Page 36 of Rhythm Of Redemption

“She’s probably still mad at me.”

“Well, you won’t know unless you go and talk to her, will you?”

“All right,” Lou conceded, getting to her feet. “It has been a couple of hours; she might have calmed down a bit by now.” She lingered in the doorway, glancing back. “Wish me luck.”

Once Lou had left, Logan rushed upstairs to the bathroom, seeking solace in the comforting embrace of a relaxing shower, hoping to wash away the weight of his worries.

The thud of the bathroom door hitting the wall broke through the soothing rush of his shower. Through the steam-blurred enclosure, Logan could see Lou, her face contorted with raw panic. Swiftly, he switched off the shower, his hand groping blindly for a towel.

“Logan!” Her panicked voice reverberated off the bathroom walls, filling the air with an unsettling tremor. “Dani's … Dani's gone I’ve called her, but she’s not answering.”

“What?” he stammered, his pulse thundering in his ears. “How? When?” Hurriedly, he wrapped a towel around himself, his mind swirling with a mix of confusion and worry, desperately trying to grasp the gravity of the news.

“Are you certain? Perhaps she's in the bathroom or—”

“No, I already checked. And Steve's old scooter’s gone too.”

Logan's brow furrowed with concern as he slipped on a pair of shorts. “Okay, let's stay calm. Let's think. Where could she have gone? What about her friends?”

Lou's head shook with uncertainty. “No, they're still at school.”

Buttoning up his polo shirt, Logan's mind raced, searching for answers amidst the mounting unease.

“What about a boyfriend?” Logan approached the subject delicately.

“No, or at least she's never mentioned anyone,” Lou replied.

“What about that girl she came to the club with?” His voice trailed off as Lou's expression darkened, regret washing over him. “Will she know where Dani is?”

“Sofia? She's also at school,” Lou responded.

“Can you call her?”

Lou hesitated, avoiding his gaze as she spoke. “There might be something else we could try.”

“Okay,” he agreed, sensing she was hiding something.

“I know it was wrong,” she confessed, the words tumbling out. “And I'm not proud of it, but …”

“But?” He looked at her with an inkling of where this was heading. “Did you install an app to track her location?”

“Yes,” Lou admitted, her shoulders slumping as she released a heavy sigh. “I was so worried that night when I couldn't find her, and—”

“Hey,” he interjected, raising his hand to stop her. “You don't have to explain it to me, but Dani might feel differently.”

“You won't tell her, will you?”

“No, but I think you should. However, right now, the most important thing is that we find her.”

“We?” Lou followed him as they descended the stairs and stepped outside into the blazing sun.

He climbed into the driver's seat. “Yes, we. Now, get in.” The car was old, without GPS. “You'll have to direct me.”

Logan's grip tightened on the steering wheel as they raced along the winding roads into town, the scorching afternoon sun beating down upon them. The sultry breeze whipped through the jeep, tousling their hair and filling the vehicle with an air of urgency. Anxiety gnawed at Logan's insides, a sense of foreboding settling upon him.

Suddenly, Lou's eyes widened with a mix of relief and concern as she stared at the screen of the tracking app. “I've found her,” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of emotions. “She's in a neighbourhood not far from here.”

Logan's heart sank as Lou relayed the address. It was a rundown area, shaded by a sense of dilapidation and uncertainty. It wasn't the kind of place Dani should be hanging around. Fear crept up his spine, intertwining with the worry that had already taken hold.

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