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Rowan kept checking behind her, looking for the man following her. It had been Charles. She was sure it had been Charles.

She wasn't safe. She had to find a way to hide. Somewhere he would never look.

She turned down the side street and then ducked into an alley. She hid behind a dumpster, watching for the man to pass. Could she go behind him and disable him? Maybe. But he had to walk past, and he hadn't yet. Where was he?

After a few minutes, she sank back against the wall, trying to piece together everything she knew. She’d been in the coffee shop when the man had come in. A shiver slid down her spine. It had been him, right?

Had she really seen Charles? She closed her eyes, trying to remember. A noise sounded at the end of the alley. Her eyes flashed open. Someone was there, stalking her. Was that him?

She took off, racing away. Her path twisted past apartments and residential streets. She ran by a line of shops, trying to escape the man following her. He was wearing a different hoodie now, but she knew it was him. She had to get away, or she would end up trapped again.

The path twisted and turned, dumping her at a park. She moved to the deepening shadows under a tree. The sun would be setting soon, and darkness would hide her from anyone looking for her.

A man walked past on the street, and she moved deeper into the shadows. A harsh wind blew, chilling her to the bone. She could stand the cold, but she knew she wouldn't last if Charles got her again.

Shine stood outside the coffee shop, studying the area. His heart hurt, and his head ached. How the fuck would he find Rowan? He had no intelligence on where she might go or what she would do. There wasn't a network of people he could rely on to give him information. He was on his own.

Squat ended the call he’d been on. “The police won’t start looking until she’s been gone for twenty-four hours. Even then, they will need a good reason to look. I don’t think they believe she’s at risk.”

“Fuck.”

Griz stepped over. “I sent a note to a group of retired SEALs. They’ll keep their eyes out. I know it’s not much, but we’ll find her.”

Shine appreciated their efforts, but he feared it wouldn’t be enough. She could end up in real trouble if they didn’t find her soon. The streets of San Diego weren’t the worst, but the city could be unkind to people who weren’t prepared for the harsh realities of the mean streets.

“Two to a car,” Sharp said. “I’ll go with Shine. Pair up, and we’ll keep in contact. Griz, if you hear anything, get the information to us.”

"Got it," Griz said. "Apple, you drive us."

That left Jay and Squat to go together. Sharp led Shine to his car. He appreciated them working together to search for Rowan. If they didn’t find her, he wasn’t sure what they would do.

He had texted a neighbor, asking them to inform him if Rowan came home. The older couple were busybodies and knew everyone and everything that happened on their street. If Rowan showed up, they would send a note.

The sun was starting to go down, and they weren’t any closer to finding Rowan. Griz hadn’t heard a word, and none of the guys had seen her. Every city block they covered made him more nervous, not less.

They’d divided up the area, each of them taking about ten blocks. He and Sharp were almost done with the area they were searching. The sun was gone, and the streetlights weren’t enough to see into the shadows.

“We’ll find her,” Sharp said again for about the twentieth time.

Shine was starting to doubt if they ever would. They’d been at it for hours, and his hope was fading.

“Let’s regroup,” Sharp said.

“Where? I’ll send a text.”

“The lot of the library. It’s not too far.”

“Sure.” Shine sent the text, hoping the guys weren’t ready to give up. He wouldn’t blame them. Searching for Rowan was his thing. He was responsible for her running, not them.

They pulled into the lot of the now-closed library, depression threatening to drown him.

About five minutes later, the other cars pulled into the lot. None of them had any luck. They needed to change tactics. As he stepped from the car, thunder rolled in the distance. Just what they needed, a storm was rolling in.

“We need to find her. The storm will hit, making this worse.”

Griz pulled his phone from his pocket. “I still haven’t heard anything from my contacts.”

Apple palmed his chin and ran his fingers over his beard then tapped his chin. "Something frightened her. We don't know where she is or what she is doing. She has no credit cards or money, and she left her phone back in the coffee shop. Maybe she's heading home to her place."

Shine shook his head. “She doesn’t feel safe there. That’s where the initial attack happened. I should have done more to help her.”

Apple squeezed his shoulder. “Hey, there’ll be time to beat yourself up later. Focus now.”

Apple’s words were harsh, but right. There would be time later to freak out for now, he needed to concentrate on finding Rowan.

“What do we do?”

Squat shrugged. “She has no money or credit cards. Where would someone who has no money sleep?”

“An alley or park.”

“Where is the nearest park?” Griz asked as he tapped on his phone screen.

Shine glanced over and saw Griz was searching for parks in the map application.

“I’ll look for close shelters,” Apple said.

“We should go back to her office, see if she went there,” Sharp added.

“Thank you, guys. I thought you would give up.”

Griz grunted. “Heck no. We’d never give up.”

Jay pulled out his phone. “Nichole just texted. She and Danika are going to drop by her office and her old place. They’re looking in the area where your house is.”

“Tell them thank you. That I really appreciate it.”

Jay lifted his chin. “I will. We’ll find her.”

Shine didn’t know what to do, but having his buddies help him look would make all the difference. As the night grew longer, he was resigning himself to the fact they might not find her before morning. It might take more time to locate her than he wanted, but he would find her.