at home either. His phone wasn’t receiving texts, but that wasn’t unusual. He had sketchy service from some company in Texas.
The upstairs apartment? Unlikely, but just in case, he jogged up the outdoor staircase and tapped on the door. No answer. He checked for the key that Kate used to leave under the mat, but it was gone.
Shoving aside all the hot memories of the time he’d spent behind that door, he ran back down the stairs.
Next theory: maybe Dylan was with S.G.. S.G.’s phone didn’t pick up either, so he called Denaina, who called for S.G. to come to the phone.
S.G. came on the line, a little breathless. “I was learning how to jump rope. Did you ever try that?”
“Oh yeah. That’s good exercise. Hey, have you seen Dylan?”
“No.” Sadness filled her voice. “He said goodbye yesterday. I cried last night.”
“I know what you mean. Okay, kiddo, if you see him, tell him to call me immediately.”
“I will.”
Shit. What now? This was starting to get strange. Dylan knew the plan to leave early. Should he reach out to Maya?
No, it was too soon to consider him officially “missing.”
But he could call the firehouse. Between the fifteen of them, the volunteer firefighters had connections in all parts of the community.
He dialed Nate Prudhoe’s number and explained the situation.
“We’re on it,” Nate said right away. “I’ll get the word out to everyone. We have eyeballs everywhere in this town. We’ll find him.”
Darius hesitated to ask his next question. “I know he’s not the most popular kid on the block—”
“Forget about that,” Nate said forcefully. “He’s a kid in Lost Harbor and that makes him our responsibility. Besides, he’s been doing a good job with his community service. Putting up with a ration of shit, too. People are noticing. Don’t worry, Darius. We got this. You do your thing. Have you called Petal to the Metal? He could be out there.”
“Thanks, Nate. I’ll do that. Let me know the second—”
“Of course.” Already calling out instructions to someone, Nate hung up the phone.
Darius reached the driveway of the duplex, with the Sun Seeker poised for departure. The thought of the entire volunteer fire department fanning out to find Dylan moved him deeply.
What if he was wrong about the town? What if they would come to accept his son, with all his flaws and bad acts?
Never mind that, first he had to find the kid. Next step, Petal to the Metal.
Steeling himself, he called the farm’s landline. Kate answered. The sound of her voice made his gut twist.
“Hi Kate, it’s Darius. Have you or Emma seen Dylan today?”
“It’s eight thirty in the morning.” Judging by the extra huskiness in her voice, she hadn’t slept well either.
“Yeah. Can’t find him. Sorry to bother you, I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
“Wait.” A rustling sound came from the other end of the line, then she spoke again. “Sorry, I had the cable wrapped around me. Landlines are such ancient relics, you know? So what’s going on? You think Dylan’s missing?”
He almost smiled at the image of her wrapped in the phone line—except he was too worried to actually smile. “Yes,” he said simply.
“You’re worried?”
He couldn’t lie. “Yes. We were scheduled to leave this morning and—”
“Where are you?”
“Fairview Court, but—”
“I’m on my way.”
Before he could object, tell her there was no need, she hung up.
Wild joy flooded through him. Kate was coming. He was going to lay eyes on her again. She was going to be next to him, at his side, lending her smarts and her fire and her spirit to the situation and that meant…it meant everything.
He checked inside the Sun Seeker again, but found no sign that Dylan had been in there. A quick run-through of his apartment offered no clues either. Every moment that passed, his fear ratcheted up.
It was the tail end of bear season, after all. Dylan could have had a run-in with a grizzly. He could be in the woods somewhere, bleeding out, in shock, with no service, or unconscious. Maybe he’d run into a porcupine and had quills stuck everywhere. Maybe—
Kate pulled up outside the house in Emma’s old Saab and flew out of the car. The sight of her tall form, with all that long dark hair and her worried bright eyes, sent a jolt of longing right down to his bones. She wore blue jeans and a gray knit top that clung to her curves.
God, how he wanted her. Still, even after she’d dismissed their relationship as a fun