Page 62 of Between Regrets and Promises (Between Us Trilogy #2)

MASON

“Driving around isn’t doing us any good,” Hunter says from the back seat of the truck. “They could literally be anywhere.”

Liam agrees, and I stay busy scrolling through the text messages Dalton has sent over the past hour. Learning Sophie wasn’t at Weston’s nearly ripped my heart from my chest. I hoped he’d be there and make it easy for us to save her, but obviously, I underestimated him.

I’m not sure what the hell to do now or where to start.

I feel so fucking hopeless, but I refuse to give up.

Knowing what he’s done and what he’s doing now, I can’t risk calling my dad or the cops.

He’s smarter than any of us thought, and I think about how he must’ve orchestrated attending the grief meetings with the intention of befriending Sophie.

My thoughts wander to how he found her, and then I remember she went to Weston’s funeral, but Sophie didn’t even know he had a brother. But if Weston told Dalton, he could’ve sent him pictures or details of their relationship, for all she knows. He probably started stalking her that same weekend.

Being sweet and compassionate, she allowed him into her life without a second thought. I grit my teeth, growing angrier with every passing second, and swallow down the lump lodged in my throat.

“We should go to the house and try to figure out what the fuck to do next,” Liam suggests, but I’m so lost in my head that I don’t reply.

I’m angry and in shock that this is really happening.

I keep hoping I’ll wake up from this fucking nightmare.

I’d do anything to switch places with her right now, anything to take away the pain she’s enduring.

When we pull into the driveway of the house, Hunter’s phone rings. “It’s Lennon,” he says, forcing a smile as he answers.

“Hey, baby. What’s going on?” he greets, putting her on speakerphone.

I hear Lennon on the other line, not suspecting a thing, not knowing how much danger her sister is in, until she asks about Sophie. Hunter grows quiet, and Lennon calls him on it. Hunter tells her not to come over while explaining what’s going on. Lennon is as hysterical as I feel.

“I’m calling the cops.” Her words ring out.

“No!” Hunter grows more serious. “If you call the cops, you’re only putting her in more danger. We’re looking for her now. We’re gonna find her, and if we don’t soon, then we’ll get the authorities involved.”

Liam gets out of the truck, and I follow him inside as Hunter lingers outside, trying to calm her down.

“You need to call Jerad,” Liam tells me as he paces around the living room, brushing a frustrated hand through his hair. “See if he has any other information or what can be done. We’re losing time.”

I nod and do what he says. Jerad instantly answers the phone.

“Did you find her?” he asks.

“No,” I say, deflated. “Not yet. Do you have any more information?”

“Nothing other than the cell phone location,” he tells me, but I can hear him typing away on his computer.

“He keeps sending me pictures of her bruised and beaten, and it’s destroying me.

We went to Weston’s house since it was close to that tower, but all I found was her cell and a note from him.

Dalton cloned her phone so I’d get texts from her number, but the location took us to where the original phone was. ”

The line is silent.

“Jerad?”

“I don’t think you’re dealing with an amateur psycho here. He’s smarter than we think if he’s cloning phones and shit. That’s high-level kidnapping shit. This isn’t a game. You need to get the cops involved before something bad happens, Mason.”

I let out a deep breath, and Hunter walks in, angry as fuck. Not good.

“I can’t. He’s already threatened her life if any report is made, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s tracking those things or has a police scanner.

Hell, he probably knows I’m talking to you.

Fuck, Jerad. I think he’ll do it. I think he’ll kill her the second there’s a missing person report or anything involving Sophie being taken. ”

“I’ll call some guys and see what we can do without an official public alert. The police need to be looking for his car to make sure he’s not crossing state lines,” Jerad explains. “If I find out something, I’ll call you.”

I shove my phone into my pocket, and just like that, we’re back to where we started.

“Sorry,” Hunter says, shrugging. “I couldn’t lie to her. Lennon knows when I am anyway. But she said if we don’t find her in an hour, she’s calling the cops. She doesn’t give a shit what any of us say or think,” he tells me before looking at Liam.

“Fan-fuckin’-tastic.” Liam deadpans. “That’s the last thing we need.”

Hunter releases a breath. “When it comes to her sister, she doesn’t care. I asked her not to call Maddie because we don’t need two hysterical Corrigan sisters.”

