“Where’s Otis?”
Chapter Eight
A BRIGHT FLASH of lightning blinded Roxi as she glanced down the stairs. Not even a second later, thunder boomed so loud, it made her jump.
As protective as Otis was, he was a big scaredy-cat when it came to thunderstorms.
Decker stuck his head inside the apartment and called out, “Otis, come!”
Nothing moved.
Roxi shoved the suitcase toward Decker. “You carry this down, I’ll check under the bed.”
Decker laughed. “Under the bed?”
Roxi gave Decker a stern look. “Don’t judge.” Her lips twitched. “Otis is a big baby when it comes to storms.”
Decker went down the stairs while Roxi reentered the apartment and searched every nook and cranny, which didn’t take long in the small space.
Worry settled in the middle of her chest.
Decker arrived at the top of the stairs as Roxi pulled the door close. “He’s not in the apartment.”
“Could Frank have taken him?”
“Not a chance.” Roxi shook her head. “Frank barely had room for himself and Saul.”
“Could he be in the bar?”
“Maybe.” She pulled her keys to the bar out of her purse and inserted them in the door to the kitchen.
“I’ll make a pass around the building while you check inside.” Decker headed around the side of the building.
Roxi entered the kitchen, flipped on the light and checked under every counter, behind the empty trash cans and stacked boxes. “Otis!” she called out, moving into the main room. The German Shepherd wasn’t behind the bar. After a thorough pass through the large seating area with the chairs stacked neatly on the tables and the outside tables and chairs pushed up against the walls, Roxi was no closer to finding Otis.
“He wasn’t outside hiding in the bushes,” Decker’s voice called out from behind the bar.
“I have no idea where he could have gone.” More worried than she cared to admit, Roxi led the way out of the bar and locked the door behind Decker, making a decision as she did. Grabbing her hair and holding it away from her face, she peered up at Decker in the light from the back porch of the bar. “Look, you need to go while you still can,” she said, shouting over the wail of the wind. “The tide is already rising. If the storm surge gets much higher, we could be cut off from the mainland. You should go while the going’s good.”
Decker’s bark of laughter startled Roxi. “You don’t really think I’d leave without you.”
“You should. I have no idea how long it will take to find Otis, and the weather is bad enough and will only get worse.”
As if to emphasize her point, a cardboard box bounced past them and continued rolling down the nearly empty street. The traffic had thinned to the last few residents heading to the mainland.
“I’m not leaving without you,” Decker said.
“And I’m not leaving without Otis.”
“Then let’s find him.” Decker stepped away from the building and shined his light past the end of the bar toward the water. Waves crashed against the shore and peer. “Does Otis ever visit other houses?”
Roxi shook her head. “Only Frank’s when I have to go to the mainland without him. But that’s two miles away and I never walked him there. He always rides in the car. The only other house he’s been in is yours.” She looked up at Decker, her brows dipping. “You don’t think he went back to your house, do you?”
“If there’s any possibility he went there, we’d better check it out.”
Roxi started for the beach, but Decker caught her arm.
“The surge has pushed into the shoreline and it’s getting too rough near the water. We’ll take my SUV and drive around.” He slipped his arm around Roxi’s waist and, shielding her from the worst of the wind, led the way to his vehicle, shining the light in front of them.
Roxi prayed Otis hadn’t gone down to the water. The way the surf pounded the beach, he could have been swept away. No matter how good of a swimmer he was, the tide
Chapter Eight
A BRIGHT FLASH of lightning blinded Roxi as she glanced down the stairs. Not even a second later, thunder boomed so loud, it made her jump.
As protective as Otis was, he was a big scaredy-cat when it came to thunderstorms.
Decker stuck his head inside the apartment and called out, “Otis, come!”
Nothing moved.
Roxi shoved the suitcase toward Decker. “You carry this down, I’ll check under the bed.”
Decker laughed. “Under the bed?”
Roxi gave Decker a stern look. “Don’t judge.” Her lips twitched. “Otis is a big baby when it comes to storms.”
Decker went down the stairs while Roxi reentered the apartment and searched every nook and cranny, which didn’t take long in the small space.
Worry settled in the middle of her chest.
Decker arrived at the top of the stairs as Roxi pulled the door close. “He’s not in the apartment.”
“Could Frank have taken him?”
“Not a chance.” Roxi shook her head. “Frank barely had room for himself and Saul.”
“Could he be in the bar?”
“Maybe.” She pulled her keys to the bar out of her purse and inserted them in the door to the kitchen.
“I’ll make a pass around the building while you check inside.” Decker headed around the side of the building.
Roxi entered the kitchen, flipped on the light and checked under every counter, behind the empty trash cans and stacked boxes. “Otis!” she called out, moving into the main room. The German Shepherd wasn’t behind the bar. After a thorough pass through the large seating area with the chairs stacked neatly on the tables and the outside tables and chairs pushed up against the walls, Roxi was no closer to finding Otis.
“He wasn’t outside hiding in the bushes,” Decker’s voice called out from behind the bar.
“I have no idea where he could have gone.” More worried than she cared to admit, Roxi led the way out of the bar and locked the door behind Decker, making a decision as she did. Grabbing her hair and holding it away from her face, she peered up at Decker in the light from the back porch of the bar. “Look, you need to go while you still can,” she said, shouting over the wail of the wind. “The tide is already rising. If the storm surge gets much higher, we could be cut off from the mainland. You should go while the going’s good.”
Decker’s bark of laughter startled Roxi. “You don’t really think I’d leave without you.”
“You should. I have no idea how long it will take to find Otis, and the weather is bad enough and will only get worse.”
As if to emphasize her point, a cardboard box bounced past them and continued rolling down the nearly empty street. The traffic had thinned to the last few residents heading to the mainland.
“I’m not leaving without you,” Decker said.
“And I’m not leaving without Otis.”
“Then let’s find him.” Decker stepped away from the building and shined his light past the end of the bar toward the water. Waves crashed against the shore and peer. “Does Otis ever visit other houses?”
Roxi shook her head. “Only Frank’s when I have to go to the mainland without him. But that’s two miles away and I never walked him there. He always rides in the car. The only other house he’s been in is yours.” She looked up at Decker, her brows dipping. “You don’t think he went back to your house, do you?”
“If there’s any possibility he went there, we’d better check it out.”
Roxi started for the beach, but Decker caught her arm.
“The surge has pushed into the shoreline and it’s getting too rough near the water. We’ll take my SUV and drive around.” He slipped his arm around Roxi’s waist and, shielding her from the worst of the wind, led the way to his vehicle, shining the light in front of them.
Roxi prayed Otis hadn’t gone down to the water. The way the surf pounded the beach, he could have been swept away. No matter how good of a swimmer he was, the tide
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