Page 78 of Swept for Forever
And somehow, in such a short span of time, he had understood me without me ever having to explain.
There was no one like Dom, not even close, and it wasn’t just wishful thinking or naivety. He was singular in a world overflowing with people, and walking away from him felt like stepping off solid ground into nothing.
I let myself break, just for a moment.
Then I swiped at my face, sniffed hard, and sat up straighter.
No more distractions.
No more second-guessing.
It was time to pack. And damn, almost everything I owned now was from him.
20
DOM
Claire hadn’t said much over the phone, just“come back when you can”. But something about her voice had been off. It was tight and wound with concern.
I cut the engine and stepped out of my truck, rolling my shoulders as I crossed to the clinic door. Inside, the lights were dimmed, the front desk empty except for a stack of patient files and a blinking computer screen.
“Claire?”
A moment later, she appeared from the back, her ponytail bound high and her scrubs still neat despite what had been a long shift.
But something was different.
She looked tense, and not in the usualI-haven’t-slept-enough-because-I’m-a-vetway.
I knew bad news when I saw it.
“What?” I asked, cutting straight to it.
“Lulu’s microchip came back.”
“Great. So we can update her info.”
“That’s the thing.” She glanced at the file in her hands, then back at me. “The registration isn’t as I expected.”
“Okay…” I drawled.
Claire pressed her lips together. “Dom, the chip is registered to a Deborah Sinclair.”
The name struck a chord, distant at first, then loud as hell.
Shit.
“That missing girl?”
Claire squared her shoulders. “Yes, Dom.”
I knew the case but hadn’t followed it closely. I just glimpsed it in headlines, local news, and online blurbs. A young woman, college-aged, gone without a trace. And not just from anywhere.
“Last seen on the Blodgett Pass Trail,” I muttered.
Claire nodded grimly.
Everything inside me locked up.
