Page 42 of Malice
He was pulling on his riding boots when his phone rang. He snatched it up without bothering to look at who it was.
“What did you find out?”
“Nobody’s seen her today. They assumed she was home, but the last time anyone saw her was breakfast this morning.”
“I’m going to town to look for her. Can Jake locate her phone? Maybe that will help me find her.”
“I’ll call him. You can take my truck. The keys are in it.”
“Thanks. I was going to take my bike, but the truck is probably better.” He didn’t want to think about what could have happened to delay her. What might be happening to her right now if that fucker decided he would take her again. It would be best to have something she could sit in comfortably, just in case she was hurt in some way.
Even the thought of Bonnie being hurt made him want to beat the fuckwad to a bloody pulp. He hated the idea, but he had to be prepared for whatever he might find, because he would find her. Not finding her wasn’t an option.
Malice got in the truck and headed to town, hoping the whole way he’d find her along the road, perfectly fine and something innocent had happened to delay her. The heavy weight of worry in his gut told him it was a useless hope, but he couldn’t stop. Hoping his instinct was wrong was all that kept him putting one foot in front of the other and not losing his mind with rage. He could do that after he had her back.
He made it to the highway without encountering either Bonnie or his pickup. Turning onto the highway, he cursed under his breath. He’d hoped she was just running late for whatever reason. It was still possible, but with every mile he made it from the ranch without finding her, the heavy weight of dread weighing down his belly grew heavier.
Malice backtracked the route Bonnie should have taken from her work to the ranch all the way to the hotel. When he reached the hotel, he found his truck sitting in the lot, as if she was still working. Had she had stay late for some reason? He thought she would have at least texted him if she had, but he parked and took a deep breath trying to calm himself before going inside. After several slow deep breaths, he gave up and got out of the truck anyway. If she was there, they’d have a laugh that he was overly concerned about her. After they got home later, he’d talk to her about making sure he knew when she was working late so it didn’t happen again.
He hoped she was there.
At the counter inside was a young woman who gave him a smile. “Can I help you?”
He checked her name tag. “Hi, Elizabeth. I’m looking for Bonnie. Is she here by chance?”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t seen her in quite a while.”
“Can you tell me when she left?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t give that information out.” Her smile dimmed, as if she didn’t like that she couldn’t give him what he was looking for.
Malice nodded, glad she wasn’t giving information to just anyone. “That’s all right. Is Randy here by chance?” he asked for the man Bonnie had mentioned was her supervisor.
Elizabeth’s smile spread again. “He is.” She seemed happy that this time he’d asked something she could do for him. “Let me just get him. Can I say who’s asking for him?”
“My name’s Corey.” He gave her the name Bonnie would have used if she’d mentioned him.
He watched as she disappeared around a corner of a wall behind the counter, he heard her knock on what he assumed was a door, then voices muffled just enough he couldn’t make out what was being say. A moment later, Elizabeth was back, a man a few steps behind her. The man Malice assumed was Randy looked a few years older than Malice, he wore a button-down shirt open at the collar and no tie, along with dark slacks. Other than looking professional, Malice couldn’t tell much about him.
“Hi, I’m Randy. Elizabeth says you asked for me?”
“Hi Randy. I’m Corey.” Again, he used the name Bonnie would have used for him. “I’m looking for Bonnie. She should have been home more than an hour ago, but I can’t find her. Can you tell me what time she left?”
Randy frowned. “I don’t know.” He seemed torn as to whether or not he should share.
Impatience wared inside him as he battled his impatience to find Bonnie and make sure she was safe, but he needed to convince this guy he wasn’t the asshole trying to hurt her or one of his friends. “Is there somewhere we can speak more privately?”
Randy glanced around, seeming to take in for the first time how public they were and how many people milled around who could be listening in on every word they said. He blinked then focused on Malice again before speaking. “Sure, will you step into my office?” He turned and stepped back the way he’d come, without waiting to see if Malice followed.
He did. Once they were in the office and the door closed behind them, Randy motioned for Malice to have a seat, but Malice shook his head. He didn’t plan to be here that long.
“I’m sure you’re aware that she has an ex who’s been following her, causing her more than a bit of grief. Last week he destroyed her car. She took a couple of days off last week when it happened. Since then, she’s been driving my truck back and forth. I don’t know if you’re aware, but my truck is currently sitting in your parking lot. I need to know when she left and if there’s any security footage. Can I see what happened to her between the door and the truck, so I know where to start looking for her?”
Randy paled. “Oh my. I knew she’d been having trouble and that the guy had been causing problems, and she’d borrowed a vehicle. You’re sure it’s your truck and not just one that looks like it? Should we call the police?”
“I’m sure it’s my truck and not quite yet. Are there cameras?”
“Y—Yes, of course.” Randy stood unmoving, seemingly stunned.