Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“No,” West said, turning to raise his chin at Hawk as Hawk jumped down from his SUV. To the headmaster, he said, “This is Hawk Bristol. He’s head of security at Heartstone Manor. He’s assisting me in finding Nicky Miles. We need to see the feeds from your cameras to verify the identity of the person who took Nicky.”
His tone arctic, Headmaster Montgomery shook his head. “This isn’t in your jurisdiction, Garfield.”
Before West could say anything, Finn cut in. “Shut the fuck up, Montgomery. You allowed a stranger to kidnap one of your students. Are you going to stand in the way of the investigation and put him at further risk? If anything happens to Nicky, it’ll be the end of your career in education. You might not care about Nicky, but I know you care about that.”
“If you think you can do anything to me, Finn—”
“Finn won’t have to,” West said, shooting Finn a look that said back off. “Griffen Sawyer considers Savannah and Nicky part of the family. If anything happens to Nicky, he won’t be forgiving. Do you understand me?”
The headmaster went pale.
Hawk leveled dark eyes on the headmaster. “I need to see your camera feeds. We need to verify who took Nicky before this goes any further.”
After an endless moment, Headmaster Montgomery nodded and turned to lead us into the school. Before I followed, I looked at Scarlett. August and Thatcher stood close beside her as if drawing strength from their mother, their eyes scared, faces drawn.
“You guys should go home,” I said. “West and Hawk will find him. There’s nothing you can do here.”
“You sure?” Scarlett asked. She looked at Finn and nodded in agreement before I could answer. “You’re in good hands,” she said. Darting forward, she gave me a quick hug. “They’ll find him,” she said. I wished I was as sure as she was. I wanted to be. I wanted to believe everything would be fine. But it wouldn’t. Not until we found Nicky safe and sound.
Still holding tight to Finn’s hand, we followed the headmaster, Hawk, and West into the school building, down one hall, then another, until we reached a small room filled with monitors, a lone security guard inside.
He glanced up when we entered, nodding at West. “I’m checking the feeds from the halls. We don’t have cameras in the classrooms.”
Hawk gestured to the monitors. “Put feeds on these two, and West and I can help.”
The room fell silent as we watched endless numbers of children and adults smiling and laughing and milling around in the halls. I was livid that the substitute had made such a careless mistake, but watching the crowds, the kids hyper after their Christmas parties filled with cupcakes and candy, parents and relatives chatting as they bumped into people they knew, I could see so easily how one kindergartner could have slipped through the cracks.
Chapter Forty-Five
SAVANNAH
After what felt like an eon, we saw her. Outside the classroom door, Lydia was talking to Clara, the substitute. Harried and distracted, Clara looked at Lydia and nodded, nudging Nicky in Lydia’s direction. Nicky hung back until Lydia took out something dark and rectangular.
“Is that a picture?” I asked, pointing at Lydia showing it to Nicky.
“I think it is,” West agreed.
We watched as Nicky let her take his hand and lead him out of the classroom. When the substitute teacher turned around to look, Lydia and Nicky were gone. It didn’t look like Clara fully registered that they’d left. Another parent approached her. She intercepted another student and went on with dismissal.
The security guard noted the timestamp on the feed and switched to other cameras. I was lightheaded with fear as we watched Lydia lead Nicky down a long hall, tugging his hand to hurry him along. My heart pounded as if I were running a marathon. Finn stood behind me, his arm around my shoulders, the only thing keeping me on my feet.
On the monitors, Lydia and Nicky emerged from the building and headed toward the parking lot.
“Fuck,” Hawk said under his breath. “We don’t have a good angle on the car. Looks like a sedan. Dark. But I can’t see the make, and I can’t see the plates. Don’t you have another camera on that parking lot?”
The security guard shook his head, sending a baleful look at the headmaster who stood beside us, arms crossed over his chest, glowering down at the screens.
“We know we need more cameras in the lots,” the guard said in a tight voice. “But I haven’t been able to get the funding approved.”
The headmaster’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing.
“Can we get a view of the road to see which way she turned?” West asked.
The security guard shook his head. “No, we also don’t have a camera covering the exit onto the road.” He shot another accusing look at the headmaster. “I told him,” he said under his breath. “I told him we need more cameras—on the exits, all the doors. He got the board to give him a raise this year, but he wouldn’t upgrade the security.”