Hard to Handle (Caine Cousins #2)(72)

However, Lynx truly believed that they needed to take care of it sooner rather than later. Before someone else got hurt or, God forbid, killed.

The bells over the doors jangled and Amy’s gaze swung over instantly. Lynx twisted to see who was coming inside. He wasn’t surprised to see that Billy wasn’t with the group. Apparently, Curtis had talked a little sense into the man. How long that would last was anyone’s guess.

“I’m gonna go talk to them for a sec,” Lynx told Reagan. “Then you ready to head out?”

She nodded but didn’t make eye contact.

Forcing himself to his feet, Lynx wandered over to where the others had gathered. He shook Curtis’s hand, then said his good-byes to the others, letting them know he’d meet up with them tomorrow.

A strong hand on his shoulder had him turning, coming face-to-face with Wolfe.

“Hey, bro. You good?”

Wolfe shrugged. “Will be. When this is all over.”

“Soon,” Lynx assured him. “In the meantime, let me know if you guys need anything.”

“Yeah. And … thanks. For backin’ us up.”

“That’s what family’s for,” he said with a smirk.

He got a genuine smile from his cousin in return.

After finishing up with Wolfe, Lynx turned to find Reagan, realizing the table they’d been sitting at was empty.

“You see where Reagan went?” he asked Wolfe.

His cousin glanced around, then shook his head. “No. You see Amy?”

A sense of foreboding took hold of Lynx, his insides going cold as he frantically searched for both women, not seeing either of them anywhere.

“I’m gonna go look outside,” Lynx told Wolfe, trying to keep the panic down.

“I’ll have Donna check the restroom.”

Lynx nodded, then headed toward the front doors.

His heart nearly came out of his throat when he saw Reagan talking to Darrell in the parking lot. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the warm evening air.

Without pausing, he walked right over to Reagan, this time putting his arm around her shoulder. He didn’t give a shit if it made him appear possessive. He had to touch her in that moment, his fear subsiding somewhat.

“Thanks,” Reagan told Darrell, smiling. “I really appreciate all that you’re doin’.”

“Thank this guy,” Darrell said, nodding to Lynx. “He’s definitely lookin’ out for you.”

Reagan peered up at him and this time she didn’t appear angry. A little more tension left his shoulders.

That somewhat easy feeling didn’t last long when Wolfe came barreling out of the diner.

“You see Amy?” he yelled.

Lynx looked at Reagan, hoping she had an answer for them.

“She was at the table when I left her,” Reagan told Wolfe. “She’s not inside?”

“No,” Wolfe growled.

A second later, Rhys came storming out the door. “She’s not out back.”

“Where the fuck is she?” Wolfe hollered, clearly not talking to anyone specific.

And for the first time in his life, Lynx saw true terror on his cousin’s face.



Reagan steered the truck into the parking lot of the Cedar Door store.

“Stay here,” he ordered. “Lemme grab Cope and then we’ll keep lookin’.”

Before she could get it in park, Lynx was hopping out of the truck, running toward the side entrance.

As though it would help, Reagan scanned the area, looking for Amy. After another trek through the diner, searching high and low, they hadn’t been able to locate her. It was as though she’d vanished and everyone was in a panic.

Reagan wasn’t sure she’d ever seen grown men look as terrified as her brother and Wolfe had. Not even the Walkers had tried to console them. Instead, everyone had gone their separate ways, hopping in trucks so they could start scouring the area. No one had bothered to say what everyone was thinking though. If that madman got his hands on Amy…

The door to the truck opened, and Reagan’s head snapped over, her heart slamming against her ribs until she realized it was only Lynx and Copenhagen.

“Where to?” she asked, hoping he didn’t hear the quiver in her voice. She put the truck in drive and steered out of the lot.

“What did she say when you talked to her?” Lynx asked, his focus obviously still on locating Amy. It was the same question Rhys and Wolfe had asked her at least a dozen times after they realized Amy was gone.

“Nothin’. Seriously. She just said she was worried, hated that this was happenin’.”

“Do you think she would’ve left?” Lynx was watching her. “Maybe she thought disappearin’ would help matters.”

Reagan shook her head, although she wasn’t exactly positive about that. The way Amy had been talking did have her thinking just that. But she couldn’t see Amy doing it. Reagan didn’t know the woman all that well, but she knew her enough. Enough to know that she loved Wolfe and Rhys, that she wouldn’t want to hurt them like that.

“Maybe she went back to your house,” Lynx said.

It was a stretch, but they really had nothing to go on, so rather than question his logic, Reagan pulled out onto the main road and put her foot to the floor. She was surprised that Lynx had wanted her to drive. But when he had grabbed his phone, it made sense. He started calling people, asking for their help.