Page 50 of Sheriff's City Girl

But something in my gut led me to Jess’s room.

I checked the doorknob, and it was unlocked. Gently, I turned the handle and peeked into the room, expecting to see Jess lying in the bed.

And there was something in the bed.

But it was not Jess.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Emma

“Okay, time for bed,” Lily said with a yawn as she shut off the TV, the credits rolling across the screen. “Or at least for me,” she added, giving Dara’s shoulder a squeeze.

“Oh no way,” Dara replied, following suit with her own yawn. “I’m definitely going to pass out the moment my face hits the pillow.”

“Yeah, me, too,” I added, stretching my arms over my head.

“You can always crash in the spare room,” Lily said to me, giving me a smile. “It’s after midnight, so I don’t blame you if you don’t want to make the long drive home—and by long, I mean fifteen minutes.”

I laughed, gathering my things. “While usually I might take you up on that, I don’t think so tonight. There’s nothing like my own bed.”

“Amen to that,” Dara giggled before bounding up the stairs toward her room. “Night y’all.”

“Goodnight! Love you!” Lily and I both called back, mostly simultaneously. Dara gave us a grin and said she loved us, too, before disappearing.

“She’s a good kid,” I said to Lily as I slung my bag over my shoulder, heading for the counter.

“Yeah, I know,” Lily let out a sigh. “I think I got lucky because she’s a freakishly good kid—and I mean that in the best way.”

I laughed. “I get what you’re saying.”

Lily let out a long yawn. “Yeah, and now I seriously need to get some sleep.”

“Go ahead,” I waved her off. “I can let myself out.”

“Okay,” Lily said, giving me a hug before climbing the stairs herself.

I reached into my bag for my car keys, and then stopped, realizing that I had left my phone on the kitchen counter. I walked to the bar, seeing not only my phone, but also Lily’s. The only difference was…

Hers was ringing.

What the heck?

I picked it up as soon as I saw Mason’s name, and just the sight of it—and the time—sent my heart racing. “Hello?” I answered.

“Emma?” Mason sounded surprised, but also panicked. “Is Lily there?”

“Um, she actually just went to bed, why?” My stomach knotted up as I headed for the stairs, hoping to catch Lily before she made it to the bedroom. Drew had turned in for the night before the movie was over.

“Is Dara there?” he rattled out as I heard the sound of an engine on the other end of the phone—like he had just stomped the gas.

“She is, but she just went to bed. Is there something wrong, Mason?” I asked, peering around the empty, dark hallway at the top of the stairs.

“Yeah, Jess isn’t at home. I caught her trying to sneak off earlier, then we fought, and then I thought everything was fine… But then when I went to check on her before she went to bed, she wasn’t there. Found her window unlocked.”

My heart dropped in my chest, having been that teenager before. “I’m sure she’s fine… She’s just doing what teenagers do…”

“Just find Lily so she can ask Dara where she thinks Jess might be,” he snapped, his tone making me jump. “I get that teenagers do this kind of stupid shit, but I can’t keep her safe if I don’t know where she is.” I couldn’t tell if he was angry or panicked—or maybe a mixture of both. Regardless, I felt terrible for him…

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