Page 64 of Lana

She stood to walk him to the door, but he surprised her by taking a step forward and cradling her face in his hands.

“I should’ve done this earlier today, but I was scared,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “Because I know what it’s like to lose the love of your life, and I don’t know if you’re ready to love again. But I also don’t want to miss out because I’m afraid.” He inhaled deeply.

Their eyes locked and Zoe felt like she couldn’t breathe.

His eyes dropped to her lips and she tilted her head back, bringing her lips to his.

He brushed his lips over hers and electricity shot to her toes. She pressed back against him, kissing him softly. Despite the fact that he was about to charge off to St. Louis, there was nothing hurried about this kiss.

Her stomach curled and her body yearned for more, but he pulled back, resting his forehead on hers. He was breathing as heavy as she was and when their eyes met, she could tell he was smiling without looking at his lips.

“Hold on to that until I get back,” he said, kissing her cheek before rushing off.

From the windows in her living room, she saw him all but run down the porch steps and climb into his car. He left a trail of dust behind him and heat on her lips.

She could never have imagined kissing anyone other than her husband.

She could never have imagined it would feel that good.

CHAPTER31

MITCH

Mitch couldn’t get to St. Louis fast enough, but he also refused to break the speed limit. He was a stickler for rules and protocols, even in times like this.

Jackson’s phone rang and he brought it to his ear.

It didn’t take Mitch long to realize it wasn’t good news.

“Okay, let me know. Please keep me updated; we’ll be entering St. Louis shortly.”

He sighed, ending the call and dropping his phone into his lap with a curse. “They can’t find him. He called in sick to work today and he’s not at his house.”

Mitch’s jaw clenched. “Are they putting an alert out for his car?”

“Already done. And the hospital has been notified. They’re checking airlines now. Maybe our visit spooked him.”

Mitch ground his teeth, furious at himself. Peter Benjamin had literally been right under his nose—it made his blood boil. “I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection.”

Jackson shook his head. “We both missed it. I mean—it wasn’t that obvious. His name tag didn’t read Peter Benjamin. It would’ve been a stretch jumping to that conclusion just because of the name Benjamin.”

Mitch knew Jackson was right, but he was still furious all the same.

Still, he needed to let go of the frustration and anger and focus. They had a name and now they needed to find him.

Jackson’s phone beeped and he tapped the screen. “It’s from the St. Louis detective. He’s saying to meet him at Peter’s house,” he said before entering the address into the car’s navigation system.

Mitch’s eyes dropped to the screen. They were twenty-eight minutes away.

Mitch thought it might be the longest twenty-eight minutes of his life.

When they finally pulled up, two unmarked cars were already in the driveway. Mitch and Jackson jumped out and walked up to the front door.

Mitch knocked and waited for someone to open the door. An officer looked at them and Mitch and Jackson held up their identification.

“Come on in, you’ll want to see what’s inside,” he said. “Second door on your left.”

As soon as Mitch walked in, he knew what the officer was talking about.

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