Page 50 of Girl Long Gone

Connor followed Evelyn into Mark’s apartment, and exhaustion weighed him down. The last few days he’d been stuck on the same damn hamster wheel, searching for answers but finding none.

Porkchop jumped on Evelyn’s legs, barking and licking his excitement.

Evelyn bent forward to pet the top of his head, and Connor cradled his hands around her waist and brought her ass against him.

She straightened.

He slipped his fingers under her jacket and curled them into her tender sides. He dropped his face into her hair and inhaled the scent of her coconut shampoo. She was the one silver lining to this whole mess. He cradled her against him and savored the curve of her spine against his body.

“How’d it go with Simon? You didn’t say much earlier.” She slipped out of her jacket, folding it over her arm, then melted against him again.

“Turns out Gabriel and Lynette were in a secret relationship. I got a look at the case file, but there’s no mention of him. I called the lead detective on the case and left a voicemail. I want to find out if there was any suspicion around Gabriel. If there wasn’t, I need to know why.”

Evelyn twisted until her breasts pressed against his chest, and the rhythm of her heartbeat thumped below his. She tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around him, her jacket bunching against his back. “He’ll call soon.”

“I hope so. Time’s running out.”

“Can I do anything to help?”

He smiled as several ideas popped into his head, but he couldn’t dwell on them. They needed to focus on finding Gabriel. “There are a lot of ways you could help me, but none of them involve clothes, and I don’t have the proper time to devote to them. At least not right now.”

He gave Evelyn a kiss on the cheek then stood to retrieve the leash to walk Porkchop. His phone rang before he reached the door. “It’s an unknown number. Hopefully it’s the detective I called earlier.”

Connor pressed the phone to his ear. “Mitchel here.”

“Connor?”

His heart stopped beating as his sister’s sweet voice whimpered across the line. The leash slipped from his fingers. “Monica?”

“You need to come get me. Now.” She croaked the words as though her throat was too dry.

“Where are you? Are you safe? Is Gabriel nearby?” His momentarily frozen heart thundered painfully into action. Adrenaline shot through his veins as reality took hold. She was alive. And she needed him. Now.

Evelyn’s smile fell. “Where is she?”

Connor pressed his hand to his ear to better hear his sister. “Monica, tell me where you are.”

“I...I don’t know.” Her voice trembled and pitched with emotion. “He blindfolded me and threw me in a car. He stopped and pushed me out then took off. I’m near a river, and no one’s around. I see some old warehouses and crumbled rocks. There’s noise a few streets away, but I have no idea where I am.”

“Run toward the noise but stay as hidden as possible. If he’s close, make it hard for him to see you. Find someone to help you, find a place to hide. Figure out where the hell you are so I can get to you.”

“He said he didn’t have time to deal with me. He needed to get out of town.” Her words came out in rough gasps, assuring him she was running.

Connor tried to calm his erratic thoughts and focus. “Whose phone are you on?”

“I found it when I took off the blindfold. He might have thrown it from the car. I don’t know anything. I just need you to find me.”

Monica was within his grasp, but he was still so damn useless. How could he save her if he didn’t know where she was? “Get off the phone. If he left it, he can track you. But first we need to figure out where you are.”

He stared down into Evelyn’s concerned face. “Calm down,” she mouthed.

He nodded and dropped his hand to his side, keeping his gaze locked with Evelyn. “Walk toward noise or a group of people. Anything that will keep you safe in case Gabriel shows up.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened, and she tightened her grip on his arm.

“I’m running toward a busy street.” Her ragged breaths vibrated the speaker, and seconds stretched by like hours. “I see...oh my God I’m in Brooklyn. There’s a restaurant across the street. And people.” Monica laughed. “Tons of people. It looks like The Flying Pig, that restaurant in Williamsburg.”

“Go to the restaurant. Call the police. Stay there. I’m coming.”