Page 71 of Reclaiming Adelaide

Shit. This wasn’t working.

I dropped my laptop back into my bag and rattled the door again, my head swimming as I stood. I didn’t want to die here, not without knowing... Not with Jake believing me to be some piece of shit.

Jerking on the door, I pulled hard, my brain rattling inside my floating head, setting me off balance. I stumbled backward, tripping over my bag and landing on my ass in a near somersault.

Thunk.

A whimper hissed past my lips as my throbbing skull slid down the side of the van. A sharp nail-biting stab stung the back of my head, making my vision circle around like a merry-go-round.

I groaned as stars sparkled across my vision. I put my hand to the back of my head and winced when it slid through the slick warmth. Pulling away from the sensation, I jerked my hand away. Bright crimson covered my fingertips in a silky-smooth blanket of life.

That’s not good.

21

“Therearethreemajorwrecking yards that are near here. Another one is further up north. But I doubt she went there,” Luca said as he zoomed out of the city on his tablet.

“I would’ve gone here,” Charity said, pointing to the one closest to the cemetery. “You don’t have to go far, and it’s the largest of the four.”

My heart constricted. There was too much land to cover and very little time to find her before she died.

“Let’s go. She was on foot,” I said, pointing to the area Charity suggested. “She couldn’t have gotten far since she didn’t have money.” That’s probably why she slept in a junkyard rather than a hotel.

“I thought you said she didn’t have a phone?” Max asked.

“She’s resourceful. Maybe she stole it.”

How was I supposed to know?

I spun on my heel and walked out to Luca’s grand foyer with them following behind.

“Vito, take Max and go to the wreck yard on Coronado,” Luca said. Vito nodded as we walked out the front door. “I’ll take Nico to the one on Harrington.”

“Charity and I will head to this one on Belvedere,” I said, opening my car door and sliding inside before Charity could walk around the front. “Keep the lines open, and let me know if you hear anything.”

I fired up my vehicle as Charity got inside and buckled, slamming it into Drive before she settled.

“Chill, Rambo.”

“Rambo? Does it look like I’m fighting someone?”

“Rambo sounded better than Bob, so I went with it.” She shrugged and paused. “We’ll find her, don’t worry.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“You’re afraid we won’t make it in time?”

“A vehicle in this weather can easily climb upwards to one-hundred and thirty degrees. We could be too late.”

“We’ll find her.” Charity dug her phone out of her pocket, punched something in, and then put it to her ear.

Of all the years I’d known Charity, back when she dated Alek and after, I’d never known her to exude sympathy. She was better at it than Tonk was, no matter how much he tried to work it out of her. So her uncharacteristic behavior had me shaken. Maybe her brother’s death did something to her?

“Give me Dennis,” she said.

I watched the road, glancing back at her as she waited for the man to pick up the phone.

“It’s Charity. Grab a group of people and search for a white panel van with a shattered window. There’s a girl inside.” She tapped her finger against her thigh. “Dennis, do I look like a girl who wants the police involved?” She rolled her eyes and pointed to her phone. “Do you think you can do that, Dennis? Good. I’ll be there in forty minutes. Call me when you find her.” Charity’s finger tapped away on her thigh. “Didn’t I say no police? Well, if she’s dead, she wouldn’t need an ambulance, would she?”

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