When the president was in the car, the ushers came outside to greet them rather than waiting inside the door the way they did for her.
“We’re relieved to hear your nephew is safe,” Harold said as he held the door for them.
“Thank you, Harold,” Nick said. “We’re relieved as well.”
“And he’s in good health?”
“He is,” Nick said.
“Excellent news.”
Sam was thankful that Nick answered the questions and that he helped her out of her coat and steered her toward the elevator, rather than the stairs, to the second floor. In the elevator, she rested her head on his shoulder again. “I want to see the kids.”
“In the morning. You’ve got about three seconds of steam left before you fall over.”
“It might be down to one second.”
He kept an arm around her as he guided her into their suite and straight to the bedroom, where he helped her get undressed. Somehow, he got a T-shirt over her head before she collapsed onto the pillow and dropped into oblivion.
Chapter Sixteen
Sam woke much later to darkness and was immediately anxious about Ethan and Tracy and didn’t recall for a second that he’d been found.
“Easy, babe,” Nick said as he cuddled up to her. “Everyone’s safe.”
She exhaled as relief flooded her system in a rush of emotions that made her head spin. Ethan was in the hospital. He was safe. He hadn’t done anything to contribute to Luna’s disappearance. They would do everything they could to find her.
A sob erupted from her chest, taking her by surprise as all the scenarios she’d tried so hard not to consider when he was missing took her breath away. When she pondered the staggering array of horrible things that could’ve happened to her precious nephew…
Nick caressed her back in small circles. “Let it all out. I’ve got you, love.”
She cried harder than she had since her father died, and all she could think about was what she would’ve done—what they all would’ve done—if Ethan had been killed. Somehow, she had to persuade Mike and Tracy to keep him supervised until he was older and more able to trust his own judgment, although no one would have to tell them that after this incident. She’d be surprised if Ethan ever wanted to leave the house again now that he’d experienced some of the evil lurking in the world.
“All the scary shit we learned about men and boys while we were looking for him… I’m haunted by it. The things they’re saying and doing and thinking.”
“It’s terrifying,” Nick said. “Kids are being radicalized online while their parents think they’re playing video games. They think if they’re home, they’re safe, but that’s not necessarily true anymore.”
“We need to do something about this, like sound the alarm and make parents aware of how pervasive it is.”
“I want to know if Scotty and Eli have been exposed, and if so, how, when, who.”
“Do you think they have been?” Sam asked.
“I’d be shocked if Eli hasn’t heard about it. Not sure about Scotty, but I’ll find out.”
“The whole thing makes me sick, that there’s this whole dark underworld online that’s fomenting hate and violence. I mean, of course I knew the dark web existed, but learning about this subculture has brought it into sharper focus.”
“For me, too. Neither of us spends much time online, so we aren’t exposed to it. Not that we’d probably see this kind of stuff.”
“It’s all very unsettling.”
“On another note, I want you to know,” he said softly, “I can’t stop thinking about what you told Ruiz about Ethan.”
“I could’ve sworn we’d talked about that,” she said, sniffling as she wiped away the remaining tears.
“No, you’ve never told me how the timing of his birth was so consequential for you. I’m glad he arrived when he did and gave you a reason to keep pushing forward so you could eventually collide with me again.”
“And, oh, how I collided with you.”
