Page 76 of Recklessly Yours

She shook her head. “I’ve watched enough true crime to know better.”

“How did this even happen?” Rhett boomed as he stepped into the small catering space.

“It’s my fault,” Savannah said, her voice shaky.

Lips pressed together, I studied her. The crop top and torn jeans, the purple streaks in her hair, and the look of devastation she was wearing. I doubted it was her fault. At the moment, I was shouldering the blame. I should never have agreed to this. Not until we were sure we’d caught the right guy. I really thought we had, but was it possible that Brian had a partner? It wouldn’t be the first time in criminal history where that was the case.

“I convinced Hattie that she would be safe with us tonight and that she didn’t need Dylan.”

Rhett narrowed his eyes at me. “Weren’t there two of you protecting her? I don’t understand…”

I didn’t have time for this. With Rhett still rambling on, I strode for the side door and stepped out into the darkness, pulling out my flashlight.

The light reflected off an object on the ground a few feet away. Behind me, Rhett stepped outside too. Ignoring him, I walked over to the spot where I’d seen the glint.

When my flashlight beam hit it again, I knelt and took a closer look. My heart picked up to a full-on gallop in my chest. Fear and anger swirled inside me as I confirmed that there were silver beads scattered around on the ground.

“Are you listening?” Rhett asked.

I stood and shined my light around the area, searching for anything that might help us. In the grass, about five feet away, a dim light caught my eye.

Rhett followed me as I went to check it out. “Why are you ignoring me?”

I spun on him. “Because I’m trying to do my fucking job.”

He flinched in response to my tone, but I didn’t give a shit. I needed to find Hattie.

“I can’t do this with you right now.” I turned my back on him and knelt near a phone mostly hidden in the grass. With a stick I found nearby, I flipped it over. Her lock screen lit up, and a photo of her holding baby Emma stared back at me through a cracked screen.

“Imagine if it were your sister.”

I whirled on him again. Between the heart-wrenching worry and the knowledge that I had limited time to save my girl, I had no patience. “Imagine if it were Bella, because that’s how I feel right now.” I spat the words through gritted teeth.

“What?” His eyes went wide.

I stepped closer and glared at him. “Yeah, I’m in love with your sister. I need to find her. So let me do my job. Once she’s safe, we can talk.” I brushed past him, heading back to the side entrance.

I couldn’t even be happy about not getting punched.

At my direction, one of the patrol officers roped off the area so it wouldn’t be disturbed. Frankly, I had no time to wait for our tech to dust for fingerprints, but I should get her over here anyway.

After updating Violet, I stepped back into the dining room of the restaurant. Savannah stood by the bar.

“Anyone leave around the time Hattie did?” I asked.

Maybe one of them saw something that could help me figure out what the hell was going on. And I still needed to call Aiden. Had we brought in the wrong guy? Or were there two of them?

“Josh did,” Michael said from his regular spot at the bar. “He left a few minutes before her.”

I studied him, then the guy beside him, noting that the third in their trio wasn’t here. “Josh? Your friend with blond hair?”

Michael nodded. “Said he had to go check on his flowers.”

Heart thumping, I stepped closer. “Flowers?”

“Yeah. He’s obsessed with them.”

Paul turned toward me. “He has a fucking greenhouse in his backyard. It’s crazy.”

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