Free A Deadly Love by Jannine Gallant Page B

afternoon.”
    “He was talking about it earlier.” He leaned against the refrigerator and smiled at June. “Do you mind if I leave him here for a while? I have a few phone calls to make.”
    June dried her hands on a dish towel and smiled back. “Of course I don’t mind.”
    Zack burst through the kitchen door with Otis at his heels. Dillon gave his son a hug and turned to leave. Brooke followed him into the other room.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Probably nothing.” He rubbed his hand across his prickly jaw. “Marnie seems to be missing.”
    Her eyes widened, and her color receded. “Someone didn’t—take her, did they?”
    He stepped forward and pulled her against his chest. “There’s no reason to believe anything happened to Marnie. She missed an appointment this morning, so I’m going to call a few of her friends to check on her.”
    Brooke looked up at him. “Go make the calls.”
    He cupped her face in his hands and bent to brush his lips across hers. “Thanks for staying with me last night.”
    Her smile didn’t dispel the worry in her eyes. “I was glad to, though it wasn’t exactly the way I envisioned our evening ending.”
    He let out a breath. “No, it wasn’t.” He kissed her again, pulling away when his body responded in a predictable fashion. He rested his forehead against hers. “I have to go. I’ll stop by for Zack later.”
    “Take all the time you need. He’ll be fine.”
    An hour later, Dillon hung up the phone and rubbed his throbbing temples. While he dialed the number to the sheriff’s office, he pulled a bottle of pain-reliever out of the kitchen cabinet, shook two tablets into his palm, and swallowed them dry. The dispatcher answered the phone.
    “Hi, Fran. It’s Dillon. I need to talk to Harley.”
    “He’s out right now. You might try his cell.”
    “Will do. Thanks.” He hung up and dialed again. Leaning against the kitchen wall, he closed his eyes and waited for Harley to pick up.
    “Hey, Dillon, any luck?” the sheriff asked.
    “No. No one I spoke to has any idea where Marnie went. Lisa Stevens said she isn’t dating anyone right now, and the day before yesterday, Marnie told her all about the hot prospect she had for the Winston house.”
    Harley swore. “It doesn’t seem like she would’ve willingly missed her appointment.”
    He stared down at the breakfast dishes still sitting in the sink. “I’m worried about her. Did you check her house?”
    “I’m there now. I didn’t have to use the spare key. The door was unlocked. The bedroom and entry lights are on, but nothing seems to be out of place. I checked her closet, and there aren’t a lot of empty hangers. Her suitcases are still here, though I suppose she could have a few things in an overnight bag.”
    “Marnie wouldn’t go off and leave her front door unlocked. She’s too meticulous about things like that.”
    “Her car is in the garage, so unless someone picked her up, she didn’t go far.”
    “What should we do?”
    “Search the woods. I’m going to round up a few of the local men to help.”
    Dillon let out a deep breath as his heart thumped painfully in his chest. “God, you’re not thinking we’ll find her the same way we did Cybil.”
    “I don’t know what to think. I’ll meet you at your house in a half-hour.”
    “Meet me at Jesse’s cabin instead. He’ll want to join the search, and we can spread out from there.”
    Dillon dropped the phone into its cradle. With jerky movements, he stuffed a few energy bars, a bottle of water, a flashlight, and a first aid kit into a backpack. He left the house and crossed the yard, knocking softly on June’s kitchen door. Zack opened it holding a spatula covered in orange frosting. Several streaks of orange decorated the front of his T-shirt.
    “Hi, Dad. I’m not done frosting cookies yet.”
    “You can stay a while longer if Brooke doesn’t mind.” His gaze met hers over Zack’s head. Her blue eyes were full of