Page 29 of Sins of Autumn

A few agonizing minutes later, Ryan emerged, now dressed in jeans and a hoodie, tugging his boots on as he walked. Gabe trailed after him, looking like death warmed over, his hair sticking up in odd directions and his eyes bloodshot, but his expression was sweetly determined.

“He told me Moose got out,” he explained, his voice low and slightly raspy. “I’ll help. Not sure what asshole left the door wide open. I wrote a note for the others in case we’re gone long.” He held up a notepad.

“That’s smart. Thank you. Thank you both.”

We stepped outside, the morning air sharp and cool against my skin. Gabe gestured toward an already-made clearing that seemed to lead into the woods. I hadn’t noticed it at all the night before. “Let’s try this path first. If he wandered off, he might’ve followed it.”

I nodded, and the three of us headed for the trail, calling out for Moose as we went. My voice cracked as I yelled his name. I had to fight the overwhelming urge to cry, swallowing to keep it at bay.

“We’ll find him,” Gabe reassured me, his tone confident despite his hungover state.

Ryan chimed in, even calmer but just as resolute. “I don’t think he’ll have gone far. He’s pretty well trained and basically glued to your side, right?”

“Yeah.” My voice wavered. I wanted to believe them, I really did, but something about the open door and the silence of the woods wasn’t making me feel very positive.

We continued walking, calling for Moose every few feet. Every rustle of leaves or distant sound had me spinning around, hoping it was him.

“Wait.” I stopped abruptly when something caught my eye. Ryan and Gabe turned to look at me. I took a step closer to a low-hanging branch off the path, where Moose’s leather collar was tied with a red string.

CHAPTER TEN

My heart raced, and my vision tunneled on the collar swaying gently from the branch. A person clearly had to have done this. I stepped toward the tree, my breathing sharp and shallow.

Gabe caught my arm, his grip firm yet gentle. “Autumn, wait,” he said quietly.

“Move,” I snapped, glaring at him. My entire body was thrumming with rage and adrenaline.

“Let me grab it,” Ryan volunteered. He stepped around us and grabbed for the collar. As his fingers closed around it and he undid the string, I noticed the way his shoulders stiffened, a subtle but unmistakable tension rolling through him.

“What is it?”

When he didn’t answer right away, I struggled against Gabe, breaking free from his grip with a sharp yank.

“Autumn,--,” Gabe started, but I was already moving.

Ryan turned reluctantly, his face taut and unreadable as he held the collar up for me to see. Inside, written in thick, black marker, was a note.“Can I come in now?”

“What the fuck?” Gabe rasped, taking the collar from Ryan and examining it, his expression darkening with every second.

Ryan’s jaw was clenched tight, his eyes scanning the surrounding woods, every muscle in his body coiled like a spring. “We need to get back to the house. Now.”

I shook my head as I looked between them. If someone did something to my dog, I would be going to jail. I’d smile in my goddamn mugshot. I’d plead guilty as fuck because I would get it all back in blood. Every single ounce. That must have reflected on my face. Ryan stepped closer to me, cautiously.

“Hey, we’ll figure it out, but right now, we have to move.

My eyes darted back to the empty woods, the stillness now feeling more ominous than peaceful. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to nod, my hand trembling as I reached for Moose’s collar.

“No,” Ryan objected gently, pulling it back. “I’ll hold onto this for now. Let’s go.”

Gabe placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, gently steering me toward the clearing as Ryan led the way. My legs felt like lead, my mind racing with a thousand questions that had no answers. Who lured him out of the house? What were they doing to him?

We made our way back through the woods, the crunch of leaves and twigs the only sound cutting through the eerie silence. To our left, something moved. The sound of snapping branches broke through the stillness, sharp and deliberate. That wasn’t the damn wind.

Gabe’s eyes widened, his voice dropping to a hushed whisper. “What the fuck was that?”

My breath caught, my pulse hammering in my ears. I turned my head just enough to meet Ryan’s gaze. His posture was rigid, ready.

“Fuck this,” I hissed, my voice trembling with both anger and fear, I grabbed them both by their sleeves. “Go.”

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