Page 28 of The Fallen
“I’m meant to be looking for you. Or had you forgotten that part?”
Before I can argue any further, Noah’s pressing buttons on the small screen on the dash and pulling up Landon’s number. He’s pressed call before I can stop it.
“No, I can’t talk to him!” I reach out, but Noah grabs my hand.
“This is your mess. If you’re worried, tell them,” he growls, steering with one hand.
“About bloody time,” Landon’s voice snaps over the connection.
Noah doesn’t answer. He glances over to me, but I just shake my head, terrified of speaking.
“Locke?”
Still, he says nothing.
The pressure of his fingers around my wrist grows, and it begins to throb, but I don’t make a sound.
“Just been back to check on Neve’s place,” Noah says as he looks at me with that scowl firmly in place. “Someone's been there.”
“Who? Are you sure it wasn’t just her?” Landon questions.
“No. Her office is trashed. Someone came to search or ransack it. Don't know if they found anything or not.”
“And where is my sister?”
Noah pauses, and I hold my breath. “No luck yet. I’ll get her. Just need some more time," he says.
Silence lingers in the air like lead, no words from Landon to break the tension. He's probably cross, or worried, or furious about everything and feeling exposed. Not a great place for Landon to be.
“Make sure you do,” Landon finally snarls. My stomach twists at the threatening tone. He’s not a man to cross, and a pang of guilt for what I’m doing beats through me.
“Just watch your back, Landon. We don’t know what’s going on. Have you increased security?”
“I’ll watch my family, Locke. Just do your fucking job. I want to know where Neve is, and I want her back. Yesterday preferably.” The line cuts out.
I don’t say anything; I mean, what can I say? Instead, I hide my face from Noah and try to look out of the tinted windows.
~
The rest of the journey goes by in silence, but we finally pull up to an old driveway, stone pillars guarding the entrance. There’s a gate missing, and looking at the iron hinges still embedded in the stone, I can picture this as a homely place if it hadn’t been left to ruin. Blue and white police tape seal it off, but it doesn’t look too old. It’s short work for Noah to drive through, paying no heed to the tape’s intentions.
What’s Lewis doing out here?
The old farmhouse looks abandoned. There’s no sign of life or that it's been looked after for years. The same for the handful of outbuildings a little way from the main house. We continue up the drive, still in silence. Part of me is desperate to voice my questions to Noah, to feel like he might be in this with me, but I keep my mouth shut for now.
He parks, and we both get out. The closer we get, the worse the condition of the house becomes. The wood on the front door is rotten at the base, and there’s no lock. A small section of police tape is stuck by the door like it’s been removed.
I shove the door and step inside. “Hello?” I call out on instinct.
“What the fuck's wrong with you? Hello? Stupid.” Noah almost knocks me to the side and continues inside, pulling his phone from his back pocket to set it to torch.
I flick the switch on the wall, but the lights don’t come on.
“No electric,” I report, but that only earns another cross look before he returns to looking around.
Fine. If Noah’s going to be like that, I turn off and explore in the opposite direction to him. The kitchen is cold and dank, a few plates and dishes still left on the drainer under the window. It must have been a pretty view – when someone looked after this place. Green fields, a winding drive, maybe flowers in the meadow, or cows grazing.
“Neve?” Noah calls.
