Page 46 of Operation: Discovery

As much as he didn’t want to waste time, Brendon didn’t want to miss anything important, either. If she’d been knocked out and was lying on the ground, they wouldn’t see her from the road. “Let’s drive through just to check, then keep going.”

Connor drove slowly down the gravel road that ran along one side of the graveyard, along the back, then up to the street again on the opposite side. He didn’t even see a squirrel move.

“Where could she be?” Brendon mumbled.

“We’ve only just begun. Let’s head down this way and see if we find anything.”

Though they’d only been looking for a while, he was already tired of seeing nothing. He wanted a glimpse. A clue. Something that would tell him which way to go. God wouldn’t have brought her into his life just to take her out of it, right?God, give us a sign …

Brendon looked between each house as they drove by, realizing that if she was hiding in the backyard of any one of them, he’d never see her. So many yards had fences, and he’d never know. There were no cars driving around on the pristine streets, making it easier for Connor to drive slowly.

“You see anything?” Brendon asked as they turned onto a street at the end of town to work their way back toward the cemetery.

“Nothing.”

The longer they drove, the closer the sun dipped to the horizon. Dee had been gone for two hours now and there literally hadn’t been a sign of her. He wasn’t sure what he expected to find as a clue, but he’d expected to find her quickly. Doubts crept into his thoughts.

What if she was gone?

“We’re not going to find her with all these houses. Let’s skip the rest and move to the business side of town.” He glanced at Connor for agreement.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you angry with me later that we didn’t turn over every rock.”

He was already starting to blame himself for not getting out of the truck, instead choosing to stay there where they could move quickly. If he had to get in and out of the truck often, he’d wear out more quickly and be of no help. Just like people who walked all day got tired, he got tired on strenuous days, too.

“I’m not holding anything against you. This isn’t about you at all,” he barked and immediately regretted it. “Sorry. I’m just worried.”

“No need to be sorry. If Lacy was missing, I’d probably kill to find her. I certainly wouldn’t hold my tongue in check.”

“I thought you weren’t going to do a second chance mission with Lacy?” He took a chance and glanced at his longtime friend.

“I’m not. I’ve told you that she’ll leave if I ever try to bring back that part of our relationship again. I don’t want her to leave, so I keep everything friendly. Nothing more. If she left, I’d be half the man I am.”

Just like he suddenly felt like half a man without Dee. He had to find her and tell her the truth. He had to make sure she understood that he was sorry for crossing the line. If she didn’t want anything from him, then he’d keep their relationship to just friends as well.

But he sure hoped for more. And he hoped to find her safe and sound.

A strange urging prodded him to look down Aspen Street. He pointed to it as the turn approached. “Try there.”

“But … there’s nothing down there. It’s an abandoned apartment building that takes the whole street.”

“I know, but I think we need to look there.”

Connor nodded as he flipped on the turn signal. “Then look there, we will.”

ChapterNineteen

“I’m fine.” Dee took two steps back from the man, holding her arms out so she could run at the first sign of an attack. There was no way to know if this guy was working with that woman or if he just happened to be walking down the street at the moment she’d almost been run over.

“Okay.” He held up his hands. “Do you want me to call the police or an ambulance, maybe a friend to come pick you up? You don’t look so good.” He dipped his chin and glanced at her lower half.

Dee told herself not to be distracted. She shouldn’t take her eyes off of him for a moment, but what made her look ‘not so good’?

“You’re bleeding. Your eyes are wide and scared. I’m not going to hurt you. Do you have a phone to call someone?” He stayed back a few paces, speaking slowly and clearly. His willingness to let anyone around them know what he was doing allowed her to let down her guard a little.

A siren wailed in the distance, then sped off, bringing her out of her stupor. “I lent my phone to a friend.”

“Okay. I’m reaching for my phone. Don’t freak out.” He slowly went for his back pocket and took it out. She stayed in place, mired there, worried about the woman coming back to finish what she’d started, giving her a reason to stay with this guy, even if he was a stranger.

---