“Call the cops,” I blurt out, scowling at Savvy’s uncle. “She told me some interesting things about you, I’m sure the cops would love hearing all about them.” I’m bluffing, but the way the guy's face pales lets me know I’m onto something.
“You’re on my property; Savannah is not here; when I get home, I’ll ask her to give you a call if that is what she wants. I am in the middle of a business meeting. Leave!” He manages to push me just enough and slams the door, locking it behind him. I watch as he walks over to two other men and gestures for them to follow him.
“Let’s head to the police station, there’s one about ten minutes from here,” Hale says, not looking up from his phone. “We can ask them to come back with us and question her uncle. I agree with Ollie, something feels off.”
“Why don’t we just call them?” Jack asks, a frown on his face.
“They’ll brush off our concerns, but if we go there it’s harder for them to ignore us. I also messaged the detective we chatted to with Jane, maybe he can help.”
“Thanks Hale,’ I give him a hug before we make the short journey to the police station, where it takes over an hour to get them to agree to come back with us.
We’re following the police car back, when an ambulance passes us, the siren sounding even louder with how quiet the car is.
“What the fuck?” Grayson mutters and my eyes go wide when I see all the police cars parked outside of Gino’s. There’s another ambulance, and they’re bringing someone out in a body bag.
I jump out of the truck, but two police officers quickly come over, stopping me from getting closer.
“Son, you have to remain here, this is an active crime scene.”
“My girlfriend might be in there!” I yell at the cop, trying to push past him but Jack grabs me by the shoulders, holding me back.
“Fuck off Jack.” I snarl at him.
“Let the cops do their job Ollie,” He begs me, pulling me close as a soft purr sounds from his chest. I turn around, and wrap my arms around him, crying into his shoulder as he does his best to comfort me. I notice Grayson doing the same for Hale.
What feels like hours later, a short lady wearing a detective badge comes over to us, her face looking grim.
“I’m Detective Anderson, sorry for keeping you waiting. My colleagues tell me you were here earlier and asked them to follow up on a missing person?”
“My - our mate,” I choke out, a fresh wave of tears streaming down my face. “Was she in there? Is she okay?”
“Are you bonded?”
“No, not yet.”
“I’m sorry son, I can only give out information to family members.” She sighs, looking at me with pity in her eyes. “I don’t think she was in there, the two men who were present during the shooting didn’t mention anyone else being in there.”
“And what? You just believe them?” Hale asks in shock, towering over her.
“I have no reason to doubt them.” She responds, not letting Hale intimidate her the slightest. “If you give me your contact information, I’ll reach out as soon as I have any news.”
Hale drags me away while Gray reads out each of our numbers to her. “Let’s get back to the loft; there is nothing here that can help us find her. I’m going to reach out to a few people and have them look for her.”
It feels wrong to leave, but I know he’s right. There is nothing we can do from here, but Hale hasn’t let me down yet, I trust him to make the right calls. Even now.
“Still nothing?” Gray asks, coming into my new room at their loft in Asheville. He sits down next to me and slings his arm around my shoulder when I shake my head no.
I stare down at my screen, at another undelivered message I sent to Savvy, before typing a new one.
Oliver: Please just let me know you’re okay, I’ll leave you alone then.
Gray gently takes the phone from me, placing it down on the bed. “I love her you know,” I admit to him, not meeting his eyes. “I know it’s too soon, that I’ve only been around her twice. But I feel it in my heart, I’m in love with her. I need to find her, Gray; no one else will ever be enough.”
It’s been a week since that night at Gino’s, and we still haven’t heard from Savvy. We found out the deceased person had been her uncle, and the two guys had been undercover private investigators. They shot Greg Thompson when he pulled a gun on them but confirmed Savvy hadn’t been there that night. She is currently classified as a missing person, but the cops don’t know where to start looking for her. When they searched his home, they found some of her blood throughout the house and warned us that she might not be alive if they did find her.
She’s not dead, I’m convinced I would somehow know if she were. I still feel a connection to her, even if it’s faint. Even if it takes forever, I’ll never stop looking for her.
I’ll never stop loving her.
