed back to speak with her and Tara to see if they could think of anything useful. I thought it’d be best if Becca didn’t come here, just in case we found something.”
Reid leaped up the front steps. “Fine. Just get inside the damn house.”
Madden unlocked and pushed open the door.
Reid worked his jaw back and forth, waiting for Madden to step inside before flying in behind him. The overpowering scentof dead flowers lingered, greeting him like an unwelcome guest. “Eve!”
He ran through the house, searching every room, even though he knew before he’d entered he wouldn’t find her. Defeat knocked him off balance in her bedroom. He sank onto the side of her mattress and hung his head in his hands, the rose petals that had been left behind dried and sprinkled behind him.
Madden’s low, long whistle lifted his head. “I didn’t realize this place hadn’t been cleaned yet. This is extremely disturbing.” He flicked his wrist toward the bed.
Reid squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look at the offerings Tyson had left for Eve. “We didn’t have time. I forgot it was all here. I should have called someone to take care of everything while we were gone. Before she could come home.” Emotion stole his words and cracked his voice.
A heavy hand gripped his shoulders. “Look at me, man.”
Reluctantly, Reid opened his eyes.
“You can’t give up. We’ll find her. She has to be somewhere. All we have to do is figure out where.”
He huffed out a snort. “Yeah. No problem.” Jumping to his feet, he paced the length of the room and shoved a hand through his hair. Irritation and worry crushed his lungs, making it hard to breathe. “I’ll just step outside and call out her name. I’m sure she’ll answer. I mean, she’ssomewhere, right?”
Rolling his eyes, he stopped in front of the picture hanging on her wall. The explosion of colorful flowers with the mountains in the distance stared back at him. He’d swear he could actually see the movement of the petals, the wind flowing over the canvas.
His breath caught in his throat. “Wait a second.”
He ran down the hall to the living room, where wildflowers had been vomited around the space. The colors had dulled, the life draining from the blooms that had once held so much vibrancy. He knelt on the floor and studied the shapes of thepetals then moved to the couch, studying another type, then another.
