Page 90 of Unbearable

Henry, the guy who was always willing to lend me a hand when I needed it, was the guy who had Dotty. I’d fucking shared countless beers with him while he was the one stalking Dotty the whole fucking time.

I paced back and forth. Everyone talked for several minutes, but I couldn’t think through the blood rushing in my ears. The fear and helplessness mixed with anger, creating a volatile storm inside me. I felt like I couldn’t breathe without her.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Lilah said.

An officer entered, setting a file down. “This is everything I could find on Henry Reynolds. We’re still digging, but I’d say this is your guy. I called the flower shops he frequented. I sent over a picture, and the owner said he looked like the guy. Said he always paid in cash and used a fake name. She never questioned it because he tipped well.”

“We have to find her. Now,” I demanded.

Lilah grabbed her phone. “Hi, I need a warrant. I’m sending over the info now.”

“We should be able to get a warrant with this. Once we have it, we can check out his ranch to see if she’s there.”

“What do we do until then?” Sawyer asked.

“We wait,” she sighed.

I paced the room, my nerves were coiled tight like a spring ready to snap. Each minute dragged on, stretching into what seemed like an eternity.

The ticking of the clock echoed loudly in the silence, a relentless reminder of our dwindling time. It was funny how I never noticed the sound of a clock ticking until it became the only sound I could hear, driving me crazy.

Dorian, Colt, and Sawyer all seemed composed, given the situation at hand. Every second, another weight was added on my chest, gnawing at me slowly.

We had done everything by the book, but still, the anticipation was maddening, not knowing if she was okay.

If she was hurt or scared or cold or even fucking hungry.

I glanced out the window, watching the sun inch its way toward the horizon. Outside, the world carried on, oblivious to the panic inside my head.

Finally, the phone broke the silence with its loud ring. The detective answered, her voice steady as she listened intently. Relief flooded through me as she nodded.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the Reynolds ranch as the sun began to dip, casting long shadows across the dusty ground. The old farmhouse loomed ahead.

Lilah knocked on the door, her knuckles rapping against the weathered wood. Henry opened the door slowly, his face etched with confusion.

“Officer Reynolds, we have a warrant to search your property.”

THIRTY-TWO

Dotty

ANGRY - PARAVI

My eyes fluttered open,and a fierce ache pounded through my skull. It felt like I’d been hit by a bus. Panic surged as I took in my unfamiliar surroundings—an old abandoned barn filled with the silhouettes of broken-down trucks, some covered in tarps. The air was thick with the scent of rust. The sun filtered through the edges of the doorframe, casting a dim glow into the barn, the only source of light in the space.

My hands were bound behind my back, tied to a horizontal wooden beam. The rough ropes bit into my wrists. I groaned from the pain and heard movement just outside my line of sight. My body went rigid, bracing for whatever was coming.

“Why, hello. Nice of you to finally wake up,” a voice sneered.

Where did I know that voice from?

The man walked up behind me, still out of sight, and rolled a bottle of water next to me. The sound of it clinking against the dusty floor echoed in the empty barn.

“Promise, it’s not poison,” he said.

He circled the post, finally coming into view. My jaw dropped, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

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