“I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t,” Dusty said, “after the way you’ve treated her.”
“Neither would I,” Dallas admitted. “She’s got to listen to me. She’s just got to.” He picked up his cell phone and dialed her number. No response. “That’s odd,” he said. “She always picks up her cell. She never wants to miss a sick animal.”
“The battery’s probably dead. Besides, you should see her in person,” Zach said. “Groveling is much more effective that way.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Dallas whistled for Jet. “You’re coming with me, Buddy. She’s a sucker for you.” He gave his dog a pat on the head. “I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
* * *
Riggs hadn’t raped her. He hadn’t been able to get an erection, thank God. Instead, he had beaten her. She drifted in and out of consciousness in the backseat of a moving car. Every muscle in her body ached, but at least she hadn’t had to have sex with him. He had punished he
r for it, but she’d rather have the pain than the humiliation of knowing he’d violated her sexually. Now, tied and gagged, she had no idea where she was going.
He would kill her. Of that she was certain. The beating hadn’t been bad, come to think of it. She’d suffered much worse in the past. When she fought back. Today, she hadn’t had the strength or the desire to fight back. Funny. If she’d lain like a dead fish that last time, she probably wouldn’t have spent so much time in the hospital.
Yes, he would kill her. He had violated his parole and he had battered her. He couldn’t afford to leave any witnesses alive. No one would look for her. Dallas had sent her away. No one would even know she was gone until the next person walked into the clinic with an animal. Even then, in a small town, people would think she had just closed up for a little while.
There was really no hope.
Her life would end, and no one would know.
Or give a damn.
Chapter Sixteen
Annie wasn’t in the clinic, so Dallas walked to the back of the building and went up to her apartment. When she didn’t answer his knock, he tried the door, surprised to find it open. “Well, Buddy,” he said to Jet, “we’ll just go on in and wait for her. Maybe we can make her a pot of herb tea.”
Dallas entered the apartment, Jet at his heels. He looked around. Nothing seemed amiss, but the knife in his gut told him something wasn’t right. He gazed over the living area, looking for something, anything, out of place.
He found it. Her cell phone. It lay on the couch, partially buried underneath a cushion. Annie never went anywhere without her phone. He picked it up and looked around. There, thrown in a corner, was her handbag. Dallas dug through it. He found her wallet, but it contained no cash or credit cards.
His bowels clenched as worry and fear poured into him. Something had happened to her. He quickly dialed Dusty.
“Hello?”
“Dusty, it’s Dallas. I’m at Annie’s. She’s not here, but her cell phone and purse are. I’m afraid something has happened to her. Please. I know you gave her your word, but I need to know anything she told you that might help me figure out where to find her.”
“Oh God, Dallas.”
“What? Tell me!”
“Her ex-husband. He was in prison for what he did to her, but he was released a few days ago. On parole.”
His heart thumped. “Fuck. Anything else?”
“Just that you’d better find her. And fast. I’ll call Zach and Chad. You call Doug. We need the authorities on this.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Dallas raked his hands through his hair, his nerves tightening. Knots turned and twisted in his stomach. Damn, he was going to be ill. He swallowed and willed away the nausea. Annie. Concentrate on Annie.
Once he had called Doug, he went into Annie’s bedroom. She had unpacked several more boxes since he had been there last. Particularly interesting was her veterinary doctorate. Annalisa DeSimone Riggs.
Her married name.
He shot back into the living room and picked up her cell phone. Not much battery left, but enough to check her contacts. Ma and Pop. Lillian. Macy. Drew. None of the names rang a bell. She had friends he didn’t even know about. He barely knew the woman he loved. But he’d get to know her. He’d get her back and learn everything about her, and accept and love every single detail, no matter what it was.
He continued flipping through the list. Riggs. There it was. No first name. Could it really be that easy? He dialed the number. It rang several times before clicking into voice mail. “This is Riggs. You know what do.”
Dallas clicked off the phone and dialed the number again.