Page 66 of Until I Found You
“Graham, you need to get out of there. Right now.”
“What’s going on?”
“Krate found the GPS. The last ping was over an hour ago before it went dark. It took me a minute to figure out where he was at. Graham, did you take Halle home last night after the races?”
“No, she came home with me.”
“Well, the last ping came from her apartment. I drove by her place; both her and Kinsley’s cars are gone. I believe Kinsley stayed with Wes after the races last night.”
“I dropped Halle off at work this morning, her car is still at my place but he’s nowhere to be found. I’m leaving here now. I’ll call Halle. Do me a favor and get a hold of Kinsley. Tell her to stay with Wes. Do whatever you gotta do to get her to stay away from the salon. After that, I need you to go by my mom’s and check on her. This isn’t sitting well with me right now.”
“On it. What’d you find over at Krate’s?” he asks, referring to my comment earlier.
“It’s him, man. He was the one that caused Gage’s accident. We have him. Motherfucker, we have him. Now we just need to make sure they’re safe.”
We disconnect the call and my body is shaking with adrenaline. Snapping pictures of the front fender of the wrecked GTO along with a video, showing around the front along with the license plate. I want an insurance policy in case anything were to happen before making a mad dash out of the warehouse toward my pickup.
Once the file saves, I fumble with my phone trying to call Halle. The call repeatedly rings and goes to voice mail, leaving a ball of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. Trying for a fifth time, the phone immediately goes to voice mail and I know something isn’t right.
Turning the key in the ignition, I flip a U-turn and speed off down the dirt road back toward the highway. I’m still about five to seven minutes away, which feels like an eternity.
My phone vibrates again in my hand. My eyes dart to the screen, hoping on a prayer that it’s Halle calling me back. I see a text message flash on my screen from Maverick that Kinsley is already off work today, followed by another saying he’s headed over to my mom’s to check on her and he’ll meet me at the salon.
I thank God we live in a small town, where on any day it takes no time to get to where you need to be.
Flying down main street near the salon, I pull into the alley and park in the back. I breathe a sigh of relief for a moment, until I see the black GTO parked alongside the building, and my blood turns to ice in my veins.
I tell myself repeatedly everything’s okay. My mind races through a series of thoughts, wondering if maybe Halle forgot to charge her phone last night and that’s why she didn’t answer, to what I will do if he is here.
For a moment, I consider how I’d handle it if something were to happen to Halle before I quickly push that thought out of my mind. I won’t let myself go there, not with her, because if something were to happen to Halle, I don’t think I’d live through it.
Reaching the back door of the building, I opt to enter through the employee entrance. It goes into the side door leading into the supply room the girls use.
Slipping inside, I see Halle’s purse and apron hanging on the hook near the doorway. Seeing her purse is here, I know she hasn’t left, and I breathe a small sigh of relief knowing she’s here.
The silence rings loud in my head, until I hear Halle’s scared voice say something I never would want to hear.
“You’re not going to kill me, are you?”
I listen for any sign of where they might be. Slowly, I turn the knob on the door, I push it shut quietly. Reaching for the gun, I press my back against the wall.
“I haven’t decided just yet.”
His sinister voice causes the knot in the pit of my stomach to tighten.
I want so badly to wrap my hands around his throat, cutting off his airway as I watch the life drain out of him. The pain I want to inflict on him after what he’s done to my family has me thinking the most sinister thoughts.
“Why are you doing this? Why do you keep trying to come after me? Whatever this is between you and Graham, I don’t have anything to do with it.”
“Stop asking questions!” he shouts at her, followed by a loud smack.
I hear Halle cry out, as she whimpers in pain.Motherfucker.
The demons living inside me welcome the chance to dance with the devil. I’ll look him in the eye, forcing him to pay for the pain he’s inflicted on the people I love.
