I opened my mouth to protest, but she was right. I needed sustenance. I was feeling a bit nauseated, but that was common after fainting. My body needed the food for strength, even though I couldn’t wrap my mind around putting anything in my stomach.
“All right.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
I closed my eyes. I had to return the yearbooks, or at least call Jordan and let her know there would be a delay. I would call her later from Jonah’s phone. He had the number.
I fell back onto my pillow, a black cloud hovering above me.
Come home to me, Jonah. Please, come home.
* * *
I woke up the next morning, Lucy at the foot of Jonah’s bed. I’d invited her up. Sleeping in Jonah’s bed without Jonah seemed so many kinds of wrong.
After I had eaten my dinner the previous night, I had been able to go back out to the kitchen, where Jade and Marjorie were. After we had received several texts from Talon and Ryan, assuring us they were fine, I promised Jade and Marj that I would be fine and told them they should go home.
In truth, I needed to be alone.
They hadn’t wanted to leave me alone here, especially considering we didn’t know exactly how Jonah had disappeared. Because his phone was still in the house, it was likely someone had been here and had taken him. Either that or he’d left willingly, which none of us thought was the case.
They finally relented after they talked to the Snow Creek police and the county sheriff about keeping an eye on Jonah’s house overnight.
Once they had left, I had gone straight to bed, huddled in the fetal position shivering, until Lucy’s presence calmed me. A bit.
Last night I hadn’t been able to think about the possibility that Jonah wouldn’t return. This morning, though, I had to face the reality of that prospect.
Wendy Madigan had somehow taken Jonah from his home. She was an older woman, probably in her sixties, so she would’ve had help. I had a sinking feeling that help had come in the form of Tom Simpson and Theodore Mathias.
Those two men had been in this house.
From what I knew, I didn’t think Wendy Madigan would harm Jonah. Tom Simpson and Theodore Mathias, on the other hand? They would have no qualms about it.
And that was what frightened me to no end.
But Jonah was alive. I felt it. Knew it in the marrow of my bones. We were connected. I would feel it if he were gone.
I would.
I would.
I got up finally, only because I knew Lucy needed to go out. I let her out, filled up her food and water, and was on my way back to bed when I spied Jonah’s phone. I had left it in the kitchen last night.
The yearbooks sat on the kitchen table. I didn’t have the strength to return them to Jordan today, but I at least owed her the courtesy of a phone call to let her know we would be returning them soon.
I flipped through Jonah’s phone to find the number for Jordan Hayes. Once I found it, I was ready to hit dial, but then I stopped.
I just couldn’t call her. Not yet. I needed to at least have a cup of tea or something first.
I let Lucy back in so she could have her breakfast and then found the container of tea I had bought when I replenished Jonah’s groceries. I put the tea kettle on the stove and then sat down at the table, my head in my hands.
I had come so far. I had gotten through my own private hell, had come out kicking, had fallen in love with the most wonderful man in the world, had begun to surrender to his darkest desires and had found myself in the process.
And for what? To have it taken away from me?
Tears slid from my eyes, and I sniffled. Lucy looked up from her kibble and came to me, wagging her tail. I couldn’t muster a smile for the sweet dog, but I did give her a pet on the head.