Page 32 of Sins of Autumn

“Alright,” I said, taking a steadying breath. “We need to search the entire house. If the phones are still here, we’ll find them. If not, at least we’ll know for sure someone came inside.”

Cherish nodded, moving closer to me. “We’ll stick together. I’m not letting you wander off alone.”

“Same here,” Ryan added. “Gabe and I can take the first floor.”

“Daniella, Liza, and I will check the basement,” Naija said, her tone clipped. “Let’s grab anything that can double as a weapon while we’re at it. Just in case.”

“We’ll start upstairs,” I said, glancing at Cherish. As we headed toward the stairs, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

“They’re gone,” Ryan announced, his voice grim as we all returned to the foyer. “All of them. The landline too.”

“Fantastic,” Liza muttered, crossing her arms. “So what do we do now? Wait for whoever this is to knock again?”

“No,” Daniella objected. “We grab our shit and leave. We’re sitting ducks here without any way to call for help.”

“That’s not an option.” My voice was firmer than I expected it to be. “My dog is still out there with some psycho. I’m not leaving without him.”

“Autumn.” Naija turned to me, her tone gentle but unyielding. “You’ll be no good to him dead.”

Cherish groaned, raking a hand through her hair. “We’re jumping straight to someone trying to murder us now? That’s where we’re at?”

“What else would you call someone taking all our phones so we can’t call for help?”

Cherish’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Okay. We’re leaving now.” She turned to me next. “I know you don’t want to leave without Moose, but if we’re going to find him, we need to get somewhere safe first. We’re not going to be able to do this from here, Autumn.”

Every instinct screamed to stay, to tear through the woods until I found him, but I knew she was right.

I’d be no good to him like this and I refused to believe he’d been harmed. I couldn’t let myself go there. “Let’s get the fuck out of here then.”

Jason stood taller. “Everyone grab your stuff and meet back here. We should walk out together.”

Our group dispersed, adrenaline pushing away any lingering hangovers. Cherish stuck by my side as we headed for our room, her hand gripping my arm.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

I barely got my zipper unstuck when Liza’s sharp voice rang out from the living room. I abandoned my suitcase and rushed to find her standing by the couch, her face paler than usual, her purse dumped open in front of her.

“My keys are gone.”

“Shit,” Cherish rasped. She crouched down, ripping open her own bag open and shaking its contents onto the floor. Makeup, receipts, and random knickknacks scattered across the rug. Her hands sifted through the mess, her movements growing more frantic. “Fuck! My fobs gone too!”

Gabe ran a hand down his face, his expression grim. “How could someone come in here and do this bullshit right under our noses?”

Daniella let out a harsh laugh, though there was nothing funny about it.

“We were drunk off our asses, and then we all passed out cold. If someone wanted to pull this shit, it wouldn’t have been hard.”

"How... how did someone get in, to begin with though?" I asked. "I’ve only seen the two doors, and Iknowthey were locked."

“The person who owns this house?” Liza suggested hesitantly. “They would have a key.”

Cherish’s brow furrowed. “So the homeowner is fucking with us?”

Daniella scoffed. “I’m almost positive this place belongs to an older couple, based on the bio.”

Gabe ran his hands over his face. “I think the who is the least of our problems right now. If we can’t drive out of here, and we can’t call anyone, then what the hell do we do?”

“There’s got to be a way to get to town. We stick together, and we figure it out,” Ryan stressed.

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