The Dance Part 2

Chapter 261 Vanished

It was hard for Lila to determine where Nato was taking her. The roads were dark only lit by the moonlight that bounced off the water. She tried to look for anything that looked familiar but her unwanted companion was driving too fast for her to make out any landmarks. She knew Bam would notice her absence soon and would come to check on her. If he found Gypsy unattended, he would know something was wrong and immediately begin to search for her. At least that is what she hoped would happen.

"Where are you taking me?" Lila was angry at herself for letting her guard down. She was angry at Matt for hiring Nato and at Bird for inviting him to the wedding. Most of all, she was angry at Nato for forcing her to leave with him.

Nato didn't respond to her question. Instead he played with the radio trying to pick up any local news. He was single-minded in his effort to take Lila away from Bam. He had planned well securing a remote cabin high in the mountains.

"I'm cold." Lila ran her hands up and down her arms. She was still wearing her clothes from the wedding. She wasn't exactly dressed for an abduction.

"Grab my pack. There's a jacket in there." Lila relunctantly found his jacket and covered her legs. She had lost track of time and wasn't sure how long they had been driving. She only knew she had to stay level-headed if she were going to survive this event. She could hear her husband's voice in her head repeating over and over that all to familiar phrase...respect the danger. Bam's siblings may have made fun of his cautiousness but now she knew that those words might be her saving grace. The danger was sitting right next to her and she was going to respect it at any cost.

The truck left the main road for what felt like an unpaved road. It bounced off tree ruts and washed out gulleys as it slowly made its way further into the darkness until finally reaching its destination. The headlights reflected off the glass from a small cabin. "We're here."

"Where is here?" Lila asked reluctantly.

Nato answered with one word. "Home."

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Bam looked at his watch and realized Lila had been gone for almost an hour. He surveyed the crowd of guests and didn't see her. "What's wrong Bam?" Jill could always tell when he was concerned as his brow furrowed and his smile disappeared.

"Have you seen Lila? She took Gypsy back to the house to put her down for the night. She's been gone almost an hour."

Jill tried to calm his nerves reminding him that babies usually didn't do what parents wanted them to do. "I'll check on her. I'm sure Gypsy is just being difficult. Afterall, she takes after her father."

"I would appreciate you checking on them for me."

Jill opened the door to the house and called for Lila but she got no answer. She made her way up the stairs calling out Lila's name only to find Gypsy tucked safely in her crib and fast asleep. She went room to room looking for her sister-in-law but found each room empty. She checked outside to make sure she hadn't missed her but again she found no trace of Lila. Jill returned to the upstairs bedroom and scooped the sleeping baby in her arms. Panic slowly started to set in as Jill hastily returned to the reception.

As soon as Bam saw Gypsy in Jill's arms, he knew something wasn't right. He crossed the room and demanded to know where Lila was. "I can't find her."

"What do you mean you can't find her?"

"The house is empty. There's no trace of her. I found Gypsy alone. Bam, I'm worried."

By now, the conversation between Bam and Jill had caught Matt's attention and he moved in the direction of where they stood.
"What's wrong?"

"Matt, I can't find Lila. She's not at the house." Jill stroked Gypsy's back to keep her asleep amongst the ruckus.

"Jill, take my children back to the house. Matt, you come with me. We'll check the grounds. Don't draw attention to yourself. I don't want to spoil Noah and Blue's reception."

Jill gathered up the children as Matt and Bam scoured the grounds. Bam called out his wife's name again and again but received no answer. They traced their steps back to the mill when Matt noticed his truck was missing. Something wasn't right.

Bird was lingering outside the mill when her brothers approached her. "Have you seen Nato? He went to smoke a cigarette but he seems to have vanished."

The sudden disappearance of both Nato and Lila was what Bam feared most. Matt darted into the mill to check out Nato's room and found it devoid of his personal items and clothes. He checked his office and sure enough the keys to his truck were missing.
Although Bam thought it silently to himself, Matt said it aloud making the conclusion more real. "I think Nato took Lila."

Lost on You