Page 80 of Corrupting Ivy

All of Ivy’s breakfast favorites lay at my feet, spilling out onto the floor. I paused, spun around, and inspected the loft in front of me.

My stomach clenched.

There was something wrong, and I’d ignored the feeling. If Jake hadn’t reminded me of the phone… Would I have noticed? Had I become so blind to the things around me? The only thing out of place was the food on the floor, which was difficult to see in the dim light. There wasn’t any broken or overturned furniture. Everything was as it should be.

Anger swelled up inside of me, causing pressure to ring in my ears. Was it her stalker? Did he succeed? Was it because he knew I wasn’t there that he finally made the move? It was the only logical conclusion. It was the only one I could bring myself to accept.

Who else would be so brazen to take her in broad daylight? In her apartment, where a diner full of people could have seen him?

I tossed the phone on the counter, then stormed out of her apartment and slammed my truck door closed.

“It was just a joke—”

“Someone took her.”

I gripped the steering wheel so hard I could feel it strain under my hands.

“What? By who?”

“Some psychopath.”

Jake cleared his throat. And I knew what he was going to say before he said it.

“You’re a psychopath.”

I tossed him a glare.

“Fine. What are the odds that this town breeds them like the plague?”

“You’d be surprised what happens in small towns such as this.”

Where do I begin? Did Jeremiah, her brother-in-law, find her?

I jumped out of the truck. Walter, he’d know the last time she was in.

“Spence Randall, you can’t come back here,” Barbara said as I walked around the counter towards Walter.

Everyone knows everyone. Everyone knows everyone's business. If I were to sit her down, she could tell me the gossip for the last two years and never even bat an eye. So when she called my name, it didn’t surprise me; she remembered it.

I ignored her, stalking towards Walter with a mission.

“Walter.”

He glanced up at me while he flipped a burger. “If you want a custom order, do it from the dining room.”

“When was the last time you saw Ivy?”

He scoffed. “That’s not something that will be on the menu. You’ll have to go elsewhere to get it.”

I came in close to him, invading his space, and ripped the spatula from his hands. “Listen, old man, I’m not here to play games. She’s missing, and you had to be the last one to see her. So when was it?”

His eyes widened with fear. And if I hadn’t been so consumed with mine, I would have devoured it like a three-course meal. But I needed to focus. If what I thought happened to her, then her clock was ticking, and she could be anywhere.

“What do you mean she’s missing?”

“I mean, she’s gone… taken.”

Walter averted his gaze, his eyes darting back and forth as he drew information from the depths of his mind.