25
N I G H T M A R E S
He stole you away,
Right out from underneath me,
He will feel my wrath.
I PULLED AROUND THE BACK of the bar like Andy had said and shut the engine off.
Leaning forward, I gaped up at the sky pouring buckets of water in an endless stream and mentally prepared myself to get soaked. A small smile found the corners of my lips as I thought about Charlie and his weather warnings. He’d said a storm was coming.
Leave it to a ten-year-old, I thought with a small chuckle.
I pulled up Andy’s messages and sent her a text saying I was there. My heartbeat quickened in pace just thinking about seeing her again. Letting her go for the second time was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do, but I couldn’t keep chasing her. At some point, she had to see what we were worth. The only way she could do that was through time.
I hoped.
Ten minutes passed by as I repeatedly checked my phone, waiting for her answer. Maybe she was caught up and couldn’t check her messages. Breathing deep, I hopped out of my truck and headed around the side of the building to the entrance of the bar.
It was near impossible to get inside. It seemed like every tourist on the strip had scurried their way inside to get out of the rain. It took me a few minutes of squeezing and worming through, but when I made it up to the bar, I flagged the first person I saw.
“Hey, hotshot,” the bartender said as soon as she stalked up to me. I vaguely remembered her from the night I’d been in there, piecing together that it had to be Sandra from the thin, blonde hair and the oversized chest swelling over the deep V of her shirt.
“Is Andy here?” I asked, looking past her.
Sandra rolled her eyes and pushed off the bar. “No. She left with her son about thirty minutes ago. I doubt she’ll be back.”
I scratched my forehead as my stomach twisted.
Sandra started to walk away, but I called out, “She asked me to come get Charlie. Are you sure she left?”
Her hip cocked out as she reached for a bottle of something under the bar. “As sure as the rain pouring outside.”
I backed away from the bar, trying to make sense of everything. She wouldn’t ask me to come, and then leave without mentioning it. I knew she didn’t want to see me anymore… but she wasn’t the type to play games.
Reaching for the door handle, I stopped when a man near the exit said, “Hey, man. You were in here a few weeks back with Andy’s brother, right?”
I recognized him as the bouncer. “Yeah.”
“You here for her?”
I nodded.
He jutted his chin to the door. “She left a little bit ago. There was a dude in here giving her problems. I offered to find her a ride, but she was in a rush to get out of here. The guy stormed out right after. There was something off about him.” He tugged at the hair on his chin. “About the way Andy was around him… almost as if she were scared.”
Fear kicked me in the gut. “What did the guy look like?”
His voice drifted away from me as he described Matt. My fingers curled into my palms, the skin pulling tight against my knuckles.
“Anyway, I thought you should know,” he finished just as a woman approached him, asking him to assist her with getting a ride.
“Thanks,” I muttered as I headed back into the rain. I jogged to my truck and got in, hands gripping the steering wheel as I stared through the blurred window. Without thinking, I dialed her number and pressed the phone to my ear.
It went straight to voice mail.
“Fuck,” I shouted as I banged my fist against the steering wheel. I put the truck in drive and peeled out of the parking lot, heading for Andy’s apartment.
With barely a soul on the streets, it only took a minute to reach her place. I parked and jumped out, running for the front door. Taking the steps two at a time, I ended up in the middle of the hallway, trying to decide which end was Andy’s. I knew she lived on the second floor from the conversations we’d had, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember which number it was. I opted for the doorway at the end of the hallway.
I raised my fist and knocked. Stood back as my heart pounded at the base of my throat.
A sliver of an older man’s face appeared through the crack of the opened door. “Yes?”
“Shit. Sorry. Wrong apartment,” I said when I realized it wasn’t hers.
I jogged the hallway and knocked on the other door, bouncing on my toes in anticipation. Please. Just open the door and tell me that you and Charlie are fine.
The seconds passed by like the looming swing of a pendulum. I knocked again, telling myself that maybe she was in the shower, but the sick feeling in my gut told me otherwise. Pressing my ear to the door, I listened.
Not a peep.
I stepped back, running my hands over my face as I paced in circles, trying to think of what to do. My hand shook as I pulled my phone out and dialed Mr. Hale’s number.
He answered on the second ring. “Dean?”
“Mr. Hale, hi, sorry to bother you.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Andy… I think something happened,” I rushed out as I headed down the stairs.
“What is it?” he asked, alarmed.
“I was supposed to pick Charlie up from the bar—”
“The bar?” he cut over me.
“Yes… the woman who watches Charlie passed away.” I heard a sharp intake of air as I continued. “Listen, I was supposed to pick him up, but when I got there, she was already gone. She didn’t tell me she changed plans. On the way out, the bouncer told me Matt was there. He said he was giving Andy a hard time.”
I stopped as what I just said sank in.
“I think he has her.”
There was silence on the other end. “Did you go by her apartment?”
I closed my eyes. “She isn’t here.”
“Shit,” he cursed, sounding muffled. His voice returned. “Okay, when we hang up, I want you to call the police and tell them what you told me. Make sure you report that he has a restraining order filed against him. I’ll make some calls in the meantime. We’ll figure this out.” He paused. Inhaled. “Andy is tough. If he did take her, there’s no way he’ll get far.”
He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince me.
“Call me if you hear anything,” he added.
“I will,” I swore. When the call ended, I did as he said and explained in detail what happened to the operator on the other end. I was assured someone would be looking into it. That a sheriff would be dispatched to where I was so I could brief him on the situation.
A wave of helplessness crashed over me. I pushed my fist against the wall, trying to refrain from punching a hole clean through as I tapped my forehead against it again and again and again. If he lays a single fucking hand on her, I thought as I ground my teeth so hard my jaw ached.
My phone buzzed in my hand, and I looked down, hoping it was the sheriff. Two notifications rippled across the screen.
Wolfspirit10 has invited you to play a game on Words with Friends.
Wolfspirit10 has sent you a message.
That was Charlie’s gaming name. I slid the notification and waited for the app to open, pulse throbbing in my neck. He’d played the word story for eighteen points. I went straight for the message.
Help. My dad took us. We’re on the I-40 and just passed the art institute.
They were heading east. “Good job, Charlie,” I said, barely keeping my fingers steady as I typed back:
I’m coming. Hang in there. If you hear or see anything, tell me. I need the exit number you take. Pay attention to the streets you turn on. If you get the chance, call 911.
He didn’t respond, so I took a screen shot and sent it to Andy’s dad, telling him I was going after them. They weren’t too far ahead of me. I didn’t want to wait to give details when I could be out there. I rushed to my truck. Once the engine roared to life, I booked it for the highway, determined to find them.
One way or another I would. When I did, Matt would regret the day he was born.