Page 56 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

“So heissick.” My stomach twisted like I had plunged a knife deep within.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“It’s not my place to tell you. You need to ask her, but first we need to find her.”

Damn it, I’d handled this all wrong. “Did you call her cell?”

She nodded. “It’s still in her room.”

“Okay, let’s search the house, then.”

“I’ll call Paul. He can help us look.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Even as I tried to reassure us, worry niggled at me. It wasn’t like Lily to take off and not at least tell Ms. Ketill where she’d gone.

“Right. She couldn’t have left the house without a car.” Ms. Ketill grabbed her phone and punched in Paul’s number.

“I’ll start a sweep through downstairs while you get ahold of Paul.”

She nodded to let me know she’d heard me, then let Paul know what was going on when he answered his cell phone.

I left my office with guilt ripping at me. It was my fault she was hiding from us. I’d told her to get out. Threatened to tell the university that she lied. Of course, she didn’t want to be found.

At least not by me.

I had just finished searching the small sunroom when I heard Ms. Ketill shriek my name. The panic in her voice nearly stopped my heart. My chest tightened as an overwhelming sense of dread flooded my body. I broke out into a run, sweat beading my skin, afraid of what I’d find.

It was all my fault if Lily got hurt.

I followed the sound of Ms. Ketill’s voice to the kitchen. “Did you find her?”

She shook her head.

The back door hung open, and a drenched Patches whined up at us from the threshold, refusing to come in. “Patches was in the house earlier when I sent you to get Lily for dinner. He followed you upstairs. If neither you nor I let him out, then that just leaves Lily.”

I struggled to draw in my next breath as the boulder sitting on my chest grew heavier intensifying the tightness. I rubbed above my ribcage to ease the ache and looked out into the inky black night. There was no way she’d go out in this, right?

My gaze flickered to the dog and back to the trees surrounding the property. Had I lived up to my name and forced her to flee? The woods were dangerous at night and with a storm like this she could be hurt or lost on the property.

With only the three of us to search, it could take days before we found her. And that might be too late. I drew in a ragged breath.

Patches whimpered. I knelt on the floor, looking the trembling dog in the eyes. “Do you know where Lily is?”

He whined and looked out at the backyard.

Fuck!

Why hadn’t I listened to her? Like the Beast I’d been named after, I’d gone into a ridiculous rage at her admission. If I’d only taken a second to hear her protests, she’d be safe inside the house.

“I’m going out there to look for her.” I wouldn’t rest until I brought her back.

Ms. Ketill opened a nearby cabinet and handed me a large flashlight and tossed a coat to me. “Once I talk to Paul, we’ll meet you outside to search for her.”

“Send out Paul. You stay inside,” I demanded and put my coat on.

“I’m not staying in here when I could be useful out there.” She glared at me.