Page 77 of Between Dusk and Dawn

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Open the damn door, Rain!" I shouted, my fists pounding on my sister's house. The moment I landed, I rushed home and found everyone oblivious to the whereabouts of my wife. Storming into Madison's room above the barn, I discovered her cellphone on the countertop. In a fit of desperation, I tore apart the entire apartment while Enzo futilely assured me he'd locate her.

As I watched the surveillance footage, my heart sank deep into my chest. She had ventured into the woods. I replayed the conversation with my sister, realizing she had mentioned the woods connecting the two houses.

"Where the hell is my wife?" I bellowed.

"Jesus Christ, Walsh. It's Christmas," Ember's voice cut through from the other side. She shuffled to open the door.

"Listen to me," I demanded, stepping into her house and pushing her backward. "You wanted out of the family, nothing to do with this, but that means you cannot meddle in my damn life." Furious, my knuckles were white with bitterness.

"Back away from Ember," a low, baritone voice intervened from behind her. She reached for him as he crossed the foyer in a few long strides.

"She had something to do with?—"

"No." Rain held up a hand, but Ember grabbed it, pulling it down and stepping in front of Rain.

"Let me explain. You have a wife you somehow coerced into marrying you, then locked her inside your fortress over there with no means of escape."

"But that's not?—"

Ember let go of Rain and walked over to where I stood. "It absolutely is what happened. You left her there like a prisoner. I don't know exactly what happened to her, but you did the one thing that would push her in the opposite direction. She's never had anyone before, and you weren't there."

Her scolding words made me flinch. The painful truth pierced my soul, and the realization hit hard. All the thoughts I'd wrestled with over the last twenty-four hours were coming true. I could have lost the one person who made me lose control, who gave me the freedom to lose control. I was stupid and thought I was in too deep so I ran away.

"I am fucking scared I am going to lose her like we lost Mom," I whispered. The moment the stark truth escaped my lips, I regretted uttering it. I had never allowed myself to fall apart in front of my sister. I was always the one holding it together for her.

Her expression darkened in the shadows of the night, she crossed the foyer, then pulled me into a hug, and I broke down. Tears pricked my eyes, and I lost control.

"Oh, Walsh," she whispered as I clung tightly to her. "I wish you had told me this sooner."

"I didn't know," I cried, my voice cracking. "I truly didn't know until…her."

"It’s okay, I know where she is."

I pulled back from her, my eyes filled with an unfamiliar liquid brimming in them. Fuck, I never cried. No one had ever brought me to tears.

"Isles," Ember said as she pulled away, and I gave her a quick hug before giving Rain a nod and rushing out the door, making the route to Isles as fast as possible.

I wasn’t sure why it didn’t strike me that this was exactly where she’d be. I should have fucking known.

My phone buzzed, and it was Enzo confirming what I already knew. Madison had entered her old house, then left to go somewhere.

I hoped I wasn’t too late.

Chapter Thirty-Three

His presence cooled the air when the bar door slammed open. I sensed him stalking behind me before I turned around to confirm my suspicions. He was always going to find me.

"Why did you have to make it this hard?" he drawled, his warm breath hitting my ear as he leaned down and pulled the drink out of my hand. To be fair, I hadn’t taken a single sip. I wanted to be sober when he came stalking by.

"It was easy, and you know it," I replied, my words punctuated by the creak of the swiveling bar stool. Turning to face him, the contrast of his silhouette against the dimly lit backdrop drew my attention. His longer, tousled black hair framed a face adorned with the stubble on his cheek. The weariness in his deep-brown eyes spoke volumes, revealing the toll of the time we spent apart. Dressed in black, his presence was both commanding and magnetic, impossible to ignore. Time seemed to slow as our eyes locked, the atmosphere thick with an unspoken tension that lingered between us.

My voice cracked, "Hi."

His eyes softened as he looked me up and down as if searching for any problems.

"Hi," he whispered back.

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