Page 71 of Dust and Desire
Ali’s cheeks flushed pink. “I’m tougher than I look.”
“That you are,” Caroline agreed, her eyes lingering on Ali in a way that made me feel like I was intruding on something private. She finally turned to me. “You lookin’ for your cowboy? He left early today.”
My heart skipped a beat. “He did? When?”
Caroline shrugged, sliding into the booth next to Ali, who immediately scooted over to make room. “Dunno exactly. Logan mentioned he’d asked to knock off around lunchtime. Said he had somethin’ important to take care of.”
“Did he say what?” I asked, trying to keep the worry from my voice.
“Nope.” Caroline flagged down Dolly and ordered a coffee before turning back to me. “You tried callin’ him?”
“Texting,” I admitted. “I’ll try calling now.”
I stepped outside the diner, the evening air warm against my skin as I pressed the phone to my ear. It rang once, twice, three times before going to voicemail. Alex’s voice, warm and familiar, asking me to leave a message.
“Hey, it’s me,” I said after the beep, trying to sound casual despite the worry gnawing at my stomach. “I’m at Dolly’s with Ali and Caroline just showed up. Caroline said you left early today. Just wondering where you are. Call me when you get this, okay? Love you.”
I hung up, staring at the phone as if I could will it to ring. The street was quiet for a Thursday evening, just a few locals milling about, heading home after work or grabbing dinner. No sign of Alex’s blue truck anywhere.
Something wasn’t right. I could feel it in my bones. Alex never went this long without responding, especially when we had plans. And he certainly wouldn’t have left work early without telling me why.
I walked back into the diner, sliding into the booth where Caroline and Ali were laughing about something. They both fell silent when they saw my face.
“Voicemail?” Ali asked gently.
I nodded, running a hand through my hair. “Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”
Caroline’s expression turned serious. “What makes you say that? Maybe his phone died.”
“No,” I shook my head firmly. “He’s been acting strange all week. Ever since...” I paused, thinking back. “Ever since we had dinner here with Ali last night, it’s been worse. He was distracted while we were here, kept looking out the window like he was watching for something. And he practically dragged me out of here before we even finishedeating.”
“Did something happen last night?” Ali asked, her lawyer’s mind clearly piecing things together.
I thought back to our evening, how tense Alex had been, how he’d positioned himself between me and the window, how his eyes had kept darting to the street outside.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But he’s been off for a while now. Like he’s hiding something. And now he’s just... gone.”
Caroline’s brow furrowed. “That ain’t like him.”
“Exactly,” I said, the knot in my stomach tightening. “Which is why I’m worried.”
Ali leaned forward, her expression shifting into the focused intensity I remembered from her lawyer days. “Dustin, think carefully. Has Alex mentioned anything about his past? Anyone who might be looking for him?”
I opened my mouth to say no, then stopped. There had been things. Little comments here and there that I’d brushed off as Alex being mysterious about his wandering lifestyle.
“He mentioned once that he never stays anywhere long because he doesn’t usually have a reason to,” I said slowly. “And when we first met, he seemed... I don’t know, like he was running from something. But I figured I was just making it up.”
Caroline’s jaw tightened. “Shit.”
“What?” Ali and I asked in unison.
“His apartment got broken into a few weeks back,” Caroline said, her voice grim. “Nothing but a journal was taken, but the place was tossed. And Sheriff Marcus increased patrols around the ranch after that. I thought it was just random vandalism, but now...”
My blood ran cold. “You think someone’s been following him?”
“I think we need to find him,” Caroline said, standing abruptly. “Y’all finish up here. I’m gonna go check his apartment, see if he went back there for some reason.”
“I’m coming with you,” I said, already reaching for my wallet.
