Page 127 of Echoes of You

“Did you hear another voice?” I demanded.

“N-no. I don’t think so. I’m almost to her house. Like five minutes out. I called 9-1-1. I’m so sorry, Nash. I don’t know who it was.”

I ran over a million things in my mind. I’d locked the front door. But Maddie had been in the backyard with Clyde. Anyone could’ve gotten to her.

My foot pressed down on the accelerator. “How long ago?”

“I don’t know. Maybe ten minutes? I was on the phone with dispatch for a while.”

Precious moments lost. “I have to go, G.”

“O-okay.”

“Gigi, pull over and have someone pick you up. You shouldn’t be driving,” Caden commanded.

I could practically hear the pissed-off in Grae’s voice. “I’m getting to my friend. I’m not an idiot, Caden. I can drive my car.”

“Not if you’re upset. And you don’t know what’s at the cabin. You—”

“Enough!” I barked. “Grae, wait on the main road until we give you the all-clear. And drive safely.”

I hit disconnect before either she or Caden could get into it again.

“There’s an explanation,” Caden said evenly. “She could’ve seen a spider and dropped her phone. Maybe it broke, and she couldn’t call Grae back.”

God, I wanted that to be the case. Because if it wasn’t, I’d never be able to live with myself.

I turned onto the gravel lane that led to the cabin, my tires spitting rocks. Three police department vehicles were parked outside, lights still flashing. I cut the engine and jumped out.

Lawson appeared on the porch, quickly striding toward me.

“Where’s Maddie? Is she okay?”

Grief flashed across Lawson’s expression quicker than he could hide it. “I’m sorry, Nash. We don’t know where she is. Maddie’s gone.”

43

MADDIE

A muffledvoice pulled at me. Some part of me recognized that the tone was angry. I had a radar for rage and could pick it up before it fully turned to the point of no return.

My eyelids fluttered. Each tiny movement brought a burst of light. Snapshots filled my mind, but none of them made sense.

I was in a car. No, an SUV. One with a black interior and tinted windows. But I could see through the windshield, and there was nothing but forest. The trees swam in wavy lines as I tried to focus.

The vehicle itself wasn’t familiar. My brows pulled together as I tried to sit up. I didn’t make it. Pressure tightened around my wrists and ankles with the attempted movement.

I looked down and stilled. My hands and legs were bound with zip ties. I stared at the little pieces of plastic as if that would somehow help the scene make sense.

Panic built in ragged waves as I searched my memory. Flashes of images appeared: the conversation with Nash, him leaving, my phone call with Grae.

My heart seized as I remembered someone grabbing me from behind.

My hands shifted to my side as I felt for the place where I’d been jabbed. My fingers caught on a tender spot. I hadn’t just imagined it. Someone had drugged me.

Curses sounded from outside the vehicle. My body knew the voice before my brain registered it. It had become so accustomed to guarding against the owner of it and preparing for the infliction of his rage that it was extra attuned.

The door to the back seat flew open, and I skittered back. With my hands and feet bound, the movement was awkward at best, but I still managed to create space between me and the man in the opening—the one whose features I’d once seen as kind and gentle. The man I’d thought would be my future.

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