“Until what?”
An eerie smile tugged up the corners of Natalie’s lips.
“Until what, Natalie?”
“Until you join him.”
Autumn’s mouth fell open as terror rocketed through her. Natalie was going to kill her. “You don’t have to do this,” she said, but it was too late. Natalie had backed out of the room and closed the door. Then Autumn heard a lock engage. She was trapped.
Frantically looking for a way to escape, all she saw was four walls covered in pictures and print-outs, the door, and a closet. Practically flinging herself at the closet, she slid the wooden doors open and found…nothing. No shelves, no clothing bar. Nothing.
Despair lashed against her. There was nothing here. Not even a window.
But how could that be? Wasn’t this a bedroom?
With energy born of desperation, Autumn began ripping down the pictures and articles, certain that they must be covering the window. It didn’t take long to find where the window should be, but it was covered by a thick sheet of plywood that was affixed to the wall by a dozen screws.
With no other idea of how to escape, Autumn pounded on the plywood as she screamed for help. Maybe one of the neighbors would hear and call the police. She didn’t know what else to do. But after ten solid minutes of pounding and screaming, she sank to the floor, her throat raw and her head throbbing.
If only Jax had believed her, she wouldn’t be here. She would be safe.
Shaking her head as tears filled her eyes, Autumn wallowed in her self-pity, but then her gaze went to the boarded-up window. She pushed herself to her feet and trudged to the sheet of plywood and studied the screws. They all appeared to be firmly attached. Still, she had to try. Using her thumbnail like a flathead screwdriver, she tried to loosen the screw. Tried and tried and tried. But all she managed to do was destroy her nail.
She stared at her fingernails, then one by one, she used them to try to loosen the screws, trying different screws, hopeful one of them could be loosened. None of them budged.
Deflated, she sat on the floor and stared at a space on the wall where she’d torn down the papers. How had she missed the signs that Natalie was deranged? She’d fallen right into her trap. If only she had told her she wasn’t up to going out, she would be safely at home. Then again, if she’d refused, Natalie could have shot her then and there.
She was going to die in this room, surrounded by images of her dead husband. She was only twenty-five years old. Her life had barely gotten started. She had so much life left to live, so much to do. She wanted to have a family, raise children, grow old with someone.
Jax’s face filled her mind. She didn’t care that he hadn’t believed her, that he thought she was some crazy woman who was doing things for attention. All she wanted was to feel his powerful arms around her, comforting her and protecting her. But she would never see him again. And he would have no idea what had come of her. He would go on with his life as if he’d never met her. And she would be dead.
Tears soaked her eyes and rolled down her face as hopelessness and despair swamped her.
She curled into a ball and wondered if anyone would miss her.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The next morning Jax read the text from Haylie and shook his head.
Where’s Autumn? She hasn’t come in to the salon yet and she’s not answering her phone.
He couldn’t believe Autumn could get her friends to play this game on her behalf. Then he remembered how Autumn had gotten Haylie to get her earring back and how Haylie had led him to believe that she was the mystery woman. Really, it was no surprise that Haylie was a willing participant in this game.
Still, Jax couldn’t ignore the niggling worry that slithered into his gut. And then he realized something. Haylie didn’t seem to be aware that Autumn had gone home the night before. Why didn’t Haylie know that he and Autumn had broken up? Was Haylie playing with him? It didn’t make sense.
Confused, and suddenly concerned, Jax decided to drive over to Autumn’s house and see what was going on. It was Saturday morning and he didn’t have an official workout planned, so he had time to check this out.
When he arrived at Autumn’s house a short time later and saw her car parked in the carport, he frowned. Maybe she had overslept. She was probably curled up in her bed, oblivious to the worry she was causing.
What would she say when she found Jax at her front door? Would she think he’d come to apologize? Would he apologize?
Shaking his head in frustration at how helpless he felt at the way his life was going, he strode to the front door and knocked, loud and strong.
That ought to wake her up.
He could hear Sasha whining at the door. That was a good sign. If Sasha was there, then Autumn had to be. She wouldn’t go off without her beloved dog. Besides, her car was still there.
When Autumn didn’t answer, he knocked again, longer and harder. Still nothing. He tried the knob but it was locked. Then he tried calling her on his cell. It went straight to voicemail.
A sliver of concern slid between his ribs and lodged in his heart.
What if he’d been wrong about her being behind all of the incidents that had occurred? What if it was someone they hadn’t thought of?
He’d accused her of being unstable, of staging all of those events to get attention. Well, he hadn’t come out and said that to her face, but he’d made it clear enough for her to leave the safety of his home.
But what if he’d been wrong?
Alarmed now, he went to the gate and let himself into the backyard. By the time he reached the kitchen door, Sasha had burst through her dog door and joined him. She pranced around and whined like she did when she was hungry.
Had Autumn not fed her yet? It was way past the time she normally fed her.
Jax tried the knob, but it didn’t budge. He pounded on the door, but there was no reply. Then he tried peering through the windows, but all the blinds were drawn. He couldn’t see a thing.
Alarm was turning to panic.
