“Dapper’s missing?”
Zinnia’s voice shot up a few notches, pinched by panic.
The words pulled Landon’s attention off the road, where he’d been sulking in silence behind the wheel.
He caught a glimpse of Zinnia’s face—startlingly pale, worlds away from the calm, almost frosty mask she’d worn just moments earlier.
His brow creased. That strange, sour ache in his chest grew sharper.
He was just a grown man, for God’s sake. So what if he disappeared for a while? It wasn’t like he could just get lost. Was it really worth all this anxiety?
“I’m already heading back,” Zinnia said, her voice trembling. “Can you help look around the neighborhood? I’ll be there soon.”
Veridian City might be friendly to animals, but there were always risks. Not everyone loved dogs and cats—some people were downright cruel.
If Dapper had been snatched, or worse, hit by a car on purpose…
Zinnia couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought. Her face drained of color, turning ghostly white.
“Landon, drive faster!” Her words shook with desperation, and her eyes were already rimmed red.
Landon, stung by jealousy, snapped, “So he’s missing. He’s not stupid enough to totally vanish, is he?”
Zinnia, lost in the terror of losing Dapper, flared at Landon’s coldness.
“Right, he’s not as smart as you, Mr. Ford. Now can you please just drive faster?”
Her voice wavered even more.
Landon bit back another snide remark—he’d meant to mock Dapper again, but seeing the tears brimming in Zinnia’s eyes stopped him cold.
Shock and disbelief flickered across his face.

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