Page 35 of Protection for Rowan

Charles hadn’t shown in what felt like at least a day, maybe more. She had enough water, and there were some crackers, but there wasn’t any other food for her to consume. She would have to ration the crackers. She had enough length in the chain to go to one of the windows and get some sun, but it wasn’t much.

The second or maybe third day here she’d opened the window and yelled for help. No one responded. They must be really out in the wilderness with no neighbors around. She’d spent an hour or two listening for car noise or an airplane or anything, but she hadn’t heard one plane flying overhead or one car driving. There was no way anyone would ever find her.

The area was desolate. No one was close enough to save her. She was trapped, and there would be no escape.

As the sun set, she chewed on a cracker as thoughts of pizza and chicken nuggets filled her mind. She wanted a soda to drink and maybe a glass of wine, but not at the same time. She longed to sit in a tub and relax or stand under a shower until the hot water ran out.

The sound of a vehicle crunching up the drive got her attention. It sounded weird. Not at all like Charles's car. Fear pumped through her. What if they were here to hurt her? Charles told her she had to obey his commands or she would pay. What if he was making her pay by sending someone out here to attack her?

She closed her eyes, unsure what to do. She hadn't turned on the lights but now fear for her safety almost crippled her with indecision. Should she turn on the lights or leave them off? She wanted to hide, but where?

After a moment, she decided to go into the bathroom. She shuffled over to the bathroom as quickly as she could. The shackle on her ankle still pinched, but with the bandage, it was better. Though the bathroom was the only place she could hide, she couldn't close the door all the way because of the chain.

She positioned herself behind the door and wrapped her arms around her waist, clutching the sides of her shirt as she waited for the person to enter. This could be her salvation or her demise. She just hoped it was over quickly so she didn’t have to suffer.

Chapter 27

Shine hatedthat they hadn’t found Rowan. Late on Friday night, Thario hacked into Rowan’s notes about patients. It was a huge breach, and he felt terrible, but they now had the name of the guy she’d recently had an issue with. It had to be this Charles guy.

It took them until four on Saturday morning to get some kind of information on him. The guy seemed normal if you didn’t scratch the surface, but then he looked problematic at best. There were some rather large red flags in the guy’s past.

As the sun rose, they decided to contact the police with the name. They wouldn’t disclose that they’d hacked into Rowan’s files to get the name. Shine decided to tell them he’d remembered a conversation about the guy. Maybe that would be enough for the police to start looking for him.

It took everyone on his team, including Thario, a few hours to track down Charles's ex-girlfriend. She didn't answer her phone, so Apple and Griz drove Shine to her apartment. Maybe she didn't know anything, but what ifshe had insight they needed that would help them find Rowan?

The apartment was almost in Los Angeles. Time seemed to tick by too fast, and it was closer to three in the afternoon before they arrived. They knew what she looked like, and when they pulled up, they spied her in the grass berm, walking a dog.

“Let me approach,” Shine said.

“We’ll be ready to help if you need,” Griz said.

“Thanks.”

Shine walked over, his gaze on the woman, Jennifer Moore. When she looked up, she seemed panicked.

“Jennifer Moore, I have some questions about Charles.”

“The cops already asked if I knew where he was. I don’t know where that bastard is.”

"I'm not the cops. My girlfriend, Rowan, is missing. I think he took her. I need to find her. She's a good person who had a run-in with Charles."

Jennifer looked like she was going to dash until her eyes narrowed. "You're really worried about her."

"I am. She's a psychologist. He went to her, and she couldn't tell his employers that he was stable enough to continue working."

“Good. Sorry, not about him taking her, but he’s a piece of shit and dangerous, too. I don’t know where he would have taken her.”

"So, no secret hideaways. Does he have access to another house, maybe a cabin in the woods or a house in another town?"

Jennifer shook her head. “No, he just has his place. When I took him to my parents’ cabin, he was overly impressed, almost to the point it was concerning.”

Something struck Shine funny. "Wait. Your parents have a cabin, and you took him there?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yeah, but he doesn't have a key. I mean, there is a key in the birdhouse, but it's doubtful he would go all the way out there."

“How far?”

“It’s a few hours from here.”

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