As a last resort, he knelt in front of the dog door, thinking he could crawl through, but he was six five and two hundred fifty pounds. Much too large to fit.
Slamming a fist against the door, he scrambled to figure out what to do. A moment later he called Haylie.
“Did you wake Sleeping Beauty?” Haylie asked after Jax greeted her. He could hear the smile in her voice.
Embarrassed to admit what had happened, he shook his head. “She wasn’t at my house last night.”
“What? Why not?”
“We, uh, we had a little fight.” That was an understatement, but she didn’t need to know all the details.
“So, where is she?”
Jax clenched his jaw. “I don’t know. I’m at her house now. Her car’s here and Sasha’s here, but she’s not answering the door.”
“I’ll be right over.”
The connection ended and he made his way to the front of the house.
Haylie wasn’t acting like someone who was in on this. Unless this was some elaborate final ruse to make him pay for calling Autumn on her game.
But what if it wasn’t? What if Autumn was in trouble? In danger? All because he hadn’t believed her.
The night before he’d been so certain that she was orchestrating this whole thing. But now? Now that certainty wavered.
Jax pictured her face and her sweet personality. Was she capable of playing him? Not so sure now, when Haylie pulled into the driveway and Jax saw the concern on her face, his doubts multiplied.
Haylie ran to his side. “I’m gonna try to crawl in through the dog door. Like…well, like that person did.”
That person. The one who had left the message on Autumn’s mirror. The one who had been in her house.
Remembering the blood-red words, the ones that had prompted him to invite Autumn to stay at his house, Jax gritted his teeth. A distinctly uneasy feeling that he’d made a terrible mistake washed over him. A mistake that h
ad led to whatever was happening now. If anything happened to Autumn, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.
Jax followed Haylie to the back door and watched as she managed to squeeze through. Seconds later she opened the kitchen door and he walked in. They stood in the kitchen, and a moment later Sasha came through the dog door and began pawing at her food dish.
Autumn hadn’t fed her. Autumn would never let Sasha go hungry. Not on purpose.
Fear crawled up Jax’s spine and settled in his gut. He turned to Haylie. “Let’s check her bedroom.”
Haylie nodded, but before she could lead the way, Jax hustled down the hallway. Seconds later he stood in her room. Her bed was neatly made and her suitcase was sitting on top of the comforter. She’d come home from his house and dropped off her suitcase, but she obviously hadn’t slept in her bed.
He could feel Haylie’s eyes on him, but he ignored her. Instead, he placed his hand on Autumn’s suitcase. The last time he’d seen it, she was loading it into her car while he stood by and watched.
Then he remembered the way her face had paled when she’d looked at her destroyed upholstery. All along she’d known someone was doing this to her. But he’d doubted her.
Disgusted with himself, he realized his jaw ached from clenching it so hard.
“Looks like she was here at some point,” Haylie said.
Barely managing a nod, Jax went into the bathroom. The message had been cleaned off of the mirror. Other than that, the room looked just like it had when he’d seen it last.
Next, he went back to the kitchen to feed Sasha. Haylie followed him. He scooped food into Sasha’s bowl, then let his gaze scan the room.
A plate of cookies wrapped in plastic sat on the counter. In two strides he stood in front of it, staring down at it. Then he faced Haylie.
“Someone brought her cookies last night.”
Haylie walked over to the plate and reached out.
“Don’t touch it,” he said, his voice sharp.
She yanked her hand back as if the plate was on fire, then she turned to him with a question on her face.
“Maybe there are prints on there.”
“You think whoever brought the cookies took her?” Haylie glanced around the room. “It doesn’t look like she was forced to go.”
Jax had to agree. “It must’ve been someone she knows.”
“We need to call the police.”
“Yeah.” He took out his phone and tapped 911.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Autumn was groggy. She’d barely slept and now her stomach rumbled with hunger. She hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before.
The lights were still on—she’d fallen asleep without turning them off. She had no idea what time it was. Was it even morning?
Disoriented and scared, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Body sore from sleeping on the floor, she wondered where Natalie was and what she had in store. Would she shoot her? Would this day be the day she died?
Regret and sadness washed over her in waves. She wasn’t ready to die. She wanted to live. She wanted a chance at happiness. With Jax.
The lock on the door disengaged.
Autumn snapped to attention, her back ramrod straight as she sat on the carpet.
The door swung inward and Natalie stood there with a self-satisfied expression. “Anything to say this morning?”
After all the crying and with no water to quench her thirst, Autumn was dehydrated and her tongue felt thick in her mouth. “You don’t…,” she began, but her voice was scratchy. She tried to clear her throat. “You don’t have to do this.” Slowly pushing herself to her feet, she tried to see if Natalie had the gun in her hand, but Natalie’s hands were hidden behind the door.
Should she take a chance and try to push past her?
It was as if Natalie read her thoughts, because she lifted her right hand and pointed the gun at Autumn. “Don’t even think about it.”
Shrinking back against the wall, Autumn felt exposed. If Natalie opened fire, there was nothing Autumn could do to protect herself. Nothing to hide behind.
