“M-my watch. They took my running watch. I think…they cut it off me.” I tighten my hands around the mug of tea and inhale deeply. Lavender and chamomile. A touch of honey.
I’m home. With AJ. Nothing can hurt me here.
“I can see the blood. And…maybe…a zip tie.” A sob threatens to escape, but I force it down so I can tell them the rest. “It was a white van. Kind of beaten up. But everything else is fuzzy. Like…I was there but not at the same time.”
No one says a word for several seconds. Zephyr’s gaze is soft, but her voice roughens. “They drugged you.”
At my side, AJ’s so tense, I’m surprised I don’t hear his muscles snapping one by one.
“There has to be more.” It’s getting harder to keep my tears at bay. “I want to remember. Even if it hurts. Even if I’m not ready.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Zephyr says. “And I’ve got an update from Mik that might help.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
AJ
“Grace was definitely in east Texas or within a hundred miles of the Texas-Mexico border. The oleander flowers woven into the ropes had pollen signatures that aren’t found much north of Odessa or south of Laredo. Mik’s still working with the dirt she was able to pull from the ropes and the burlap bag.”
If I don’t stop pacing, I’m gonna wear a hole in the tile in front of the bulletin board. Zephyr sent me a fresh map, marked up with the rough borders from Mikayla’s tests.
My phone screen lights up with a new message.
Zephyr: One of my contacts just confirmed we’ll have fresh imaging of the area Mik identified by tomorrow night. We’re still talking several thousand square miles, but it’s a start.
I stagger back until my ass hits the edge of my desk.
AJ: You wrangled a military flyover in under an hour? It takes me longer to get a brisket plate on a Friday night.
Zephyr: I am very good at my job. And…you’re welcome.
I chuckle, but before I can reply with a proper thank you, Belle noses her way into my office, dragging her leash behind her.
She drops the braided nylon at my feet, looks up at me, and whines.
Fuck.
She’s been restless the past few days, pacing circles around the house whenever she’s not at Grace’s side. I crouch down and start scratching her behind the ears. “I know, girl. Two weeks without a run and you’re goin’ a little stir crazy, huh?”
The second she hears “run” she perks up. Her tail whips from side-to-side faster than greased lightning, and she’s practically vibrating.
I don’t want to leave Grace alone. Especially not to go do what used to be her thing. I always hated running—until it was the only way I could feel close to her.
But Belle has so much pent-up energy, if we don’t get out of the house, she’s gonna start eating my shoes again. Or worse. She’ll start in on the furniture.
I leave the leash right where it is—if I pick it up, there’s no going back—and head out to the living room. Grace is curled up on the couch, a blanket tucked around her shoulders. She’s staring at the street view image of the spot I found her phone and water bottle, brows furrowed and frustration pouring off of her.
“There’s…nothing,” she says with a huff. “I can feel the taser. See the sky above me. But after that…nothing.”
I sink down next to her, take the tablet, and set it on the coffee table. “Bubble wrap, remember? Layers of it. It’s gonna take time, darlin’.”
With a sigh, she winds her arms around my waist and snuggles against my chest. “I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“That it don’t.” Belle trots over, her icy gaze laying the guilt on thicker than molasses in June. “I’m thinkin’ you need a distraction.”
“Oh?” Grace peers up at me, a smile tugging at her lips. “What did you have in mind?”
My dick aches at the raw need in her voice, but then Belle lays her head on my thigh.
