Page 80 of Swept for Forever
I thought I was protecting her. Thought I was falling for someone good.
But this…this blew the whole world apart.
She wasn’t just running from something.
She was running from everyone.
And now, so was I.
21
DOM
I’d learned a lot about Autumn and the things that made herher. Things like her laughter, her fire, and the way she argued over house colors as if we were already a couple.
But I hadn’t learned the truth.
And now, I had to.
The poster in Ms. O’Donnell’s window was burned into my brain—Autumn’s face staring back at me, next to the wordsHave you seen this person?
She was wanted for an armed robbery along the Blodgett Pass Trail. The victim hadn’t been named, but the timing lined up too neatly with the disappearance of Deborah Sinclair.
And now Autumn had Deborah’s dog.
What the hell was I supposed to do with that?
Deborah was about Autumn’s age. Had they known each other? Same school? Shared a history? I’d seen stranger motives in court. A grudge. A rivalry. A love triangle, perhaps? Fighting over a boy has ruined more lives than people like to admit.
Had something like that spiraled?
Or was I supposed to believe that Autumn had killed someone?
Nothing fit together, no matter which theory I tried.
Autumn had been reckless, yes, but there was a difference between being reckless and being a murderer.
If she were guilty, then she wouldn’t get away with it.
Because no matter what else I felt—and God help me, I still felt too much—I couldn’t let that part of me go. The part that needed justice. The part that still believed in right and wrong.
On the other hand, I wasn’t just looking for her as a lawyer.
I was looking for her like a man chasing a fever he didn’t want cured—burning, delirious, and glad for it. As long as she was in it.
And she owed me more than silence. She left me here as if I were a worthless lamppost. I never even saw her go.
But most of all, I missed her. Fucking pathetic, but I did.
An incoming call buzzed across my screen.
“Noah,” I said, doing my best to sound like the version of me he knew.
“Hey, how’s that cowboy apprenticeship going?”
“Stalled.”
“I figured. You’re more pinstripes than plaid.”
