“Hey, Ridge, what’s up?”
“Bro, we’ve got a problem. I came in from the barn, and found a note for you on the fridge from Serena. She’s gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean, she’s gone?”
“She left to meet a client. Says she’ll be back in a couple hours. I swear, I wasn’t in the barn more than fifteen, twenty minutes tops. She must have snuck off while I was there.”
Antonio rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger. The headache he’d fought all morning roared into full force, fueled by anger, adrenaline, and fear. Attorneys for the Justice Department had held a press conference earlier, covered by the national news, stating Big Jim Berkley had been granted a new trial, and the press was having a field day, rehashing all the facts from the previous trial. Serena’s identity wouldn’t be a secret much longer, once the good folks of Shiloh Springs saw the pictures on the internet and on TV of Sharon Berkley. He needed to get to her ASAP.
“Does the note say which client she’s meeting?”
“No. I’m heading out now, see if I can catch up to her.” Worry laced Ridge’s voice. “She knew she wasn’t supposed to go anywhere without one of us. Why didn’t she wait? Or come get me. I wasn’t far away.”
“Do me a favor first. Call Mom’s office, see if they know who she’s meeting. I’ll head toward the Big House, see if I can catch her before she gets too far.”
“Will do. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Antonio hung up and walked into Rafe’s office. “We’ve got a problem. Serena’s on her way into town.”
Rafe raised a brow. “Ridge with her?”
“Nope. She left a note, saying she needed to meet a client. He found it and called me. I’m going to head back toward home, see if I can catch up to her. Ridge is calling Mom’s office to see if we can determine who she’s supposed to meet. Then he’s going to head this way. Between us, maybe we’ll catch up to her before—”
“Hang on, I’ll go with you.” Rafe grabbed his hat, shoved his cell phone in his pocket, and headed for the door. After a quick conversation with Sally Anne, who was covering the front desk, they piled into Rafe’s car and headed toward the Boudreau ranch.
They rode in silence for several minutes, and the knot in Antonio’s gut grew with each passing mile. He thought he’d convinced Serena to sit tight, let them look out for her, until he and Williamson could figure out how to keep her safe. He hadn’t spoken with Williamson since the news of Big Jim’s new trial broke. Now more than ever it was imperative to keep Serena safe, because her testimony was the only thing keeping Big Jim behind bars, where he belonged.
“Bro, slow down. It won’t help Serena if we end up splattered on the asphalt.”
Antonio ignored his brother’s comments, his foot pressing harder against the accelerator. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, one he’d learned a long time ago not to ignore. “We have to find her.”
“We will. If we don’t catch up with her on the road, we’ll figure out who she’s meeting with and crash their appointment. Won’t be the first time we’ve messed up her schedule, and I doubt it’ll be the last. Now get your head on straight. I knew I should’ve driven.”
“My car, I drive.” He stared through the windshield, his eyes laser focused on the road. He couldn’t bear it if something happened to Serena, yet his intuition was clanging louder than a red alert on Star Trek.
“I’m gonna call Ridge again, see if he’s caught up to her.”
“He’d have called us if he had. Keep your eyes peeled.”
The miles sped past as he raced toward the Big House, but it was almost an hour outside of the main part of town, if he obeyed the speed limits—which he wasn’t. The urge to find her grew with each passing minute.
“Bro, slow down, there’s a car blocking the road.”
Antonio had already hit the brakes, because he’d seen the cars in the road. Three of them actually, and one of them was Serena’s. The other belonged to his brother, Ridge, who was climbing from the driver’s side. He didn’t recognize the third one.
“There’s Serena’s Camry.”
Antonio turned his head to stare at his brother. “You think I don’t recognize her car? Who’s the other one belong to?”
Rafe shook his head. “I don’t recognize it. Let’s take a look.”
While Rafe strode toward the black sedan, Antonio sprinted toward Serena’s car. Ridge squatted down by the front end, examining the damage. Though his cowboy hat shaded the upper part of his face, Antonio noted his clenched jaw and unsmiling face. He stood and tried to open the driver’s door, but it didn’t budge.
“Looks like the sedan hit the front end, forcing her off the road. There’s damage, but I’d say it’s still drivable. She probably climbed out the passenger side. Door’s open.”
“Have you seen Serena?” Antonio scanned the blacktop and the trees lining the road, searching for signs of her. Then he peered in through the driver’s window, noting the exploded airbag and powder covering the inside. He sprinted around to the passenger side, where the door hung open, and squatted down on the shoulder of the road. Covered with rocks and grass, the ground was wet and muddy from the rain earlier, and etched in the mud he noted two sets of footprints, one distinctly a male’s.
“Antonio, come look at this.” Rafe motioned him over to the sedan, and pointed to the street. “That’s Serena’s phone. Looks like somebody smashed it.”
“We’ve got footprints by the passenger door of Serena’s car. At least two sets, one of them definitely a male. Driver’s door doesn’t open, she must’ve climbed out the other side.”
“But where is she? Or the driver?”
Antonio stared at his brother, his mind racing in a million directions, and none of
