The Polaroid Girls

Chapter 31

A/N: Hello my lovelies and happy Tuesday! I hope you guys had a great week and continue to have a splendid one.(:

This week's chapter is in Royce's POV only. It takes place in the same time frame that last week's chapter took place in Laina's POV. But the two parts were so large, I split them up into two chapters. After this, there are only TWO MORE CHAPTERS. Can you believe it???!

Question of the week: What is one thing from this story that you'd like to know more about or that you felt was unresolved?

I will announce it now--I do plan to write a sequel to this story. It is in the process of being planned, plotted, and written currently. I do have some ideas of how I want to main plot line to go and what smaller plots and details I want to dive deeper into. But I want to get an idea from you guys--what do you want to know more about? A specific person's background? An unresolved plot line? A place, a piece of history? Maybe you want to see more of a character? What are you feeling? Lemme know! Every little bit helps. c:

That's all I have for now, so I hope you have a lovely day and don't forget to vote, comment, follow, and share this story. Thank you for all your continued support and I'll see you guys again next week! (っ◔◡◔)っ

Royce's fingers tapped on the steering wheel, each mile, each second, each breath, another tick closer to the end.

No time--he had no time.

After stopping at the gas station in Melville and being told by the attendant that the white truck got gas, and a man matching Ethan's description bought food inside before leaving, they were no closer to figuring out where Ethan was going. The attendant pointed them left, saying the truck disappeared in that direction. So that's where they went. But as Royce drove and passed each winding, dark back road, knowing that Ethan could have turned off on any of them and disappeared completely, hopelessness started to creep in.

Where had they gone? Where would Ethan have taken her? Would he try to hide somewhere or would he push to get through? Where had he gone? Where had he gone, damn it?

Royce didn't realize how fast he was going until the sheriff laid a hand on his white knuckled grip and he felt the gas pedal pressed firmly to the floor under his foot.

"We'll find them, Hernandez. We're close. Don't lose your head now."

Royce wanted to yell at him, to yank his hand away, to curse and scream and cry about all the mistakes he had made, all the time he had wasted, all the lies he had narrowly missed when the man behind everything was right under his nose all along. And this man, who had lied, killed, kidnapped, and avoided police for over a decade--he had the woman that mattered to him most. He had Laina.

Laina, who was hurt. Laina, who was scared. Laina, who was alone. Laina, who had searched endlessly for answers that he had failed to give her. Laina, who he had promised to support, who he had promised to protect, who he had promised to stand beside forever. He had utterly failed in that too.

Laina--Laina--please be okay. I'm coming.

"Where do we go now?" Royce ground out.

The sheriff was quiet. "I don't know. Until we get another tip, we keep going straight."

Give me a sign, Royce prayed to whoever might be listening. Please, please just give me a sign. Give me something, anything to show me where they went. Please--

As they practically flew over a small hump in the road, a sign glowed in the distance, illuminated by his headlights. He squinted trying to make out the words until they were close enough to read them.