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Tho anyone could do to stop it

Chapter 12

Zach wanted to screae He wanted to rip the SUV apart with his bare hands and hurl each chunk into a lake That one and he’d find her later She was gone gone Really gone Not a trace of her remained

He’ddevice--that he should have been able to locate halfway across the planet, and he knew she hadn’t gotten that far Even if she’d hopped a plane, he should have been able to at least sense the direction that she’d gone in

He’d pulled the Tahoe over along the edge of a deserted Kansas highway as soon as he realized he couldn’t feel the subtle tug co south, but that would only do hiood Once he hit ocean, he’d have to stop

The night wind swept through the open , bringing with it the sound of crickets He hadn’t bothered to wash the blood off his arh he had tossed his shirt out thea few hours back on another equally deserted stretch of road There wasn’t much blood left to attract any snarlies, and even if they did coht even help hi in him more by the second

How had she slipped free so easily? It didn’t see to ress another way

"Heya, Zach," answered Nicholas, sounding just friendly enough to piss Zach off eeky little feelers on a waitress named Lexi"

"I’m fine How are you?"

"Cut the shit, man This is serious"

"Your snarl is ot was the naht have borrowed the tag fro to ad that stupid Not a chance "Just helphad hurt

"Wow Youout the ‘p’ word"

"Pussy," grumbled Zach under his breath

"Yep That’s the Zach I know and love Always the charive ave you her na to need a little more than that"

"She drove an old Honda Civic"

"License plate?"

"I was a little too busy chasing it on foot to notice"

"I would have paid money to see that race"

"Don’t make me come back and hurt you, h andin my boots What color?"

"She’s a blonde With these melted chocolate brown eyes and--"

"The car, shit-for-brains What color was the car?"

"Oh Uh Rust orange Priray Maybe a little blue in there somewhere"

"Blue Check Do you remember what state the plate was fro else you can give me? Any other names people called her? Maybe she just happened to write her phone number on a napkin and slip it to you"

"Phone nu until he found the number Thomas had ripped off Helen’s cell phone for hi about twenty times, so it wasn’t hard to spot He read the nu keystrokes, Nicholas said, "Prepaid No na to help any Sorry, ot to find her"

"Why? Does she owe you money?" asked Nicholas

"Funny"

"I do try"

Zach held on to his panic Panicking would not do anyone any good "Okay Hypothetical question If you place a bloodmark on someone and a few hours later they disappear, what does that mean?"

"You put a marker on her and she disappeared? That’s not even possible Not even if she died"

"I would have said the saave a lohistle "You need to call Logan in on this Or Tynan I’ood with the electronic tracers, but if you put a bloodmark on her and she slipped it, I have no clue how to help you"

"Can you at least work your h her credit cards or so?"

"I can try All we have is her car istered in, and a na None of that is solid, man, but I’ll do what I can"

"Thanks"