Page 92 of Faded Rhythm

The morning air is cool. Birds sing in the trees above me, but I barely hear them. I only hear my ragged breathing and my boots pounding against the ground.

I pass the shed and slow down a bit to conserve my energy. She’s okay. I know she is. I just need to see her. That’s all.

Finally, I see it. The shoreline.

Nobody’s there.

It’s too quiet.

The lake is too still.

There’s a single fishing pole propped up in the dirt, the line limp and slack in the water. My tacklebox sits next to it, open-mouthed. On the other side, my smallest bucket.

But no Sable.

My eyes immediately drop to the ground around me.

No footprints.

No sign she slipped or waded out too far. Just the pole. Waiting.

I scan the tree line across the lake, my hand instinctively going to my gun.

“Sable!” I shout.

Nothing.

Not even an echo.

My heart thuds in my chest as I examine the tackle box. No phone inside. No keys.

A knot coils in my gut, sharp like barbed wire.

Somebody took her. I don’t know how, but they managed to snatch her from me and I never saw it coming.

Fuck.

Alright, well…I guess it’s time to go to war.

38

Julian

I kneel by theedge of the lake, eyes scanning, forcing myself to remain calm as my nervous system goes haywire, begging for panic. But I won’t. I’m trained for this\, and panic is a luxury I can’t afford. It’s what gets people killed.

No footprints. Nothing disturbed. No drag marks or signs of a struggle.

Whoever took her had to have come by boat.

And they were obviously fast and good.

But not good enough.

I head back to the house, fast and controlled. The girls are in the living room now, giggling at something on the tablet. They’re oblivious, and that’s how they’re gonna stay.

In the guest room, I find Sable’s new phone facedown on the bed. I pull up Ebony’s contact and hit call.

She answers on the second ring.

---