Page 10 of Halloween in Sleepy Hollow
Ben grimaces. “Can you call it in?”
Oliver sighs. “No. It’s too soon. But I’m calling Kane.” His voice is low and controlled, but with tension running through it. “And Ian. He and Rose are here, too. If we’re going to search downtown, I want as many feet on the ground as possible.”
He pauses. “Actually, I’ll call Cole, too. See if the Blade and Arrow guys are around to help. If the womenaren’tin town…”
A boot slams into my gut.
All the air leaves my lungs.
Could Ari be gone?
Could someone have taken her again?
Shit.
Shit.
I can’t lose her.
Ican’t.
CHAPTER 3
OLIVER
Why did I leave her alone?
On Halloween of all nights. The night I know damn well brings all the crazies out of their hiding places, emboldened by anonymous costumes and the chaos of the holiday.
Crime spikes on Halloween. I’ve seen the data. Theft, burglary, vandalism, and nearly a fifty percent increase in violent assaults.
My teeth grind together, sending pain slashing through my jaw and down my neck.
Why did I let Shea go off without me?
Of all people, I should have known better.
I swore I’d keep her safe after all that shit with the Russians. I promised her. Even knowing my past could carry risk into our future, Shea chose to stay with me. To trust me to keep her safe.
My hands go clammy with sweat as my thoughts spiral into even darker places.
The Russians.
After two years, I was fairly certain the threat was over. After all, the man who targeted Shea is gone. Dead, thanks to my contacts with the CIA. His company’s been shuttered for years. I’ve been keeping track of any new illegal activity that could be linked back to everything that happened before, and nothing’s come up.
There’s been no sign to indicate Shea could be in danger again.
Still, I’ve been socareful—upgrading the security at our house whenever something new comes available, retrofitting Shea’s SUV with bulletproof windows and tires, and insisting she still wear the earrings with GPS trackers in them, just to be safe.
A harsh laugh escapes at the irony of it.
All my precautions, and Shea’s still missing.
Sure, there could be a hypothetical situation where everything’s fine and there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for why none of the women are responding. A reason why Shea’s tracker isn’t showing up even though I check the earrings once a month to ensure they’re working properly. A reason why Shea wouldn’t answer my increasingly frantic calls and texts even though she knows how much I worry.
Therecouldbe a logical explanation for all of it.
But my gut tells me something different.
