“There’s a house, Dalton,” I said, my stomach twisting in knots. “Out in the woods, there’s an old house. It looks like someone might live there.”
Someone who wanted to protect the secret of what was really going on in those woods, I though. But I couldn’t say that—not without explaining more than I cared to.
For a long moment, Dalton glared past me and into the woods. I wasn’t sure whether he could tell I was withholding something, but it was clear that a bit of his ease melted away.
His teeth ground together, and his jaw set. “I’ll look into that.”
***
Although Dalton and Lulu insisted on me going to the hospital, the choice was ultimately mine. They settled for me heading back to Lulu’s house with both of them to keep an eye on me.
One the ride home, I learned that I wasn’t the only person who went missing last night; there was one other woman—a real estate agent and mother of three—who disappeared while walking her dog a few hours before they found my car. Her name was Rachel, and judging by Dalton’s description of her, she looked a lot like me.
Of course.
We pulled up in front of Lulu’s house, the events of the previous night chasing so close behind me that I shivered at the sight of the woods stretching across Lulu’s backyard, just past the fence Dalton had parked in front of. He came around to my side of the car and opened the door, while Lulu let herself out and headed up the path to unlock the front door.
“Things are kind of falling apart around here,” he said, taking my hand and guiding me out of car much more than I actually needed. “This is the third woman, not counting you, who’s vanished in the last month.” He shook his head. “Throw in the woman found in your nightclub and the lady from the next county over who was mauled to death, and people are understandably on edge.”
“Well, that’s why you’re here, right?” I asked as he led me up the front steps and held the door open for me.
“I’m afraid it’s bigger than me now, Char,” he said. “People want to feel like they’re in control, especially when they’re not.”
He guided me through the door, as careful as if I was made of glass. Lulu was in the living room with Ester, the two whispering as not to wake Jack, who was sound asleep on the couch. Some cartoon movie about a genie and a magic lamp emanated a soft glow from the screen.
Great. My disappearance had completely uprooted Lulu’s quaint family life. I was supposed to be a help, not a burden. Ester glared at me as she carried Jack past us and up to his room.
“So now what?” I asked, turning back to Dalton. “You have to do something.”
He nodded emphatically. “We are, Char. I promise you. They town council held an emergency meeting this morning. Some of the townsfolk had concerns, and we’re going to institute a curfew for the woman in town.”
“What?” I asked, pulling my arm back from his gentle grasp. “A female-only curfew? Are these idiots living in the stone age?”
The idea of it, of basically segregating people because women weren’t strong or capable enough to fend for themselves, rubbed me every way but the right one.
“Perhaps.” Dalton winced, then added, “The notion passed nearly unanimously.”
I scoffed. “What kind of idiot would even suggest something like that?”
“The same kind that would hire you, I suppose.” His gaze slowly shifted from looking out the front window to my face. “It was your boss.”
Abram did this? Had he lost his mind?
“No. No he didn’t! He wouldn’t!”
What sort of chauvinistic asshole was I working for anyway?
“Char, please try to relax,” Dalton said, reaching for me once more. “You’ve been through enough.”
I huffed and stepped back. “Would you stop treating me like the five million dollar bra for a second?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but if that means—”
Ester strode right between us, a smug look on her face, and exited through the front door. Dalton glared after her, then shook his head and returned his attention to me.
“If that means I value you, then the answer is no,” he said. “No, I will not stop treating you like ‘the five million dollar bra’.” He smirked and stepped to close the distance between us. “You’ve been through hell. You’re dehydrated, you might be hurt, and you’re definitely in shock.”
As much as I wanted to be angry, right about now, I didn’t exactly mind the idea of a knight in shining armor swooping in to rescue me. And damn if that wasn’t what Dalton was trying to do.