Her hand followed the thin trail of water as it crept down the inside seam of the locker, dripping slowly and steady.
Mia shifted closer, cupping her hand beneath it.
She didn’t think about where it came from.
She waited, afraid to move in case it stopped.
CHAPTER 45
Caleb drove backto the Brotherhood campus, going as much over the speed limit as he dared without getting a ticket. His hands ached from gripping the wheel so hard, his pulse loud in his ears. The guys were already there.
Chase stood at the head of the conference table, arms braced on the surface. Dex sat to his right, laptop open, fingers already moving. Titus, Finn, Ryker, Zach and Will looked up the moment Caleb came in.
“Sitrep,” said Chase.
Caleb swallowed hard. His throat felt tight, like he hadn’t taken a full breath since he had left the house.
“Mia is missing. According to her father, she took off with Roy last night, supposedly to get her car. Roy isn’t at his apartment. He’s missing too.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what the hell is going on. I don’t know who would want to hurt her. Or if she is hurt. Or if they were in an accident.”
Chase didn’t hesitate. “First thing, we loop in Liam. See if the sheriff’s department has had any reports of accidents or abandoned vehicles.”
Caleb nodded, annoyed with himself. Damn. He should’ve thought of that already. But his head had been spinning, chasing fragments instead of structure.
“You’ve contacted friends?” Chase asked.
“Yes. No one’s seen her in the past day or two,” Caleb said. His chest hurt, as if the room had lost air.
“What about her contacts at the farmers’ market?” Will asked. “Sarah’s there every Saturday. And Norah’s been helping lately. Did you talk to either of them?”
Caleb shook his head. “No. Didn’t even think of them.”
“Do you have a number for either?” Chase asked.
Will frowned. “No, but Frank, the market manager, would know who was working which booth. They require vendor badges.”
“Can you get that information?” asked Chase.
Will nodded. “I’ll call Frank.” He stood and walked into the library.
Caleb turned to Dex. “Get into the security feeds from the farm last night.”
Dex’s eyes locked on the screen. “Already pulling them.”
A few minutes ticked by. Too long. Each second stretched uncomfortably.
“I’m in,” Dex said. “It looks like Roy and Mia took off around nine o’clock.”
Caleb leaned forward. His stomach tightened. “Can you follow the truck?”
Dex exhaled. “Give me a minute. If it stayed on covered roads, I can track it. If it cut through back routes or dead zones…” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.
Chase straightened. “Until we know more, we treat this as a missing-persons case with escalation potential.”
Caleb nodded, pressure building in his chest. “She wouldn’t just disappear.”
“No,” Chase agreed. “But until I hear from Liam and confirm there were no reported accidents…”
The door to the conference room opened, and Will came back in, phone in his hand.
