Page 163 of Ly to Me

I got into my car and turned the key that’d been left in the ignition, then drove to the facility. I got through the two gates, and parked next to the first vehicle I saw, then banged on the door. A man a little younger than me opened it from the inside, his hair going every which way.

“Mrs. Roland?”

“My husband inside?”

His forehead wrinkled as he stepped outside, closing the door behind him. “Is he inside?” he repeated slowly.

Agitation churned my empty stomach. “That is what I asked, yes.”

“Um…”

I pressed the back of my hand to my head. “Jesus, you too?”

“Me too?”

“I suspect you’re Leo. So, I need you to call Carver.”

“I am.” Leo scratched the back of his head. “Not really supposed to use my phone on duty, though.”

I clenched my fists at my sides. I’d heard him answering his phone on duty before. I was in the same truck as Carver had been when he cleared The Sanctuary for us. “Is he in there, yes or no?”

“Maybe?”

I nudged into his shoulder and tried pushing the door open, but Leo barred my entry with his arm.

“Move,” I gritted out through my teeth.

Leo almost looked concerned, though for his job or for me, I wasn’t sure. “Did he say he was working today?”

“I said—”

“Listen.” Leo lowered his voice and glanced up toward a camera. Sighing, he dropped the arm that barred me. “I don’t know where he is but it ain’t here. I haven’t seen him or his truck today.”

I scanned the parking lot from where I stood. “Oh.” How’d I miss that? Because I was busy going crazy, that’s how. “You have access to the cameras?”

Leo shook his head. “Not the ones around your property. The boss would kill me if I saw—” He cleared his throat. “No. I don’t.”

I flexed my fingers out, trying to ease the slight tremor in my hand. “Can you try calling him? Please? He won’t answer for me.”

Leo hung his head and shook it. When he straightened, he was putting his phone on speaker. The line rang and rang with no answer. “Did you try the bar?” As I shook my head, he flipped through his phone, clicked the word ‘bar’ and set that call on speaker.

No answer.

“Grant? Hayes?” he asked.

“Hayes wouldn’t tell me, so I came here.”

“Oh.” Leo’s phone disappeared into his pocket, like what I said finally made it all make sense. “Why don’t you wait for him?”

“I’m not waiting around like some dog.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” His hands waved frantically between us as he eyed the camera again. “Look, obviously I can’t tell you what to do. But your husband wouldn’t disappear on you. He’ll be back.”

I unthreaded the fingers I’d been twisting. What no one else had running through their head was how the cops had come to our door, and then Jamie signed those papers. Chet found a way to get to me, who was to say someone didn’t do the same to Car? What if—

“I’m not sure if this helps, but I’ve never met a more capable person than your—hey, where are you goin’?”

“To find my husband.”