Page 139 of Off-Limits

“She didn’t make it.”

“What do you mean she didn’t make it?”

“I mean, I haven’t heard from her today, and I’m starting to feel sick about it.”

“You’ve called her?”

I nod. “And the restaurant. She didn’t show up today.”

“Fucking hell.” Damon grouses, moving away from me as he starts pacing.

“Have you rung Adam?”

“Yeah, and Connor.”

“And?” he asks, looking at me frantically.

“They haven’t seen her,” I say, swallowing a sob. “Not since last night. They are both worried about her as well.”

Grabbing his keys and phone, he instructs me to grab mine but just as we are heading out the door his starts to ring. Looking at each other, vomit claws at my throat and my stomach drops when I see Arrie’s number, knowing something is terribly wrong.

Damon answers the call and puts it on speaker.

“Baby girl, where are you?”

“Dad…” she says, her words cutting off.

“Arriana, where are you?”

“Dad, please, I need you to come and get me,” Arrie says quickly.

“Ok, ok,” Damon says carefully. “Where are you?”

The line goes silent.

“Baby girl?”

Her cry breaks through the line, and I swallow the fear festering and bubbling at the surface as a tear slides down my face. Damon’s wild eyes meet mine, the trepidation he must be feeling evident in the way he quickly closes this distance between us and grips onto my hand like a lifeline and I squeeze his return.

“Arriana?”

“I’m at mum’s, please hurry!”

And then the line goes dead.