Page 55 of Trustfall
“Don’t touch this needle,” I shouted at the guys. “I gotta grab something.”
I ran to the kitchen and rifled through the drawers until I found a box of Ziploc bags.
The guys had Malcolm loaded on the gurney, and whatever they’d done, I could see the color returning to his cheeks. “Tell me he’ll be good.”
“He needs overnight observation. Once his levels are within a healthy range, he can return home.”
“Thanks for taking over. I gotta get this to Jaxon.” I waved the plastic bag in my hand.
It had been five hours without any leads, answers, or signs of Arizona.
The only thing we knew and had confirmation on was the needle I found tested positive for ketamine. Meaning she would have been rendered unconscious in under a minute. Totally incapacitated and vulnerable, all in the hands of some unknown psychopath.
My body was vibrating with anger and despair, with nowhere to channel it. I’d never felt so fucking helpless, so out of my mind with worry. It was all-consuming, as my brain couldn’t stop imagining all the godforsaken scenarios she could be in.
“Come and sit, son. You’re going to wear a hole in my carpet, and my wife picked it out, so there will be no replacing it.”
“How are you so calm?” I asked Arizona’s dad.
“While that might be the vibe I’m giving off, I’m far from it. I just . . .” He shook his head. “I can’t let myself go there. I haveto remain positive; I need to stay strong because, depending on what situation we get our girl back in, she’s going to need us.”
“I don’t know what I’ll do if—” I choked, raising my fist to my mouth as I bit back the emotions raging a war inside.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We need to stay positive.”
“None of this makes any sense. Did Ari ever say anything to you? Mention someone bothering her or any weird suspicious activity lately?”
Our town was small and often uneventful, although, after Lakelyn’s kidnapping, people were still a little on edge.
“No, not that I can think of, but you know her. She’s tough and can hold her own.”
“She guards herself too.”
“That she does. Arizona likes to keep people at arm’s length, sometimes even me, because she doesn’t want me to worry, but I see her. A parent always knows.”
My phone vibrated on the couch cushion beside me.
Jaxon: Meet me at the station.
Me: Did you find Ari?
Jaxon: No, got a lead. Just get here.
“That was my brother. He’s got a lead. I’ll call you once I know what’s going on.”
“Jameson.” He stood from his recliner with a look of desperation swirling in his eyes. “Bring our girl home.”
“I’ll die trying, sir.”
I had Jaxon drop me off at Dustin’s place after we left Malcolm’s. I needed to be the one to tell him and make sure he was okay. The man had had his fair share of heartbreak, and it nearly broke me telling him that his daughter was now missing.Heck, he’d barely been back home after surviving the fire in the greenhouse.
The greenhouse.
What if the fire wasn’t an accident? I’d been so consumed with Arizona that I was out of the loop on where the fire investigation stood, and as I sprinted down Main Street toward the police station, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a connection.
When I arrived, my lungs burned with adrenaline, and my head filled with endless what-ifs.
“Took you long enough,” Jaxon mocked.
