Has Fran been put up to this?
I shake my head. “Never. No. She’s brassy as fuck. She’s made some mistakes, aye, but I know something’s wrong here.”
Minutes later, he’s assembled his guard while I head to the beach. No sign of any breaking and entering. My texts to Fran go unanswered, my calls the same. My stomach churns, my nerves on edge as I look for her.
I expect to find nothing. I’m not surprised when the beach is bare, the cliffs as well.
I go straight to the guard at the gate. “Did you see a woman pass by here?”
“Aye, sir, ‘bout midnight,” he says, nodding.
Midnight. That’s bloody hours ago.
“Did you stop her?”
“No, sir, she said she was getting a bit of fresh air. I had no orders to detain our guests, sir.”
Keenan nods. He’s right. It wouldn’t have occurred to him to detain anyone at the gates, and it didn’t occur to me, either. Why would it?
“Did you see where she went?”
“Aye, sir, down to the beach, didn’t she.”
“Did you see her return?”
“No, sir.”
I turn to Keenan. I don’t know the lay of this land, if there is any way to get to the beach other than the stone stairs that Fran and I took earlier, or if the beach leads to a place other than the city centre, so I ask him.
Even when he confirms that only the steps lead to the beach, and the beach leads only to the city centre, my stomach still plummets.
“She could go anywhere, then.”
“Aye.”
I curse under my breath.
Did she run? Or was she coerced? Is it only my pride that tells me she didn’t do this of her own free will?
My mobile rings, and I answer immediately. Leith.
“Tate, is something wrong?”
“Aye,” I tell him, filling him in. “What makes you ask?”
“We got word this morning that all of the Clan Chronicles have been pulled from publication. Nan’s in a right temper, haven’t seen her this worked up in ages. I checked, all social media’s pulled down as well.”
I frown. “We wanted that to happen.” Still, something’s wrong and I know it.
“Can you ask Fran?”
“She’s missing, brother. Can you ask Paisley or Islan if they’ve been in touch with her?”
He blows out a breath. “They stayed at a friend’s last night.”
I stare out at the sea, as one puzzle piece clicks with another.
“Get in touch with them,” I tell him. “Now.”