Natalie tossed in a water bottle and a granola bar. “Can’t have you kicking it too soon.” Her lips twisted into the semblance of a smile. “You still have a lot to think about.” Then she closed the door and turned the lock.
Autumn was alone.
Panic welled up inside her, panic at knowing her death was imminent, that she was on her own, that it was up to her to save herself. Jumping to her feet, she flew across the room and pounded on the door.
“Let me out of here, Natalie! Open this door! Now! Let me out!” Her screams turned to sobs as she slid to the floor in a heap of tears.
When there were no tears left, she crawled to the water bottle and granola bar, picked them up, then leaned against the wall. Desperately thirsty, she gulped down half the bottle before tearing open the wrapper on the granola bar and wolfing it down.
Just like Sasha eats, she thought. Then a lone tear tracked down her face. Sasha. She would starve to death. Her poor baby. All alone. Wondering where momma was. Wondering why she’d abandoned her.
Sobs tore through her, wracking her from head to toe. This was so senseless. There had to be some way to convince Natalie that she didn’t have to do this. But how?
Standing in Autumn’s kitchen, Officer Marshall listened to Jax and Haylie’s story, nodding as they spoke. “You understand that since Ms. Foster is an adult, she has the right to leave without notifying anyone.”
Frustrated that he wasn’t taking this seriously, Jax scowled. “Of course we do, but that’s not what’s going on here. She reported several incidents to another one of your officers and now she’s missing.”
Marshall glanced around the room. “There doesn’t appear to be any foul play.” He faced Jax. “If you haven’t heard from her by tomorrow morning, let me know.”
How could he not see what was happening? It was so obvious to Jax. Then he realized that this must have been exactly how Autumn had felt. She’d known she was in danger, but he hadn’t believed her. He’d even thought she was behind it.
Fresh self-loathing sank into his heart. He’d been a total and complete jerk for not believing her. He had to do something. He had to save her. Even if she hated him now, he would stop at nothing to find her.
“So you’re not going to do anything?” His voice was on the edge of fury.
Officer Marshall’s eyebrows went up and Jax knew he had to back down. He couldn’t help Autumn if he was in jail.
“Like I said,” Marshall said, “if you haven’t heard from Ms. Foster by tomorrow, let me know.”
Fuming, Jax didn’t speak.
“Thank you for coming by,” Haylie said before she walked him to the door. After he left, she faced Jax. “Can you believe it?”
He shook his head, too angry to speak.
“Now what?” she asked.
He had to get past his anger and work the problem. He thought about all the incidents that had occurred, then he got an idea.
“Her car.”
Haylie tilted her head. “What about it?”
“Someone trashed it yesterday.”
Her eyebrows shot skyward. “What?”
Ignoring her reaction, he strode past her and out the front door, heading straight to the carport. The doors were locked. He peered inside, and when he saw the destroyed seats, he looked at them in a new light. Some person, filled with rage, had taken a knife and slashed the fabric over and over and over. And now that person had Autumn.
She was helpless and vulnerable. She needed him and he wasn’t there for her.
Nausea welled up inside him. Swallowing convulsively, Jax turned his mind away from himself and on what he needed to do.
“Do you have a key to her car?” he asked Haylie.
She shook her head.
With a resolute nod, he went back into the house and dug around until he found a small toolkit. A moment later he had a hammer in his hand.
“Wh
at are you going to do?” Haylie asked, clearly alarmed.
Briskly striding past her, he said, “I’m gonna get into her car.”
“You’re gonna break her window?”
“Uh-huh.” Stopping beside the passenger side, Jax held the hammer in the air.
“Wait!”
He turned to Haylie, his eyebrows tugging together.
“You can’t do that.”
“I’ll replace the window.”
“Oh. Right.”
Shaking his head, he turned back to the car, then he brought the hammer down with a crash. The window burst inward. Jax reached inside and unlocked the door, yanking it open.
“What are you looking for?”
He took off his jacket and used it to wipe the shards of glass off of the seat. “I’m not sure, but whoever did this, whoever did all of these things, was trying to send a message. Maybe there’s more than just slashed seats. Maybe whoever did this left a note.”
“But wouldn’t Autumn have told you?”
He tried not to think about the way he would have reacted if she had. Instead he said, “I don’t think she looked for one. She was hardly in her car after this happened.”
He opened the glove box and pulled out all the contents, dumping them on the seat before rifling through them. It only took a moment. But then he saw it. A typed note.
Grinning in triumph, he held it up for Haylie to see.
“What does it say?” she asked.
He held it where they could both read it.
What you’re doing is hurting him and you don’t even care.
“What do you think it means?” Jax asked.
Haylie looked thoughtful. “Did she do something to hurt you?”
Jax shook his head. “No. Nothing.”
Haylie’s eyes went wide. “I just thought of something. You know those balloons Autumn got? The ones you would get when somebody dies?”
Jax nodded. “Yeah?”
“The balloons were obviously tied to Mitch, so the message on the mirror and this one…” She pointed to the paper he held in his hand. “Maybe they’re referring to Mitch. We all assumed they were referring to you, but what if we were wrong?”
Pass Interference (Fair Catch Series, Book Four) Page 19