Page 32 of Wandering Souls

“About to have dinner with Hollywood and Mia. We got talking and they told me. I freaked out and ran.”

Ray started the car’s engine, buckling his seatbelt and switching on the headlights. “So you’re somewhere on the estate?”

She gulped. “I think so.”

“Don’t move, Abi. Bruce and I are coming. I’ll call you when I’m close.”

He didn’t want to hang up but the ageing sportscar didn’t have Bluetooth capabilities. The engine roared as he put his foot on the accelerator and left the quiet cul-de-sac he’d come to call home. Bruce twitched and pawed at the dash, as if urging him to go faster. Though the trip was short, he took it easy on the narrow road winding up through the mountains to Hollywood’s estate. There was no point crashing the car when she needed him to find her.

Flicking his headlights onto high beam, he followed the road until he reached the reflective markers Hollywood had nailed to the fence. Taking the corner carefully, he let the sportscar roll along the gravel drive to avoid spinning out.

The house was lit up like a Christmas tree. Spotlights blazed from every corner, illuminating the surroundings and attracting hundreds of moths. Damien’s black SUV sat out the front and three adults gathered on the veranda turned at the sound of his approach.

Damien ran down the steps to meet him. The apprehension in the old man’s eyes did nothing to ease Ray’s worry. To think she’d gone running off into the unfamiliar bush at night, in the dark, with her injuries, concerned him beyond words.

“Ray?”

He opened the door and grabbed Bruce’s lead. “She called me. She’s somewhere out here.”

“I’m coming with.”

Ray stopped and shook his head. “With all due respect, no. She’s just learned everyone she ever thought was dead is alive. And here, for crying out loud, in the very town she’d come to for recovery. Let me find her, Damien.”

Damien grabbed his arm, his grip tight enough to leave bruises. Intense fear filled his blue-gray eyes as his lips pulled tight. “Bring her back to me, Ray.”

Ray clipped Bruce’s lead to the collar. “We will.”

Damien let him go and he took off into the darkness. “Find Abi, Bruce. Where is she?”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket as he ran and found her number. She picked up on the first ring. “I’m sorry, Ray. It was stupid.”

“No honey,” he puffed, his feet moving faster than they had in a long while. His lungs struggled to keep up. “Never be sorry. I’m here. Call out and Bruce will find you.”

He heard her voice carry through the darkness but couldn’t tell where it came from. Thankfully, Bruce knew exactly which direction to head. The clear night sky afforded him enough light to see—and duck—the tree branches coming his way, but where the dog could scurry through the undergrowth, Ray needed to find another way around. He slowed them down and listened for her again.

“Bruce,” she called, sounding closer.

“We’re not far,” he said into the phone. “Are you hurt?”

“Only my pride.”

He smiled. “Never. It must have been a big shock.”

Bruce led him through the trees and down the rocky slope. It took all his concentration to keep his footing on the unstable surface. He could hear running water nearby. A branch scraped across his cheek, stinging like a mother, but he ignored it.

Finding Abi was his top priority. Not for Damien. Not even for himself. He wanted to find her for her. She deserved better than to have such news sprung on her without forewarning. He wanted to kick himself for not doing it when he had the chance.

Much as he wanted to chastise Hollywood, Ray understood her running off had probably done the job.

“Bruce, here boy.”

She was much closer now.

“Ray, I see you. I’m down here.”

Ray released Bruce and saw the flash of white as the dog made a beeline straight for her. The happy canine sounds that followed slowed his racing heart. He made out her shape in the moonlight and when she looked up, her eyes caught the light. Relief overwhelmed him. Not content with seeing her safe, he stepped into her space and wrapped his arms around her.

“I’ve got you now.”

---