Page 112 of Break

He fuckinggroansas he picks himself up and follows me inside. I make quick work of filling his food bowl and changing out the water for him. Once he’s settled, inhaling his meal, I head back outside.

The first place I want to go is back to Vincent’s truck. Surveying the area, I glare at the shattered glass littered through the grass.What a fucking mess.

I walk over to the area where Danny would have had to stand to throw the brick and notice a divot in the grass from his foot. Glancing around, the only thing I can think of is that he had to run around the opposite side of the garage after he was finished.

There’s only one window on that side of the garage, facing the woods, and it’s not in the same space as Max’s wood shop. There’s no way we could see him from the house, either.

Following the path around, I don’t see any more signs of him. We haven’t had any rain for about a week, so the ground is dry, not conducive to leaving footprints. Slamming my fist on the wall of the garage, I stare out into the woods, but nothing seems out of place. He must be sneaking through the woods from this direction and then leaving the same way.

It bothers the fuck out of me that he watched Mina out here, watching a movie with Vince.How long did he watch her for? How much did he see?

Shoving my hand through my hair, I head back inside. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, and pull it out to read Max’s text.

Max: We probably should have sent Mina home with you. We’ve got a few more things for her to go over, then Harrow is going to drive her home. I’m sure you want to come back, but just stay there.

Me: I can come get her.

Max: Harrow has to come out anyway to look around the property. Text me when she gets home.

Me: Alright.

I spend the next couple of hours checking in with Breaking Barrier employees, getting updates on all the cases we’re handling from them. It’s only to distract myself from where I actually want to be. Leaving Mina in the room was torture, and as each minute passes by, I get more and more eager to see her.

Checking the clock for the hundredth time, my thoughts start to lean toward saying fuck it and going to get her myself.

I jolt when my phone rings, dislodging Walter’s head where he’s got it laid across my foot. Swiping to answer the call, I mutter an apology to him. “Sorry, buddy.”

Holding the phone to my ear, I answer. “Riley.”

“Hey, man. I had to step out of there for a few minutes and wanted to check in. We are literally going in circles,” Vincent complains.

Grunting a laugh, I settle the phone between my ear and shoulder to free up my hand. Thumbing through the next paper I’m reading, I ask, “How’s it going? How’s Mina holding up?”

Vincent pauses, then asks, confused, “What do you mean? That’s why I was calling you. She was exhausted when she left. Max and I were worried about her.”

Setting the paper down, I flick my eyes up to the clock again. “What time did she leave?”

“Dude, she left almost two hours ago. Don’t fuck with me right now. It’s been a nightmare here.”

Bolting to my feet, I begin to move through the house, still holding the phone to my ear. I call out for her. “MINA? You here, darlin’?” I don’t hear anything, and my heart starts to beat harder as I jog outside to check for cars. “MINA!” I shout.

“Goddamnit, Ethan. She’s not there?” Vincent’s voice comes through panicked, and I shake my head. He can’t see me, but my tongue is stuck, unable to get any words out.

“ETHAN. Tell me she’s fucking there with you!” he shouts at me.

“She’s not here,” I choke out, squeezing my eyes shut.

I drop my hand, holding the phone to my side, and grip it so hard I hear it crack from the force. His voice is shouting under my palm, but I don’t hear what he’s saying.

Spinning on my heel, I run back inside to grab my keys. Jerking the phone back to my ear, I hear the end of Vincent’s rant.

“…Harrow. Get him on the goddamn phone. She’s been gone for two hours already.” He must be letting everyone else know what’s going on, so I wait until he pauses before interjecting.

“I’m on my way. Harrow was supposed to bring her here, right?”

“Yes! Cooper is calling him now,” he hisses.

“I’ll watch for them on my way to you. Hopefully, they just broke down or something. I’ll call if I see anything.”

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