Page 79 of Still Afraid

“How can the community rally around you?”

“I am blessed to have family nearby, but not everyone is so fortunate. People need food, basic living items, toiletries, pillows, clothes. They require practical help, like clearing debris from their yards.”

Chloe stepped back from the microphone.

An alarm screamed. The fire alarm. What was happening?

She met Josh’s eyes and moved toward him.

Tripp touched her arm. “We need to get out of here.”

She pulled away. “I will. Going out with Josh though. Thanks.”

Pushing past him, she jumped off the stage and joined Josh and Poirot. The closest exit was through the hallway.

Josh put the hand not holding Poirot’s leash on the small of her back, and they moved with the crowd out the door and into the hallway.

The alarm continued to scream. Chloe covered her ears as they walked underneath one of the alarms.

Josh grabbed her elbow and directed her along.

Wait. It wasn’t Josh.

Whoever grabbed her yanked her down a hallway away from Josh.

“Josh!” she yelled, but he didn’t hear her.

Something jabbed into her side. A voice shouted in her ear, “Come with me.”

“No.” She tried to rip her arm away, but the person had too great a grip. And they were so close behind her she couldn’t turn and see who it was.

The thing in her side pressed harder. Was that a gun?

Chapter Thirty-One

Josh reached for Chloe. But she wasn’t there. He spun.

People crowded all around him, flowing out the door. His heart thundered. Where was she?

“Chloe!”

He tugged Poirot’s leash to bring the dog back close to his side. “Where’s Chloe?”

The lab darted his gaze back and forth, scanning the scores of people around him.

Poirot barked. Josh barely heard him over the fire alarm.

“Find Chloe!”

Poirot barked again and tugged on his leash. They headed back into the crowd, into a hallway, and back out. The dog definitely had her scent. They just needed to catch up with wherever she’d gone. Had the crowd simply gotten in between them and pushed them apart? Surely that’s all this was.

Josh’s gut told him he was dead wrong. Jesus, protect her and help me find her.

They pressed back through the crowd still working its way outside.

Why were there so many people at this event? Had this thing been orchestrated to get Chloe?

He shut the thoughts down. Finding Chloe was the only thing that mattered.