Page 76 of The Denver Alpha
Without any leads, I’m driving the city streets aimlessly, my heart in my throat and panic seeping in with every minute that passes without news of her whereabouts. I’m known for being calm under pressure, but right now, I’m anything but. This all feels too familiar.
What if I lose her before I ever really had her?
I’m not an idiot, I know why my sister asked me if Juliet was staying for the full moon. She must think she’s my mate, and the full moon is the only way to confirm that one way or the other. I didn’t want to think about the possibility of us being fated before, didn’t want to consider it- but now that Juliet’s possibly in danger, it’s all I can think about.
Is my future about to go up in smoke for a second time?
My heart’s pounding, palms sweaty against the steering wheel. I’m not sure what good will come from me driving around like this, but I can’t just sit around and do nothing knowing that Juliet’s missing. The police chief said he was on it, that he’d make calls to his officers and find out who picked her up, but so far, I haven’t heard back from him. And I feel like I’m going crazy waiting.
I startle at the shrill ring of my phone through the speakers of my car, yanked from my circular thoughts by an incoming call. When I look down to see that it’s the chief, I let out a breath I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding and hit the button to answer.
“Tell me you’ve got some good news.”
“Depends on what you consider good,” the chief replies, his voice coming through the car speakers. “She’s not here, but I know who she’s with. Seems your friend’s sister has someone else looking out for her. Boyfriend, maybe? New guy in town. Gavin Holley.”
My fingers tighten around the steering wheel, my blood turning to ice in my veins.
“Cole?”
“Yeah, I know him,” I growl, my heart tripping over its valves.
This is worse than I thought. Gavin has an axe to grind with me, and if he’s taken Juliet, it’s because he means to use her against me somehow.
“My guys just got back here after dropping her off with him,” the chief continues, though it’s a miracle I hear him through the blood rushing to my ears. “She was never booked, just like last time. This’ll all go away. Now as to the issue of your liquor license…”
“Which officers?” I interrupt.
“I beg your pardon?”
I’m clutching the steering wheel so hard that my knuckles are white. “Which officers picked her up?” I demand. “I want names. If anything happens to her…”
“Why would anything happen to her?” the chief asks, sounding genuinely confused by my line of questioning.
I’m caught between hesitation at giving away too much and needing to give him something to convey how dire this situation is. Depending on how things go down, I may need his help.
“Juliet’s not Gavin’s girl,” I grind out, drawing a deep breath and flexing my fingers around the steering wheel. “She’smine. Gavin and I had a disagreement over business, but I never expected him to take it to extremes like this.”
“Shit,” the chief hisses under his breath.
“Did they say where they brought her?”
“No, I… I’ll get that information for you, and I’ll…”
The chief’s still stammering as I hear the beep signaling another incoming call, Sam’s name flashing across the screen.
“Find out,” I bark, my finger hovering over the button to switch calls. “And chief? I want this kept quiet. I have another call coming in that I have to take but get back to me as soon as you know something.”
“Of course, I’ll…”
I mash the button to switch calls before he can finish, connecting to Sam.
“I know where she is,” I breathe, struggling to keep my composure.
“Oh, good. Are you headed back here then?”
The lack of urgency in his tone gives me pause. I shake my head in an effort to clear my racing thoughts, hitting the brakes as the stoplight at the intersection in front of me turns red. “What? Where?”
“The packhouse. She just walked in.”