“What do you mean she’s gone?” Dale asked less than an hour later. They’d only been gone a few hours. Returning early enough, they’d hoped to still catch her in bed.

As Sebastian tripped down the stairs, he shrugged. “Bed’s empty and cold. She’s not upstairs.”

“Or on this floor,” Mike added.

“She left? Why would she do that?” Dale frowned. “Didn’t you leave her a note?” he asked Mike.

“I did.”

“You mean this note?” Sebastian held it up and read it. “Had fun. Had to run. Later.”

Dale’s brow’s shot up. “Did you seriously not put anything else? Like, hey, there’s coffee in the cupboard, a spare toothbrush in the bathroom? We’ll see you in a few hours?”

Mike shrugged. “I condensed it.”

“For a shrink, you’re awfully clueless. She more than likely took off, thinking we’re assholes who just used her for sex.”

“Instead of being pissed at me, how about being mad at the idiots outside who didn’t see her leaving?” Mike jabbed a finger in their direction.

“Oh, I intend to speak to them.” With his fist. Dale had given them one simple task. Just one. Watch over Brenda. And they’d failed miserably. Worse, they had no idea where she’d gone.

“Well, this isn’t how I’d planned to spend our day.” Dale eyed the box of pastries and the tray of coffees they’d grabbed on their way home. Getting called in for a debriefing in the middle of the night about their role in the demon affair wasn’t his idea of a good time. Especially since it took hours, as the wizards felt a need to question everyone and everything more than once.

“Don’t freak out, bro.” Sebastian held up his hands in a cool-it gesture. “No big deal. She probably had shit to do, so she took off. It is a work day. She could even be in her office. We’ll track her down.”

“At her office without any fresh clothes?” Mike mused aloud, “She’d go home first.”

“Or,” Dale added, “maybe she went to pick up her truck from the garage? Which one did you send it to?”

At the blank look on Sebastian’s face, a sinking feeling filled Dale’s stomach. “Mike, please tell me you at least thought to have it moved from the Peabodys’ place?”

The ashen features on his friend’s face answered that question.

“Surely, she wouldn’t have returned there.” Dale said it and immediately groaned.

Mike echoed it. “Of course she would because she’s a moron.”

“I’m sure she’d label it fearless.” Sebastian chuckled. “She certainly is a handful.”

More than a handful, and oh so precious to Dale, to all of them, especially after last night.

“We’re assuming she went to get it. Perhaps we’re freaking out for nothing. Maybe she just went home.” Sebastian tossed out a likely scenario.

“Without money?” Dale still had her purse.

“But did you think to shake down her clothes for a phone? You can pay for a lot of things, including a cab, with a simple tap these days.”

“You’re not helping,” Dale growled.

“How about we call her phone and see if she answers?” Mike provided the voice of reason.

The phone rang and rang and rang, finally getting answered by the voicemail. “You’ve reached my awesome ass, but I’m too busy to answer you right now, so leave a message, and if you’re hot, I’ll get back to you.”

Hanging up, Dale sighed. “Now what?”

“I’ll go check her place,” Sebastian offered.

Mike shook his head. “We need to start thinking instead of reacting, which means, before we run off half-cocked, why don’t we call her best friend?”

But reacting felt so much better than thinking about what might have happened. It wasn’t just demons and the Peabodys they had to worry about, but the collective, too. Dale and the others had fended off their queries about Brenda, but that didn’t mean those bastards wouldn’t act behind their backs.

Mike’s idea had merit, though. Dale dialed Chloe, who answered on the second ring. “Hello.”

“Have you heard from Brenda?” He skipped the pleasantries.

“Is something wrong?” Chloe’s pleasant tone turned sharp with worry.

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. We left Brenda somewhere safe, only she managed to escape, and now we’re trying to find her.”

“Sounds like Brenda. Hold on. Let me find her phone with my app. It’s how we keep tabs on each other in case we get kidnapped by men who want to use us for our epic bodies.”

“They’d die.” A claim uttered in the background on Chloe’s end.

“Painfully.” Another comment.

Dale could understand the sentiment. He was feeling pretty dangerous right about now.

Chloe made a noise. “Oh dear.”

While he could probably guess why she said it, Dale still had to ask. “Where is she?”

“The Peabodys’ house.” Chloe then went on a rant. “Why does she do this to me? I told her not to go there. It’s dangerous. I swear she’s trying to turn me gray.” Then she burst into tears.

The phone got passed to someone else.

A brusque, “Get your ass over there pronto to find her,” from Pete.

“We’re leaving.”

No question, but they would go find her.

They piled into Mike’s car, Dale taking shotgun. As his usually calm and collected bro took the corners at deadly speeds, his phone rang.

Dale answered it, despite the fact that the display showed private caller. “Lost and Found Kennels, where we sniff crotches for free.”

“Your attempts at humor are falling flat. What a surprise.”

“Who is this?”

“Where is the female?”

Only one man he’d recently met had that pompous tone. “Why are you looking for her?” Because if the grand Whizziar searched for Brenda, it didn’t bode well.

“The why isn’t important. Do you have her in your custody? Information has come to light that makes it imperative she be kept away from the Peabody house at all costs.”

“And how bad would it be if I said that she might be there right now?”

Slam.

The abrupt hanging up had Dale’s blood turning cold. “Drive faster. Brenda’s in deep shit.”