Page 5 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

“I’m sorry, but at this time, there’s not anything I can do to help. I’m sure it’s just a big misunderstanding.”

Disgust swirled in her stomach as Elsie disconnected. No way this was a damn misunderstanding. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones, and she wouldn’t sit around and wait to do something to help her best friend. If the police couldn’t help her, she’d call someone who could.

Scrolling to Dean’s information, she pressed his number and held her breath.

“Elsie? Is everything all right?” Grogginess coated his words, but nothing could hide his concern.

“Something’s wrong. Mila hasn’t come home. I need your help.”

Darkness swallowedthe world outside Dean’s truck as he sped toward Elsie’s house in Pine Valley. He cut the time in half, his racing heart keeping his foot pressed on the gas pedal. By the time he reached the house tucked in a quiet neighborhood, he’d spoken with everyone he could think of and still had no idea where Mila was.

Not the news he’d hoped to deliver to Elsie.

Turning into the driveway, his headlights bounced off the front picture window and highlighted Elsie’s slender form. Hisentire body hummed with a need to gather her in his arms and comfort her. Tell her everything would be all right and he’d do whatever he could to find Mila.

As soon as he cut the engine, he jumped out of the truck and jogged up the sidewalk. The front door flung open before he reached the top step of the porch.

Elsie stood in the doorway with her arms wrapped around her middle and fear in her eyes. Tears fell down her cheeks. “Did you find her?”

The hope in her voice tightened his throat. “Not yet.”

Closing her eyes, she inhaled a deep breath and her body trembled.

“Hey, now.” He stepped forward, guiding her into the house, and closed the door behind him. “We’ll find her. I’m sure there’s a perfectly logical explanation for why she hasn’t called or come home.”

Elsie melted against him and sniffled, her tears soaking through his long-sleeved t-shirt. “What do I tell Jimmy if she’s not home by the time he wakes up?”

Dean rested a hand against her spine and moved his palm in a small circle. “We’ll figure that out when the time comes, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

She pulled back and stared up at him with wide eyes. “We?”

He lifted the side of his mouth. “I’ll stay here with you as long as you want. No one should be alone when they’re scared and worried about someone they love.”

“Thank you,” she said falling against him again.

His arms went back around her, and he breathed her in. A combination of citrus and earth tightened his stomach. “Let’s take a seat. We didn’t get a chance to talk much on the phone.”

She led the way to the white and blue striped sofa and the loss of her body against his was almost painful. He gritted his teeth and opted for the frilly armchair in the corner. As muchas he wanted to be close to her, self-preservation warned him to keep a little distance.

“Looks like you had quite the night planned,” he said, nodding in the direction of the wine and snacks on the coffee table.

A whisper of a smile touched her full lips. “We planned to have some long-awaited girl talk when she got home from work. That’s how I know she didn’t go to some guy’s house I don’t know about or stop by a bar. She wouldn’t have left me waiting for her. Knowing I planned to stay up so we could hang out.”

He leaned forward and nodded along with her words. She’d already told him most of this on the phone, but nervous energy poured off her in waves and he understood she needed to say it all again. To feel as if she was helping in some way—if only by repeating information.

Elsie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Something happened. I just know it. Why wouldn’t the police help me? Why isn’t someone out there looking for Mila right now?”

“Mila needs to be missing longer than a few hours before law enforcement will step in. In this case, she hasn’t returned from work yet, which doesn’t seem alarming if you don’t know the situation.”

A flash of irritation pinched Elsie’s face. “That’s ridiculous. It’s the middle of the night, and I can’t get a hold of her. What else has to happen to show the police something’s wrong?”

He rubbed his palms up and down his thighs, hating the bureaucratic bullshit tying everyone’s hands. Having the freedom to act as he saw fit was one of the things he loved most about giving up his badge and becoming a private investigator.

“They know something’s wrong. I promise you that. I put in a call to the sheriff’s department on the way here. We lucked out. Sadie’s working.” Sadie Pennel was not only a smart and respected deputy, she also volunteered at the women’s shelterwith Elsie and Jenna. She’d taken what he had to say very seriously and assured him that she’d do whatever she could—both on and off duty.

“You talked to Sadie? What’d she say?” Elsie scooted to the edge of the couch as if ready to leap into action herself.

“She’d head out and search the roads for accidents or anything else suspicious. If you know where Mila was working tonight, it’d help to pass that information along. Give her a better idea of where to look.”

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