Page 88 of Follow Me Down

“Nah, man, she isn’t here.” He finally comes back on the line. “What the fuck is going on? Where are you?” he questions, confused and I’m fairly certain not fully awake.

“I’m on my way home now. I’ll explain when I get there. In the meantime, if Fallon shows up don’t let her leave.”

“Leave? Why the hell would she leave?”

“Just don’t let her leave. I’ll be home soon.” With that, I end the call and press the accelerator all the way to the floor. As I speed down the dark country road, a thousand scenarios swirl in my head and what feels like a boulder sits in the pit of my stomach.

——

“Any sign of her?” Iplow through the front door of the cabin twenty minutes later, my shoulders tight with tension.

Link shoots up on the couch, having clearly dozed off again.

“What?” He looks up at me with confusion.

“Fallon? Any sign of her?”

“Oh.” He shakes his head, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. “No. Nothing.” He scoots to the end of the couch and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?”

“Give me a minute.” I take off toward the bedroom, immediately spotting Fallon’s suitcase on the floor when I enter. Her cell phone is thrown on top of the clothes visible from the open case. “Fuck,” I mutter, heading back down the hall toward the living room. “All of her stuff is still here. She wouldn’t have just left all her stuff here, right?” I ask, already knowing that’s exactly what happened.

If Fallon had any interest in getting her stuff before she left, she would have. The fact that she left it here can mean only one thing. Her need to get away from me was stronger than her need for her possessions.

“Slow down.” Link holds his hands up, his eyes following me as I pace the living room, pulling on the ends of my hair. “Tell me what happened.”

“What happened?” I stop in my tracks. “What happened?” I repeat, my voice going up an octave. “What happened was we got pulled over on our way home and three officers swarmed my truck. They had us get out, they searched it like they were looking for something, and then all of a sudden one of them pulled a black duffle bag out from behind the seat.”

“O-k-a-y.” Link shakes his head like he’s not quite following.

“The fucking duffle bag was stuffed full of cocaine!” I scream, my voice echoing off the walls around me.

“Wait, what?” He sits up straighter.

“It wasn’t mine,” I needlessly tell him. “Obviously someone planted it there. I’m just not sure who... Or why.”

“Wait. So you’re telling me that you were pulled over, your truck was searched without cause, and they just happened to find a bag full of drugs behind the seat?”

“Yeah.”

“And now Fallon is gone?”

“The fucking lady at the police station said she left a message for me.”

“And what the fuck did it say?”

“Some shit about her going home and not to contact her.”

“Home? As in home to her father?”

“Well clearly she didn’t mean here!” I throw my hands up in the air. “I have to go. I have to find her. Explain.”

“Wait.” He stands. “Let’s just think this through.”

“What is there to think through?” I yell at him.

“I’m just saying maybe you shouldn’t go after her guns blazing. If she went back home, you and I both know her father won’t let you anywhere near her. It’s not like you can just go storming into the Governor’s mansion.”

I stop mid stride, my hands shaking in anger.

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