“I…” He licked his lips. “Give me a minute. I think… I’ll be right back.”
Phone in hand, he rushed from the patio and into the house, disappearing down the hallway.
I stepped inside the living room, meeting Nikko’s confused stare. “Any ideas?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” He smiled before his expression sobered. “If you’d like, I’ll be happy to speak with the administration at Imogene’s school. See what kind of security protocols they have in place. We don’t want to think about the possibility, but what happens if days pass and he’s still not found?”
“I know,” I exhaled, lowering myself onto the couch, squeezing my eyes shut.
I’d considered that scenario more times than I cared to admit. Especially as the hours ticked by and the authorities still hadn’t uncovered so much as a hair off Nick’s head. Not since the dogs found his prison jumpsuit in the woods. Since then, it’s been radio silence.
As if Nick had disappeared into thin air.
But I knew he hadn’t.
He was simply waiting.
Planning.
Preparing.
For what, I couldn’t be sure.
But I knew whatever it was wouldn’t be good.
“She deserves to have some sort of normalcy, Julia. As do you.”
I lifted my gaze to his as he sat beside me. “You’d do that? Talk to the director at her academy?”
“Academy? Sounds…fancy.”
I snorted. “For the amount of money I pay, it better be. I chose this place because they take security extremely seriously. But with hundreds of kids there, I can’t help but worry she’ll get lost in the crowd. Then just get lost.”
He placed his hand over mine, squeezing. “I’ll talk to them. Even if it means personally escorting Imogene around campus, I’ll do it.”
“Really?”
He shrugged. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“Thank you, Nikko. Truly.”
Noticing movement out of the corner of my eye, I glanced toward the stairs, hoping it was Imogene to apologize for overreacting.
Instead, it was Lachlan.
I slowly stood. “Everything okay?”
“I don’t want you to get mad or think I overstepped. And if you want to call it off, we can. I’d be out a bit of money, but so be it.”
I frowned, furrowing my brow, glancing at Nikko before returning my gaze to Lachlan. “What are you talking about?”
He approached, grabbing my hands in his. “What you just said made me think.”
“W-what did I say?”
“How you wished there were some way you could let Imogene go to Skyline Park with her friends, yet still be assured of her safety.”
“Right…,” I drew out.