Graham, Welles, and a blond man who could’ve been Chris Hemsworth’s body double in Thor stepped through the door of The Gallows. (Given the amount of muscles on display, he’d have no difficulty picking up the mythological hammer.) They’d barely cleared the threshold when Socks tore out of my arms and barreled toward them. His furry body slammed full-tilt into the blond behemoth’s legs. Besides a teensy twitch of his lips, the man showed no reaction to the fluffy assault.
“Hey, babe.” Graham nodded at Gwen, then swiveled his head in my direction. “Imogen. Florence.”
Flo waved. “Hello, boys.”
“Hi, Graham. Hi, Welles.” I clambered to my feet and turned to the man I hadn’t met. “Hi… Um, sorry, I actually don’t know you yet.”
“Sawyer,” the blond said succinctly. His eyes were a dreamy shade of blue. Not quite as blue as Cade’s, but…
A close second.
Stop thinking about Cade’s eyes, you obsessed loser.
Gwen flew across the shop to her boyfriend’s side. “Any news?”
Graham shook his head. His mouth was set in a frown. “Nothing yet.”
Gwen’s eyes filled with tears. “Nothing? How can there be nothing? He’s been missing almost twenty-four hours!”
“Baby. I’ll find him.” Graham leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. He gave good lip-brush. It looked almost as good as Cade’s.
Another close second.
Must. Stop. Thinking. About. Him.
God, I was so screwed.
“What are you doing here?” Gwen asked when Graham pulled away from her.
“We were nearby. Figured you’d be here. Guessing those posters plastered around town are your handiwork?”
Gwen nodded, then gestured to me and Flo. “The three of us did it. We thought getting Rory’s face out there in the public eye might help someone remember something.”
“You thought right, baby.” He exhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. “We’ll take all the help we can get, at this point. It’s like the kid’s gone up in smoke. No sign of him anywhere. And, trust me… we’ve looked.”
Gwen appeared very close to losing the battle against her tears. “There must be some sign of him. Someone must’ve seen something. Or caught something on camera.”
“We’ve spent the day pouring over surveillance from all over the city, trying to pin down the kid’s last known location.” Graham’s eyes shifted to Sawyer briefly. “We’ll keep going through it but as of now, we have nothing. Either the kid wasn’t where his brother claims he was and we’re looking in the wrong location, or…”
“Or what?” Flo cut in.
Graham’s brow furrowed. “Someone grabbed him. Stuffed him in a car trunk and drove off, yanked him inside a house and hid him… No way of knowing.”
We all fell silent, brooding over that grim possibility.
“The longer he’s missing, the less of a chance he’s just lost somewhere,” Graham continued reluctantly. “The greater the chance…”
“Someone took him,” Gwen whispered.
Graham nodded.
“It is odd we haven’t found his bicycle,” Welles put in, in a bid for a silver lining. “Usually, if someone grabs a kid, they’re in a hurry. They wouldn’t take the bike with them. No point. Just more evidence you have to get rid of later along with the body.”
I pressed my eyes shut.
The body.
“Welles,” Graham clipped. “Think who you’re talking to right now.”