* * *
Cole: I lost Paisley
Hailey stared at the text message. Her stomach wrenched, and she went cold.
She hadn’t heard from him in a while, so when her mom had gone to the bathroom, she’d given him a quick call.
He’d said,Can’t talk right now.And then, he’d promptly disconnected.
The hum of conversation and the clattering of plates dimmed, and the restaurant walls closed in.
Her mom sat back down. “What’s wrong?”
“Hang on.” She called Cole again, but it went straight to voicemail.
Hailey: What do you mean you lost her?
Hailey: Call me.
Hailey: Call me right now.
I have to get out of here. She pushed back her chair.
“Honey, talk to me.” Her mom got up, too.
“Cole texted. He said he lost Paisley.”
“Lost her? Where?”
“At the screening, I assume. But I don’t know.” They could be anywhere. She found her waitress near the hostess podium. “I have to go. Can you please get my bill?”
The woman must’ve understood the urgency because she gave a curt nod and took off.
When he’d said he was taking them there, she’d told him it wasn’t a good idea. They’d had a long, full day. They had to be exhausted. But he’d been so upset. He’d always had such a close relationship with Paisley, so to have her say she hated him, to tell him she wanted to go home… Hailey knew that had to have hurt.
“Should we go there?” her mom asked.
Hailey tipped her head back. “I told him not to take them.” She thought of the crowds, the chaos, how easy it would be to snatch a little girl off the street, stuff her in a trunk, and drive off. There would be no chance of ever finding her again.
Why does he do that?
Why isn’t it enough to just be with the girls?
He always has to take things to the next level.
She called Cole again. This time, he answered.
“Hey, it’s okay. I found her. She’s here.” Noises in the background. Honking. A distant siren. Voices.
“What happened?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” He sounded choked up, and she didn’t know if he was talking to her or Paisley.
He’dlosther.Paisley. She went oddly numb, even while tears spilled down her cheeks. The bill was a blur of black and white. She handed over the credit card and signed without even checking it. “Talk to me, Cole. What happened? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. Someone found her and brought her to a police officer. She was only missing for five minutes. She’s okay.”
“Put her on the phone.”