“I’ve been looking out for him.” Her expression was pained as she twisted her hands together, the knotted joints reminding me of my own mother’s hands. “It’s what I should’ve been doing years ago, but I fell short. It’s how I found you. Now, let me get the nurse and tell them to call the authorities, and then I’m going to get Jake. It may be a while. I’m not sure who took you or why, but when we’re all together, you’ll tell the police what you remember. Until then, get some rest, Alyson.”

I shifted slightly in the bed, straining to hear the woman whispering in the hall.

“I’m off to alert her other friends,” she said outside my room, “but I think you should call 911. I found that woman brutalized after a violent crime.”

“Ma’am, why are you just saying this now? I thought you said she had an accident?”

“It wasn’t time for her to be found yet,” was all I heard before her footsteps retreated down the hall.

Who was this woman playing with my destiny?

Jake

I paced the same path I’d paced a hundred times already, my feet practically wearing grooves in the hardwood in front of my brother’s fireplace. Sunlight poured through the windows, throwing golden beams in my path, and I wanted to kick them. Spring weather had fully taking over, summer on its way, but I was anything but bright.

In my head, I was back in the driving rain, lost in that alley, looking for answers to life. GRAFFITI GOD kept flashing before my eyes. Fucking God. Who the hell did he think he was raining down shit on my life?

My fucking life had sucked beyond belief because I had my parents’ blood on my hands and now this. It was my job to take care of Aly—God’s way of helping me absolve myself—and I’d fucked it up and she was gone. Disappeared into thin air.

As far as I knew, the police had turned up zip. Barry had gone out looking, and then apparently fell drunk on liquor and guilt. The last time I spoke with him, he was slurring so badly, his words were nothing but gibberish. I’d tried to call him a few times since then for updates, but his phone went right to voice mail. Just like I’d thought; the man was fucking useless.

As I was thinking of the nicotine-reeking devil, my phone buzzed.

“You sobered up?” I belted into the phone after slamming my finger across ANSWER CALL.

“Yeah. Sorry ’bout that, but this is all my fault. Al didn’t want this case. I pushed it.”

“Get to the point, Barry.” I didn’t have time for his sob story.

“Police have a lead. Stay tuned.”

“Where? What?”

“I can’t say. Stay around and available. They just called me.”

Click.

The little ass had nerve.

Against my better judgment, I’d agreed with Bess when she had begged me to come stay with her after the first night, insisting I not be alone. Aly had been gone with no news, and I knew for sure I was meant to go through life alone. I couldn’t do this even when Bess kept saying I could. I wanted to slam my fist into the mantel, but I kept it together for Bess.

No more rescuing or love fantasies for me anymore. That was done. I’d be on my own forever now.

My entire body was tense to the breaking point, my muscles jumping from unused adrenaline that pumped through me. A million emotions yanked me back and forth, driving me insane—anger, frustration, uselessness, worry, confusion, and rage. The rage kept me going.

Through it all, my head whirled with disjointed thoughts.

Dr. Wells kept calling, and I kept hitting IGNORE.

Lane was on an earlier flight home.

James was coming from Florida to be with Maddy, so Bess could babysit me.

I wasn’t working out. All I did was pace and swear and swear and pace.

I needed to go home, crawl into bed and ride this awful nightmare out. Maybe I’d wake up on the other side of this dream and not tamper with my life or anyone else’s problems.

Spent and worn out from my own mental berating, I leaned my head into the mantel. The edge dug into my forehead, and I wanted to slam my whole fucking face into the piece of shit. I wanted the pain to leave my heart, bleed from my soul. Who was I to think I deserved a bowling partner, let alone happiness?

“I’ll get it,” Bess yelled from the kitchen.

“What?” I lifted my head, dizzy and dazed.

“The door, Jake. Didn’t you hear the bell?”

I shook my head, not caring. When I didn’t move, Bess hurried past me to the front door.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she spat out in a hushed voice.

Curiosity and concern for Bess pulled me from the living room. I stepped into the foyer only to become enraged when I saw for myself who was at the door.

“Get out!” I screamed at our unwanted visitor, my voice cracking.

The woman put her hands up in the air, and her knobby fingers shook. “Jake, Bess. I know where Aly is.” Her words came out fast and rushed before we could slam the door in her face.

“Shut the fuck up, Shirley.” I stormed to the doorway and stood next to Bess, looming over the older woman I hated more than anyone, her red hair a reminder of who I was really missing. “Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me.”

Bess looked from Shirley to me, and her eyes widened. She laid a warning hand on my arm. “Calm down, Jake. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

Shirley braced herself against the doorjamb, her hand visibly trembling. Her chest heaved and her eyes filled with tears as she turned her weathered face up to me.

“You’re not going to be happy,” she said in a wobbly voice. “I was back to keeping an eye on you and Lane. A few days ago, I was watching Bess because I knew Lane was out of town. Then I saw you come out and give her the dog. The last few weeks, I’d been so happy to see you’d moved on with the redhead, buying her a dog and everything.”

Frustrated, I slammed my fist against the doorframe. “Shirley, none of this is telling me where my Aly is. Fucking get to it!”

Startled, she reared back and nearly lost her footing, but Bess braced her fall, holding her upright.

“S-she’s in the hospital,” Shirley stuttered, her eyes wide with fear. Of me. “Alive, but she’s there because I found her.”

Bess and I exchanged alarmed looks, then I glared back at Shirley. “What the hell?”

“Someone took her. Didn’t you hear me? I was keeping an eye on Bess because Lane’s away. When she met you at the rest stop, I followed her there. When I saw you two together, I was confused as to what was going on, so I tailed Bess.”

“The compact car was you?”

She nodded. “I saw you give the dog up, and was devastated. I thought you’d broken up with the red-haired girl, and I cried all the way to work. When I was covering the late-night shift at the diner, this woman came in all disheveled and used the bathroom to change. She came back out all dolled up in leather, makeup, and heels. I couldn’t help but take a look at her when she went outside, and I saw your girl—Aly—slumped in the passenger seat, her eyes closed.”

“Shirley,” I growled. “Spit it the fuck out.”

“I told my boss I was sick and left work to follow the woman. Once we stopped in front of this abandoned barn that sits way off a state road, I called my husband, Wayne, and gave him detailed directions, so he came to help. If I didn’t follow them, no one would’ve found the barn. It’s been abandoned since I’ve lived in the area, and that’s close to a decade. I don’t even think the teens use it to party anymore, it’s so hard to find.”

She paused for a second, and Bess twirled her hand in a hurry-up gesture.

“Anyway, poor Wayne had been so mad at me for sneaking around after you boys and watching you, but your girl was lucky I did in this case. Of course, Wayne wanted me to call the police, but I said no. I was going to be your hero, and I am! I stayed outside the barn, peeking in through cracks in those old wood walls. I could see Aly was hurt but alive, and I waited until the right time.”