Page 137 of Finding Fate

“Did Annie call you?”

Tucker stopped on the stairs, startled by his father’s voice. “Yeah?” Since when was his dad psychic about this stuff? That was usually his mother’s department.

“Well, come on. We need to get going,” Chuck urged from the door.

“You’re going, too?”

“Yes. Now hurry up.”

Tucker rushed down the stairs and put on his jacket his father passed to him. He tried to hide his confusion.

“Grab your keys, boy.”

Tucker did as he was told but gave his father a funny look when he grabbed blankets and flashlights from the hall closet. “What’s going on?”

Chuck passed one of each to Tucker and threw the door open, letting the chilling air flood the entry to the house. “Your fiancé is missing.”

“What?!” He could not have heard that correctly. “What do you mean Izzy’s missing?”

“She was gone when Annie and Bridgette got home. She took the truck and left the door to the house wide open but didn’t take anything with her. Not even a jacket. Bridgette said there’s more. We need to get over there.”

That was all his father had to say. Tucker was at his truck seconds later, throwing the blanket and flashlight on the seat before sprinting across the street to the Dearlys’.

Bridgette held the door open for him before he’d even had time to knock and pointed him up the stairs. Jet and Stefano were already waiting up in the girls’ room when he got there, and Annie was up and in his face before he could say or do anything.

“This is all your fault!” she screamed, throwing an arm out toward him in exasperation.

“I know,” he said quietly, his voice breaking. He didn’t know why it did. Annie’s words just assured what he already knew.

“No, you don’t know! You don’t have any idea what you’ve done!” she screamed.

Jet came and pulled Annie back gently. “Calm down, sweetheart. We’ll find her. It’ll be fine.”

“No, it won’t, Jet,” she cried. Desperation was thick in her voice. “He’s destroying her.”

“That’s enough, Annie,” Chuck said from the doorway.

“Stop it, young lady,” Bridgette scolded.

Tucker hadn’t even heard them come up, but it didn’t matter. “No. She’s right,” he said to the group but then spoke directly to Annie. “I know I’ve destroyed her. I hate myself for it, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. The damage is done.”

“I swear, sometimes you can be so dense, Tucker,” she said with disdain.

Sarcasm flowed heavily through Tucker’s response. “Well, I’m so sorry we can’t all be brilliant like you, Annabel.”

“I wish you could be! Then maybe you wouldn’t be screwing up everything with my sister so badly!”

Tucker locked the fingers of both hands behind his neck in aggravation. “Screwing up? Screwing up?! It’s already screwed up! Our baby’s dead! I killed her!”

“You can’t think that way, son,” Chuck said and moved to put a hand on his son’s shoulder, but Tucker jerked away.

“But it’s true!” he snapped. “And Izzy knows it.”

“No!” Annie snapped back. “Izzy does not blame you! She wouldn’t cry for you in her sleep if she did.”

“What?”

“You know what gets me, Tucker? I stepped aside for you. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me? Destiny bonded you two in a way no one else can touch. That’s what she needs more than anything right now, and you’re ignoring it and throwing it away! You’re letting my sister die inside because you’re too stubborn to be here for her!”

---