Elias surveyed the men and women in his living room. Every one of them had deep concern in their eyes.
"She has a dad in Boston," Doc offered, brushing her long, dark hair back from her face and behind her ear. "She could be heading there."
Elias shook his head. "That doesn't feel right to me. She could have headed there before, and she told me she wouldn't go there. She wouldn't bring this kind of trouble to her old man's doorstep."
"San Diego is my bet," Larry said from the couch. "Remember when I was telling her about that job with Duffy? She said she had always wanted to go there, to see the ocean."
"That's a lot of miles on a hunch," John said. "Half a continent, in fact. If you're wrong you'll never get turned around in time."
Dave stood up. "I agree with Larry though, so I'm riding. I got my own cash. I'll scout that direction. If she calls, I'll be close. You got my number, boss."
"I'm heading to Boston," Billy said. "She may not go that way, but she might. Who can say, but it's my fault—my watch she left on. So I'm riding."
They watched Dave and Billy leave the house, Elias praying that one of their instincts was dead on.
"You think she'll call?" Larry asked as the front door closed behind them.
"Yes," Doc answered for the group in general.
"What makes you think so?" Larry pressed.
"Because it's the only way I can see it. One of two things is going to happen here. Either she'll melt down and call, or she'll melt down and won't," Doc told them.
"But you're sure she's going to melt down again," Larry continued.
"I don't think you fellas really get what she's been through. People die from that kind of treatment; people die from far less. They just sit down and die. Nothing wrong with them, they just die. She's been through more than I've ever heard of before. I'm amazed by her. Absolutely stunned that she's as good as she is.
"Melting down and recovering like she did is a great sign for her. A miraculous sign. The fact that she doesn't scream herself into hysteria when Elias touches her is another miracle, one that I'm deeply grateful she has on her side. But she's still only human, people. She didn't take her meds with her, and those might have helped, but she's on a timer. I assure you." Then she looked over at John. "And just for the record, you don't tell a woman with acute PTSD that you are going to war for her."
John looked down at his hands, and then met her eyes again. "Duly noted."
"She'll call," Elias said, and walked toward the kitchen for a beer. Even with all of the people here, the house never felt so empty. Without Chelsea skipping through in her sun dress, or dancing to the music as she cleaned, or sitting on his lap in the office making it impossible to do his day-trading, this place felt like a morgue.
"Until she does, I'm in your house," Jeff told him.
"That goes for me as well," Eric said.
"I'm in," Rick said. "I don't know her well, working the night shift, but she seemed nice. Always woke up to bring us coffee and give us smiles. But boss, you were there when my kid was getting it rough, and she and I owe you, so I'm in."
Elias nodded to the offers. "Only got one couch and one guest room."
"One of us should be awake anyway," Eric's voice rumbled.
Elias nodded again.
"I'm going to jump on the phone and start calling hotels and gas stations along the route to San Diego," Larry said. "I've got a budget. More than I need for a reward fund for information."
"Good idea," John piped in. "Make it ten grand for a verified sighting. With Dave heading that way, verification shouldn't be too hard."
"What are you going to do when you find her?" Wild Bill asked. "You can't force her to come back."
"If she won't come back, then I'll run with her," Elias told him flatly. "She's not going to go through this alone. Not while I got breath."
Wild Bill nodded. "Figured you had it that bad."
"Oh, I got it worse, but it wouldn't take an eighth of what I have to see this through with her," Elias told him.
"At least Tomas is down until Sunday," Doc said.
"Tomorrow," Larry corrected.
"What?" John asked.
"He's got time served. It's really only a few hours, but his lawyer pulled some shit and got him down to three days instead of five. Which, in the confusing time stream of county jail language, kicks him loose tomorrow morning."
"Shit," Elias breathed, echoing everyone's thoughts.
Duffy came through the front door then, looking wildly around, his bristly beard looking even more bristled than normal. "Any word?"
"No," Larry told him. "I didn't know you knew."
"She has my bike!" Duffy said, aghast.
"She left you with nineteen grand for a five grand bike, Duffy," Steve-O pointed out.
"So?" Duffy said, shocked that Steve-O would consider something as base as money to be fair value. "Until she's found, I'm sticking to Elias."
"You have the floor then," Elias told him with a growl.
"Fine by me. Can't just steal a man's bike," Duffy huffed. "I assure you, I will get that bike back one way or another."
"Not going to report it stolen, are you?" Larry asked with surprise.
"Fuck no. Think I'm an idiot?" Duffy said with shock. "They might lock her up."
"Glad you care about Chelsea a little at least," Larry said.
"Not her—my bike!"