No. No. No.
“Juni!” I roar her name, rechecking the house like she could be hiding somewhere, but I already know. She’s gone.
Ada is waiting outside; her face twisted in worry. “What’s going on?”
“What do you know about Darcy?” I demand, forcing her to catch up with me as I rush back toward the main house.
“I don’t know anything!”
Apparently, neither do I.
She’s worked here for years, been a damn constant since before the whole shit went down with my wife. Something tells me it’s all been a lie. A ruse.
How could I have missed it?
But the real question is, what does she want with Juniper?
I shove through the door into Roman’s house, frantically searching for my brother as I yell his name.
I find Niamh first, and Roman isn’t far behind.
“Darcy has Juni,” I snap out. “I need your truck.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Juni is gone!” I roar.
“Breathe,” Roman holds up his hands. “What do you mean? They went into town?”
“No!” I growl. “She lied! She told Juni that I had asked her to pick up the kids because I was dealing with a sick horse. Now Juni is gone.”
“Are you sure she didn’t go get the kids?” Niamh asks.
“My truck is there, but the keys are missing.” I shake my head, “Fuck this. Something is wrong and I’m not fucking explaining it over and over. Where areyour keys?”
“I’m coming with you,” Roman plucks the keys to the Ranger from the hook.
“Go find Ada,” I tell Niamh. “She’s shaken.”
With that, I follow my brother out of the house and climb into the truck. “Go to Darcy’s place.” I demand.
I have no idea what the fuck is going on, so I need to start at the beginning. The ride is short, and I’m hopping out before the truck is even in park, meeting a locked door when I step up on the porch.
My shoulder meets the door, once, twice, three times, the wood splintering and cracking with my weight. On the fifth ram, it releases. The pain in my shoulder barely registers as I burst inside, finding a clean and tidy place. Everything is as it was when she first started working here, the furniture in exactly the same position, the frames on the walls still holding the stock prints they were bought with. Not a single thing has been changed, and nothing is out of place. To look at it, it would appear no one lives here.
“Juni!” I yell, opening and closing doors. “Darcy!”
No one answers me. I open the last door in the hall and almost close it when I see no one inside, but the wall directly across from me catches my attention.
It’s a wall of photos, a couple of news articles and scribbles.
Reaching for the switch, I turn the light on, illuminating the wall. My heart drops down into my stomach.
“What the fuck is that?” Roman stops behind me.
I don’t answer him as I step into the room, scanning over the wall.
Local vet charged with harassment and stalking.
