Page 57 of Dyana
“What’s going on?” Evan asked sleepily.
“Dyana drugged us and gave herself to Harris. We need to go!”
Both men jumped out of bed and dressed.
“Are you sure that’s what happened?” Bryce asked.
“She left a note,” I growled. They read the note as I finished gearing up. I swear, if I found her alive, I would tie her to the bed for a whole week. Oh, God. I stopped and doubled over, bracing my hands on my knees as I fought for air. Doll, please fucking be alive!
Heavy arms wrapped around me and hauled me upright, squeezing me in a bear hug. “We’re going to save her,” Bryce promised, his voice cracking. “I refuse to believe this is the end of our story. Keep the faith, brother. We fought to find her once, we’ll do it again.”
“Bryce is right. We have to stay positive. Let’s go,” Evan said.
We rushed down the hill to the cabin. Just as we reached the yard, Isaac stood from his post by the door. “There you sleepy heads are. I took an extra watch because I figured you guys had slept in. Where’s Dyana?”
“She’s gone. Where the fuck is Derrick?”
“I’m here,” Derrick said, coming around the corner of the chicken coop. “How is she gone?”
I rushed toward him, my rage exploding from me in waves. “Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing. Where the fuck were you?” I slammed him against the coop, my face inches from his.
“Where was I? Where were you?” Derrick tossed back, struggling against my hold on him. “You took over the second shift. How did she get past you?”
All the fight went out of me when I realized what Dyana did. I stumbled back, humorless laughter bubbling out of me as I sat on the ground. “Dyana drugged us, then signaled you when it was time for me to take over the watch. She waited for you to go inside and then walked away without anyone knowing.” I looked up at the sky again. That was at least six hours ago at the low end. We needed to move. It might already be too late.
Derrick approached me with sorrow in his eyes. He held his hand out and helped me to my feet. “We’ll get her back,” he promised.
“Remi, Trent, stay here with Cora,” Isaac ordered as he came out of the cabin, already geared up and his arms full of more. “Go to the bunker and stay there until we return.”
“Take them with you,” Cora ordered. “I can protect Johnny from the bunker. You might need them to save Dyana.”
“Princess, there is no way in hell we’re leaving you and Johnny alone, so don’t even bother trying to convince us otherwise,” Isaac replied firmly. He set the gear down on the table, andDerrick immediately started sorting through it as Isaac turned back to her and cupped her cheeks. “We will save Dyana, but we will make sure you’re safe too.”
I could tell Cora wanted to argue, but she didn’t. As important as Dyana was to all of us, Cora was just as important, and Johnny more so. We had just as much responsibility to keep them safe as we had to save Dyana. “Promise me you’ll bring her home and stay safe,” Cora whispered.
“I promise,” Isaac replied, kissing her softly.
“That goes for all of you,” Cora said louder. “All of you better come home safe.”
“We will,” Evan assured her.
We took the assault rifles but left the rest of our guns with Trent, Remi, and Cora. The hike to town took far less time than usual, and the sun had risen by the time we arrived at the police station. I planned to march over there and kick the door in, but Isaac grabbed me before I could.
“Slow down. We need a plan, and you three need to prepare yourselves for what we might be walking into.”
I nodded and shrugged him off. I didn’t want to think about what we might find inside the station.
“Did you have a plan in mind?” Bryce asked.
“His car is still here, so that’s a good sign. You three go through the front, and Derrick and I will take the back. Clear each room together before moving into the next. Don’t separate and don’t underestimate that kid. I know Dyana was worried about her, but I don’t trust her. I was watching her last night, and she was far too relaxed in Harris’s arms.”
“Sounds good,” Evan replied.
“Count to ten so we can get into position and then move in,” Derrick said.
Isaac and Derrick trotted across the street and disappeared behind the building as we approached the front door. One, two,three, four, five. Please fucking still be alive, Dyana. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I looked at Bryce and nodded. My former linebacker lined up with the door and kicked it open. We rushed into the lobby, rifles raised, and were met with an empty room. Together, we moved to the hallway and saw Derrick and Isaac on the other end. We traded confused looks when no one reacted to our intrusion. It was like the place was empty. What if he had another vehicle and they were already gone? How would we find Dyana?
I opened the first door on the left, and as a body came into view, my heart fell out of my body. It took me a few seconds to realize the body didn’t have red hair. “It isn’t her,” I whispered, hoping to save the others from the shock. The room was empty, and I was about to follow the others out to the next room when I heard a sound come from the closet. “Hold up, something moved in the closet.”
