“What about the hospital?” Hadley suggested. “Maybe she had a major surgery or an emergency? Sometimes consecutive surgeries or large-scale accidents can keep doctors busy.”

“No, nothing like that!” Brady denied firmly. “I already went to the hospital. They said she’s been absent since yesterday. It was an unscheduled leave, not rostered time off.”

That set off quiet alarms in Hadley’s mind. Still, with Brady clearly on edge, she knew she had to steady him, not feed the panic.

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” she said gently. “I’ll try calling her myself.”

“Alright,” he agreed quickly.

The moment they disconnected, Hadley dialed Colleen’s number.

A mechanical voice came through: “The number you’ve dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.”

Exactly what Brady had described.

Seconds later, Brady called back. “Hadley, any luck?”

“No. Still nothing,” she replied.

Hadley had to be honest.

“Damn it!” Brady’s voice cracked. “Hadley, what if Colleen—”

“Don’t overthink!” Hadley cut in firmly. “She’s a grown woman, and you saw her home safely, didn’t you?”

“I did,” he confirmed quickly.

“Then she was fine, at least when you left her.” That much was certain.

“Then… could something have happened at her place?” Brady asked, trying to make sense of it.

“I’ll reach out to Zane—maybe he’s heard from her.”

G al no vel s . com holds tales worth reading

“Alright. Just keep me in the loop, okay?”

“Of course.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Hadley reached out to Zane.

The first call rang without an answer.

On the second try, Zane finally picked up.

“Hello, Hadley?” His voice carried a trace of fatigue.

Hadley skipped the small talk, cutting straight to the point. “Zane, have you seen Colleen lately? Maybe in the last couple of days?”

“Colleen?” Zane sounded confused. “No. I’ve been away on a business trip since you visited my law office. I just got back—I’m still at the airport.”

That explained why he hadn’t answered her first call.

“Is something going on?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” Hadley admitted, urgency threading her voice. “Zane, can you stop by Colleen’s place and make sure she’s okay? Brady said he dropped her off the night before last, and no one has heard from her since.”

Even though they knew where the Hayes family lived, they couldn’t just show up unannounced. If this was nothing, they risked causing unnecessary alarm. But if something truly was wrong, barging in could only make matters worse.

.

.

.