Page 53 of Protection for Rowan

“Crap. Do you have the address of the coffee shop?”

Shine nodded. “Yeah. But we have another hour?—”

“Fuck work,” Sharp said. “We’ll make something up. An exercise off base. I’ll text our CO and tell him what’s going on. He’ll cover for us.”

Jay pulled on his clean shirt. “We’ve got you. We’ll head to the shop and then start searching from there. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

“Fuck. This is my fault,” Sharp said as he grabbed his clothes.

“How is this your fault?”

Sharp shook his head. “She was freaked out, and I didn’t insist she see someone immediately. I didn’t realize how bad it was. I should have done something.”

"Dude, you can't blame yourself for everything," Squat said. "We'll find her, and then we can help you make it right."

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. Fuck.”

He had royally screwed up. Rowan had shown signs, but he'd not wanted to push. Now, he knew he should have pushed hard. He should have forced her to get help. Maybe he could have convinced her to get into intense therapy.

No question, he would have to do more to help her. He might need to take a few days off. She deserved more, and he hadn’t done enough. He swore to himself he would fix this. He had to.

Chapter 38

Rowan kept checking behind her,looking for the man following her. It had been Charles. She was sure it had been Charles.

She wasn't safe. She had to find a way to hide. Somewhere he would never look.

She turned down the side street and then ducked into an alley. She hid behind a dumpster, watching for the man to pass. Could she go behind him and disable him? Maybe. But he had to walk past, and he hadn't yet. Where was he?

After a few minutes, she sank back against the wall, trying to piece together everything she knew. She’d been in the coffee shop when the man had come in. A shiver slid down her spine. It had been him, right?

Had she really seen Charles? She closed her eyes, trying to remember. A noise sounded at the end of the alley. Her eyes flashed open. Someone was there, stalking her. Was that him?

She took off, racing away. Her path twisted past apartments and residential streets. She ran by a line of shops, trying to escape the man following her. He was wearing adifferent hoodie now, but she knew it was him. She had to get away, or she would end up trapped again.

The path twisted and turned, dumping her at a park. She moved to the deepening shadows under a tree. The sun would be setting soon, and darkness would hide her from anyone looking for her.

A man walked past on the street, and she moved deeper into the shadows. A harsh wind blew, chilling her to the bone. She could stand the cold, but she knew she wouldn't last if Charles got her again.

Shine stoodoutside the coffee shop, studying the area. His heart hurt, and his head ached. How the fuck would he find Rowan? He had no intelligence on where she might go or what she would do. There wasn't a network of people he could rely on to give him information. He was on his own.

Squat ended the call he’d been on. “The police won’t start looking until she’s been gone for twenty-four hours. Even then, they will need a good reason to look. I don’t think they believe she’s at risk.”

“Fuck.”

Griz stepped over. “I sent a note to a group of retired SEALs. They’ll keep their eyes out. I know it’s not much, but we’ll find her.”

Shine appreciated their efforts, but he feared it wouldn’t be enough. She could end up in real trouble if they didn’t find her soon. The streets of San Diego weren’t the worst, but the city could be unkind to people who weren’t prepared for the harsh realities of the mean streets.

“Two to a car,” Sharp said. “I’ll go with Shine. Pair up,and we’ll keep in contact. Griz, if you hear anything, get the information to us.”

"Got it," Griz said. "Apple, you drive us."

That left Jay and Squat to go together. Sharp led Shine to his car. He appreciated them working together to search for Rowan. If they didn’t find her, he wasn’t sure what they would do.

He had texted a neighbor, asking them to inform him if Rowan came home. The older couple were busybodies and knew everyone and everything that happened on their street. If Rowan showed up, they would send a note.

The sun was starting to go down, and they weren’t any closer to finding Rowan. Griz hadn’t heard a word, and none of the guys had seen her. Every city block they covered made him more nervous, not less.

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