Obsession Falls - Page 145
The pine treesall looked the same.
I’d grown up in these woods, I knew how to keep my sense of direction. Getting lost wasn’t the problem.
The problem was I had to guess which way Audrey had gone.
Straight up the hill? That made the most sense. She wouldn’t have known whether Max had veered to one side or another, so getting to the top and going from there would be the smart move.
But that didn’t tell me where she’d gone from there.
The heat baked the pine forest and gritty dust coated my mouth. My shirt was already half-soaked with sweat by the time I got up the hill. And I had no idea which way to go.
I paused to look at the forest floor, hoping to see evidence of a trail. But the pine needles were so thick and long dried out from the summer sun, it was hard to see where they’d been disturbed.
“Audrey!”
No answer.
Birds chirped overhead but the air was oppressively still. I swiped the sweat off my forehead, picked a direction, and kept going.
“Audrey! Max!”
I wondered if Max had a good enough memory to retrace his route back to the hole of stink where he’d gone last time. Even if he’d started out chasing a squirrel up the hill, he would have lost it up a tree pretty quickly. Something else had to have caught his attention, otherwise he’d have gone back to Audrey.
She’d know that, so it made sense she’d try to find that spot again. I didn’t remember exactly where I’d found Max before, but I had a rough idea. And that seemed better than running aimlessly through the trees.
The back side of the hill wasn’t as steep, but the trees were thicker. Shade did nothing to cut the heat, but I ignored how quickly my mouth dried out. It didn’t matter. I just needed to find her.
Trying to channel her perpetual optimism, I told myself she was fine. Probably trying to drag Max away from something gross and we’d have to spend the afternoon hosing him down again before he was fit to go inside.
I didn’t believe it, though. Not really.
“Audrey!”
My shoe caught on something hidden by the blanket of pine needles and I almost fell on my face. I stumbled a few steps to catch my balance.
Damn it.
“Audrey! Max!”
Still nothing.
The ground rose again so I pushed up the hill, sweat dripping down my temples. Both urgency and dread spread through the pit of my stomach. There was too much I didn’t know—too much I couldn’t control.
Who had been stalking her? And why? What was he willing to do to her?
Was he after her right now?
It could all be a coincidence. The call. The note this morning. Max running off. He’d chased a scent up the hill before. It didn’t have to mean the stalker was using the dog to lure Audrey into the woods.
But what if it did?
A potent mixture of rage and panic tightened my chest. I was not going to let him hurt her. I was not going to lose her.
I couldn’t. I’d tear that fucker limb from limb if he so much as touched her.
The instinct to protect my woman was deep and primal. It awoke something in me, flooded my veins with adrenaline. I was going to find her and bring her safely home. There was no other option.
“Audrey!”