Page 70 of Stolen Dreams

“And Benny said he put it in the dishwasher the night before when he left.”I look back at the timeline.“And then when we came in, it was the only cup taken out.”

“Okay,” he says, not following what I’m saying.

“Someone took it out to give it to her,” I tell him.“Someone who knows her.Someone who she knows.”His mouth hangs open.“It’s one of us,” I say, looking around, feeling like the floor is spinning under my feet.The hair on the back of my neck sticks up when I think of all of the men.

“Emmett,” Charlie says, “you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Bobby!”I shout, and he comes running over.“Where is Sammy?”

“Sent him home,” he replies.“Man had a nervous breakdown, saying she’s probably dead.”

I look back at the map.“Who went with him to see the businesses?”

“I think Jeremy and King.”He motions with his chin toward the two guys who work the night shift.

“Jeremy, King,” I call them, and they come over.“You went with Sammy to canvass the area?”They both look at me like I’m crazy.Charlie turns and rushes over to Pops.“This area.”I point.“It’s next to his house.”

“No.”King shakes his head.“I didn’t go with him.”I look over at Jeremy, who shakes his head.

“I was with King the whole time, and we hit up the couple of rest stops.”He points at the opposite side of town.

I run to my truck.“Where the fuck are you going?”Charlie shouts and gets into the truck with me.“You don’t think Sammy…”

“The only one I’m ruling out,” I state between clenched teeth, “is you.”I pull out of the parking lot while Charlie’s phone rings.

“You need to rein him in,” Pops says, his voice tight.“I’m trying to get eyes on the house.”

“We got it,” Charlie assures him as I swerve to the right and make my way over to his house.

“If he touched a hair on her head…” I say, my eyes on the road.“If he hurt her in any way.”

He doesn’t say anything because his phone rings.“Yeah?”

“We’re on our way to you,” Pops says.“Do not go in that house unless you have backup.”

“I’m going in that fucking house,” I vow, “even if it’s on fucking fire.”

“We don’t know if he’s alone,” Pops continues, “or if he’s armed.”

I look at Charlie.“I won’t be able to stop him,” Charlie says.“You better fucking hurry.”He hangs up the phone.

“I’m going in,” I tell him.“You are staying out.”

“I’m not letting you go in there without me,” he snaps.

“You have a kid at home and a wife,” I remind him.“They need you alive.”

“You have a kid at home also,” he quickly counters.

“Yeah, but half of my life is in that house,” I tell him, parking two houses away from Sammy’s house.“No matter what fucking happens, she’s going to know how much I fucking love her.”I get out and walk down the sidewalk, looking at the small houses that line the street.“Whatever happens”—I look over my shoulder, knowing he’s not going to wait for me outside because he’s a stubborn son of a bitch—“don’t worry about me.You get her out of there.”

“We don’t know she’s in there,” Charlie reiterates.

“I know it,” I declare when we walk up the steps.“I can fucking feel her here,” I say, holding up my hand to knock on the door.“She’s fucking here.”That’s the last thing I say before I decide to kick down the fucking door.

ChapterThirty-Nine

LILAH

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