Page 34 of Into the Night

Head down and shoulders hunched, Henry disappears out the door and leaves us to give out instructions. One team volunteers to search along the riverbanks, and another, to the hot springs, somewhere that might have been a good hiding spot on a cold, stormy night.

As we go through the motions of creating teams, handing out maps and radios, and setting out the search grids, my sense of impending doom deepens.

Finding Kali in any of these places doesn’t seem likely to me. Those are all fine if we’re looking for spots that Kali might have hidden in if she’d wandered off, injured and confused, but not somewhere a kidnapper would stash his victim. And with the bad weather and the extent of Kali’s injuries, if she’s found in any of these places, they’ll be finding a dead body. Exposure would have gotten her, or she'd have bled to death.

This feels more like we’re trying to find a body than a missing person.

As the small group collects their packs, I pray that none of them find her out on the mountain.

“Jack, this isn’t going to work. She’s not some lost hiker, someone took her.” Desperation rises inside me. Maybe it’s because they know she has a beast and isn’t as fragile as your average, but nobody seems to be worried enough for my liking. Inside, I’m panicking, and nothing about this search and rescue operation is reassuring me.

“You’re looking in the wrong places.” My voice is getting louder as I despair about how little I know of Kali. Friends? Ex boyfriends? Favourite hang outs? I know nothing that could help us.

Jack tugs me over to the side, waving everyone out the door, and then waits until the chatter from the departing groups fades into the distance.

“You’re right. But Griffin, nobody here knows anything about Kali. She just moved here. Ben is the only person who can fill in those blanks with Evan locked up, and he’s working with the police on their investigation.” Jack scans the room. Two coordinators and one officer are the only people left in the building. “Don’t forget, these people are here to search, not to go on a dangerous man hunt. The police are working that angle and will do everything they can. But this is all we can do. We might find a clue out there, or a piece of evidence that will help them locate her. Focus on that.”

Gritting my teeth, frustration builds inside me. He’s not wrong, but I can’t spend the day traipsing around the forest knowing full-well she’s not out there. It’s a waste of time. Whoever has her would have taken her far away from Sutton by now, unless they want to get caught.

“Fine.” I grumble, closing my eyes and forcing myself to breathe and calm down.

Jack watches me warily as I shake off the overwhelming feeling of uselessness.

I follow him outside, watching the search parties split up and head in all directions. “But you tell me if they find anything. I need to know, even if it’s bad.”

Reluctantly, he agrees, knowing that trying to keep me out of the loop won’t work anyway. I can’t rest until I know where she is, and that she’s okay. Even if she still doesn’t want me anywhere near her.

“Don’t do anything reckless, Griffin. If he wanted to kill her, he’d have done it at the cabin. But if you force his hand, this could end badly. Let the police handle it.”

We stare at each other, him knowing full well that I have no intention of doing what he says.

With a resigned sigh, he turns and heads for his truck, waving over his shoulder and climbing behind the wheel. As he pulls out, he rolls down the window.

“At least take a radio with you if you’re determined to go find trouble.”

19

KALI

Iwake and take a sip of icy water from a cool glass that’s pressed to my lips. I’m parched. Every tiny movement hurts, even swallowing, but my throat is dry and scratchy, and my head is pounding.

Something hard rests against my lips, and a deep, masculine growl tells me he expects me to eat.

Tentatively nibbling on a bar that smells like nuts but tastes like chalk, I grumble, turning my head and pushing it away, despite my stomach feeling empty, and my limbs heavy.

Sighing, the man sits back, but I can still feel the weight of his stare. Then I feel liquid dribble over my cracked lips and the soft brush of his thumb as he holds my chin steady.

I lap up a few drops, but swallowing is painful, so I close my lips and keep them firmly shut.

Despite trying as hard as I can, I can’t open my eyes. I’m vaguely aware of hands sweeping gently over my skin, spreading a cool balm over me and calming my ragged nervous system. Eventually, I give up fighting exhaustion, my mind melting back into the darkness, and my body going slack. I need to rest.

Maybe tomorrow.

20

GRIFFIN

Swallowing down big gulps of air, I drive the winding, twisty road to Kali’s rented cabin.

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