Page 105 of Truck Stop Titan

“Moriah?” The fog lifted, my mind going razor sharp. “Talk to me.”

“Get dressed.” She tripped over a shoe, caught herself on the bed, then bent to shove her foot into the sandal.

“What’s happening?”

“Please, God. No. No. No.” Like a mad woman, she scrambled around the room, yanked a sweatshirt out of her dresser and tugged it over her head.

“Moriah!”

“The kids are missing.”

That got me on my feet. “The fuck you mean they’re missing?”

“They’re not in the house or the yard. Tango and Slade have looked everywhere. They’re gone.”

Pants on. Shirt next. “We’ll find them. Don’t worry.” Boots. Wallet. Keys. “Let’s go.”

The room spun. My head buzzed. A pain I’d never suffered seized my chest. I forced my legs to carry me forward despite the crushing weight on my shoulders. Kids wandered off all the time, right? I had when I was young, every chance I got. They were fine.

They were fine.

They were fine.

We drove in silence, me fisting the wheel, Moriah’s hands fisted on her knees, the air thick with worry neither one of us dared voice. We reached Tango’s house in under fifteen minutes. Two cop cars already blocked the driveway, parked directly behind Tucker’s truck. Flashlights bobbed across the property from every corner.

Tango met us where we parked, shoved beams into our hands, and said, “Follow me.”

Without a word, we jogged behind Pretty Boy, violent urges pulsing through my veins. Anything happened to my girl, that pansy-ass piece of shit would suffer unbearable agony, and I would enjoy every fucking second of his misery.

Through the blood rush pounding my skull, I heard, “I’ll check the diner. Moriah, you check around back. Dane,” Rossi pointed to the tree line. “You check the beach.”

I turned to offer Moriah a reassuring squeeze, but she was already off and running, calling for the kids.

The sliver of moon and ebony sky offered little assistance as I navigated the trail leading from the Truck Stop’s parking lot down to the hidden beach, where the calls of the other searchers couldn’t reach. Waves licked the shore. A bird protested my approach. Nocturnal creatures scattered, rustling the nearby brush.

I waved the light in a pendulum swing, searching left then right on the path before me. “Mim!” I called. “Rocky!”

My voice broke, and I paused, hands to knees, sucking in a deep breath to calm my raging nerves. Moisture blurred my vision, and I swiped at my eyes before continuing forward. “Mim! Mim!”

Swing, swing with the light. Deep breath. Continue. I reached the soft sand and searched for footprints. Nothing. Thank fuck. Next, I jogged north until I reached the end of that stretch of beach. I searched the trees behind me, coming up empty, then headed south until reaching the other end of the alcove. My voice was hoarse, my chest ached from the pressure, and I turned again to search the brush behind me. Slow swing left. Slow swing right. Shadows stretched and bent against the small cliff, inky figures mocking my state of sanity.

Jesus. Fuck. Why did my chest feel so heavy?

A twig snapped to my left. I swung the light that direction, catching nothing but more shadows. “Mim!”

Silence.

I breathed, tuning my ears to the night’s noises, shuffling through nature’s lullaby for something recognizable.

A giggle.

Jesus. Fuck. My knees buckled.

Another giggle.

I ran toward the sound. That beautiful God damn sound.

Behind a cluster of pines, a blanket stretched across a bush and a fallen tree. A makeshift tent. A blue glow shone through the heavy fabric.

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