Fuck. I head back into the rain and try not to lose my shit. It’s only been, like, twenty minutes. I retrace my steps to the bus. The rain isn’t letting up.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot something on the ground. A shoe.
I pick it up.
It’s her Chuck.
“Rory!”
As I stand in the rain with my wife’s shoe in my hand, my vision narrows.
Edmond’s been here every step of this tour. He’s also been with us for every fucked-up delivery from the Cherry Smasher.
Son of a bitch.
If he hurt her, I’m gonna end him.
54
JACE
With my hearthammering in my chest, I sprint to the bus and charge up the stairs. “I need everyone to help me look for Rory.”
The guys pause drying off, and Cooper snorts. “I ain’t going anywhere.”
“She’s out there with Edmond. I think he’s the Cherry Smasher.” I turn to Derek and Shane. “Please. I need your help. I found her shoe in the middle of the shopping center.”
I hold it up to show them, and Shane frowns. “Yeah, that’s weird.”
Cooper chuckles. “Or it belongs to a homeless person.”
Fuck this guy.
I head back out and Shane and Derek follow me. As we round the bus, I’m about to suggest we split up when we bump into Edmond. I grab him by his collar. “Where the fuck is she?”
“Who?”
“My fucking wife.”
He blinks several times. “I came out to escort Rory, to make sure she got to the restaurant, but I couldn’t find her.”
Bullshit. She wouldn’t just leave her shoe out there like that.
Squinting through the rain, Frank puts his hand on my arm. “Let’s take this inside. Edmond, I’m going to need you to explain.”
The second we’ve boarded, I shove our security guy. “Where is she?”
“Like I said, Jace, I don’t know.”
He’s drenched. We all are. His expression seems sincere, but my gut screams he did this.
And I’m learning to listen to my gut.
I study him, waiting for him to say something. When he doesn’t, I try another approach. “Show me your hands.”
“What?” He frowns, clenching his fists. “Why?”
“Either show me your motherfucking hands or I’m gonna call the cops and you can show them.”