I nod, agreeing. Thankfully, Maddie is safe at home and doesn’t suspect a thing. It needs to stay that way.

“What do we know about this guy?” Liam asks. “Do we know where he works? Where he’s from? Would he have taken her out of the city? Jesus fuck. She could be anywhere.”

Liam’s panicking is making me even more edgy because he’s right.

He took her somewhere between them dropping off Maddie before their meeting to when he first texted two hours later.

He could’ve driven her out to the middle of nowhere for all we know.

“Everything I know is probably lies anyway, so all we have confirmed is what Jerad’s told us.

He was living in LA before Weston died,” I explain, clamping my hands behind my head as I try to think of more.

“It’s a five-hour drive, so he didn’t take her there. ”

“And what do we know about Weston? Besides the obvious.” Hunter interrupts my frantic thoughts.

I rack my brain for the small pieces Sophie’s shared. “Late twenties. Had a record. Born and raised in Sacramento. They have a sister who lives in Tulsa.” I’m growing more frustrated. “This is doing us no good. We’re wasting time.”

“Do you want me to put a hit out on him?” Liam asks.

Hunter and I both turn and look at him, and I’m not sure if he’s being serious or not.

When I narrow my eyes, he eventually cracks a smile, but considering his job, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows the people to do that.

He probably has friends in low places with some shady contacts, so I don’t ask any questions.

He rolls his eyes, then finally tells us he’s joking, but I’m not convinced.

I’m at a loss, so much so that I’m almost tempted to call my father and get him involved.

As much as it fucking pains me to need his help, maybe he can do something.

Maybe he can call out a search without it being put into the system.

He is friends with the chief of police after all.

If we can’t find her in the next hour, I’m going to do what I have to do, as much as I don’t want to. But I have no options left.

“What’re you thinking?” Liam asks.

“I’m gonna call my dad.”

Hunter shakes his head. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Considering his father’s in politics as well, he knows how critical the situation will get if I do this.

“What other choices do we have? He has connections that Jerad doesn’t, and I’m out of ideas,” I nervously admit.

I’m more desperate than I’ve ever been in my entire life.

I’ll do whatever it takes to save her. If all I have to do is take my father’s berating and swallow my pride to find Sophie, then it’s more than worth it.

“He won’t be quiet. Searching for her won’t be swept under the rug. Your father will try to act like the hero and save your ass and the day, like he typically does. It’s a bad fucking idea,” Hunter disagrees. “And you know it.”

I release a frustrated huff and run my fingers through my hair.

Time’s running out. Every minute she’s with him is one fucking minute too long.

At this point, maybe we should drive around town and search every neighborhood, back alley, and warehouse until we find his car.

I pace around the living room, trying to figure out where the hell he could’ve taken her.

There’s no way they left Sacramento, not considering the amount of time it took for him to send me the first pictures of Sophie. They have to be in the city.

When I’m close to giving up all hope, Dalton sends another photo of my sweet Sophie, and I nearly hurl when I see she looks even worse than before.

However, this time it’s not a closeup picture.

I can see more of what’s behind her and notice a sculpture I’ve seen dozens of times before. Recognition flashes across my face.

“Holy. Shit.” I breathe out as relief floods through me.

“What is it?” Liam asks.

I take my phone to him and show off the picture. “Sophie,” he says, defeated, but then I tell him to look closer. Pinching the screen, he zooms into the background.

“Holy fuck!” Liam slams his hand on my back. “Is that what I think it is?”

Hunter rushes over, narrowing his eyes on the screen. “What the hell is that?”

For the first time all night, I feel hopeful.

“That’s a goddamn black dildo sculpture, and it just saved the fucking day,” I say.

“What does that mean?” Hunter asks, thoroughly confused.

“It means we know exactly where the fuck she is,” Liam tells him, taking the gun out of his pants and chambering a round. Now that we know where she is, we have to go get her as quickly as possible.

“Dude, where?” he asks, and I can see he’s growing anxious like the rest of us.

“That motherfucker is right across the street. Kilan has been trying to sell the house for the past few months and has all these weird-ass sculptures inside. It’s shaped like a giant dick with a mushroom head.

I’ve only seen that big dildo-looking sculpture once in my life, and it was in that house.

It can’t be a coincidence. He’s probably been spying on us from there for weeks. ”

Hunter’s eyes widen. “Seriously? She’s that close?”