Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80902 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“What’s going on?” Havoc asks. All three men are standing at attention like soldiers waiting for an order.
“That was the sitter. She thought I already picked Mia up. She said it was probably a mix up, but—Oh God.” I run for my car, no thought in my head except to get to my daughter.
In the back of my mind, I notice them following as I race to the sitter’s house, but I don’t have the time or energy to care. I park half up on Anna’s lawn and run for the house, leaving my car door wide open. “Mia!”
Anna meets me. Next to her is a younger, blonde woman. “Shelby, this is Camila, my cousin. Cam, tell her what happened.”
Camila looks like she’s about to throw up, which doesn’t make me feel any better. I keep waiting for Mia to pop out from her hiding spot and laugh. “Mia’s aunt Ginger picked her up about forty minutes ago. She signed the book and everything. I wrote everything down just like I was supposed to! She was… Let me think. Big red hair, definitely out of a box. Skinny. Wearing tight jeans and a tank top I think? Maybe it was a t-shirt. Oh! Her earrings, they were huge neon hoops. I remember because I asked where she got them and she said she couldn’t remember. Does any of that help?”
“Aunt Ginger? She doesn’t have any aunts! I’m the only family she has in this area, and my mother would never come to town and pick her up without telling me. Someone has taken her, and… I can’t breathe. Oh God. I can’t breathe.” Black spots swirl on the edges of my vision. The only thing that keeps me from hitting the floor is the strong arm that goes around my waist and helps me sit without falling.
“Close your eyes. Focus. You gotta stay strong for your girl,” Sledge’s deep voice says in my ear. I take a shaky breath, breathing in the scent of leather, oil, and something minty. “That’s right, Havoc’s going to talk to the people here and get this figured out, okay?”
I jerk my head up and down in a series of frantic nods. Someone puts Mia’s bag in front of me, and the sight of that stupid stuffed dog sticking out the top nearly kills me all over again.
“Did anyone else see her? Is there a security camera?” Havoc asks.
“Yes!” Anna answers. “Yes we do! I’ve never had to…. Let me just check the app. Forty minutes ago…”
I know in my heart of hearts that nobody here intentionally turned my daughter over to a stranger, but there’s a feral mamma bear inside my skin that’s itching to burst out and tear the place apart until we find who did this. Even if it means hurting everyone standing between me and Mia. I worked so hard to keep her safe. This was supposed to be our fresh start.
It’s a measure of how out of it I am that I don’t even notice my phone is ringing until Phoenix pulls it out of my purse. “Unknown caller,” he reads from the lock screen.
“Spam,” I say without thinking, but I glance at the screen when he holds it up, unlocking it.
“Yeah?” he snaps. Everyone goes quiet. “Who the fuck are you?”
16
PHOENIX
“Who the fuck are you?”
“M—Maggie. Maggie Peterson.” The terrified woman on the other end of the line stammers. “I swear I don't know anything. I'm just a waitress at The Silver Dollar. A woman came in with a little girl about twenty minutes ago. She ordered pancakes for the kid and then she vanished. I thought maybe she was in the bathroom or something, but then the little girl started crying and—”
“Mia, her name is Mia.” I put the phone on speaker so everyone can hear.
“Right, Mia. God, I'm sorry, if I'd realized sooner—”
Shelby jumps to her feet. “This is her mother. Can I talk to her?”
“Of course, of course.” There's a click followed by the buzz of a busy diner. “I put it on speaker, honey. Your mama wants to talk to you.”
“Mia! Are you okay, sweetie?” Shelby pulls the phone from my hand so she can speak directly into it.
“Mommy! Are you coming to get me?”
“Of course I am. We're coming right now. Are you okay?” I can see Shelby’s fear start to ease as her shoulder sag and she clothes her eyes in relief.
“The lady bought me pancakes, but they're really tiny! I told her your number just like we practiced.” At least it doesn't sound like Mia was hurt. Just went on an adventure, but fuck. If I find the person who did this…
Maggie comes back on the line. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her until you get here.”
“Yeah, you fucking do that. Corner of Elm and Jefferson, right? We’ll be there in ten.”