Page 119 of Scent of Home

“You tagged him on social media?” I ask faintly.

“Yes.”

“Did anyone answer you?”

“Oh, yeah, lots of people,” Jess says, basically vomiting the words out to me.

“His managers? His-”

“No, not his manager,” Jess says quickly in horror. “His band mates reached out and talked to me for a while about what Twin Rivers is like. They are really nice.”

I whip my head around, and my gaze collides with Shane’s.

“You said a woman left the note?” Shane asks Eustice.

I hadn’t heard that, but then a strange roaring had started in my ears as soon as I’d heard Locke was missing.

“Yes, a woman came in and left a note,” Eustice says from the side of the crowd. “She said Bray gave it to her, and he was talking to her. I watched them out the window. The little blond woman, she’s got hair down to her ass.”

Bray frowns, and then his expression clears. “A woman asked for directions. She had a map.”

“She’s here,” I breathe, I’m equal parts fear and rage.

“She doesn’t look like her. Delilah has black hair,” Bray points out.

I pull out my phone and bring up an image of Paige from the band. “Is this the woman?”

Eustice glances at my phone and nods. “Yes! That’s her, though she looks really different now. Her hair is, like, white blond and chopped short, not long and brown like it is in the photo, and she had blue eyes when I saw her..”

Bray stares at the image, his face draining of blood. He swallows hard, his hand shaking as he reaches for the phone. “Fucking bitch. I wasn’t looking for the others, I was looking for her. I fucked up!”

Shane clenches his hands. “I’m going out there.”

I glance at the windows. The wind has picked up, and the night is dark. He could be anywhere. The nights are still bitterly cold. He could be anywhere. I lift my fingers to the bond on my neck.

“I’m coming with you,” I say to Shane firmly.

“No, we need to separate,” Finn says and pulls on his jacket. “Normally, I would never say that, but we don’t have time.”

Bray pulls open the door. “Let’s go.”

He glances back at me. There’s so much said in that one look. A lifetime of words in one glance.

“You guys are my whole world. I’m not going to lose him,” Bray says, and then he takes off into the night.

“Wait!” Alma cries.

I turn back and find the townspeople anxiously watching us.

“We’ll organise a town rescue. We’ll help!”

I glance at Finn. “I don’t know what that is.”

“They’ll bring blankets, heaters, and set up grids. People will be out to help us search until he’s found.”

I nod, and the hate that has a hold of me lessens.

“Sounds good.” I walk to the front door and look back, unconsciously imitating Bray. “Find him and keep him safe, no matter what.”

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