Kemp let out a thoughtful hum. “Do you think they received information about a VIP in the area? If they targeted the right family, a ransomed child could fetch a much higher price than a trafficked one…”
It was a fair point, and one Chase would have to mull over. He’d put in a call to his boss, and tell him he needed to take some time off at the same time—because if there was even the slightest danger that Hailey’s ex or one of his thugs could track her and her son here, there was no way he was going to leave either of them on their own.
Chapter Seven
Hailey
Hailey couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well. Her slumber had been boneless, dreamless—it was as though no time had passed at all. She woke up feeling warm, happy, and satisfied in a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
She stretched slowly, all of her limbs feeling content and relaxed as she came to, and rubbed her palms against her cheeks and brows, massaging her face into wakefulness. There was a pleasant smell lingering on the sheets; a scent that made her stomach tingle even as it comforted her. She felt a little bit…aroused?
That was odd. It had been ages since she’d—
Oh, shit.
Hailey was immediately thrown into wakefulness by her sudden recollection of everything that had occurred the night before. A blush blossomed onto her features. She and Chase had had sex…and it had been pretty great.
But she’d literally just met him. He could be anyone. Hailey shook her head at her own stupidity. This was not the time to be hooking up with a total stranger, no matter how hot he was and what weird things her heart and stomach did when she thought of him. Sensible people did not jump into bed with the first guy who smiled at them nicely. And hedidhave a nice smile, one that caught at the edges of his lips and—No! That wasnotthe point. At all. What had she been thinking?
There was only one answer: she hadn’t been thinking. Not with her head, at least. It was her body that was the guilty culprit in this scenario.
Still, she couldn’t bring herself to regret it, not truly. Yes, it had been reckless. Immature, even. And totally out of character for her. But she’d needed it, needed someone to look at her that way. Like she was desirable. Even if it was just for one night. And it was going to be just one night. Her sticking around would be bad news for all of them.
She sighed and slumped back down onto the mattress. At a different point in her life, she’d loved to have explored where this went. Chase seemed like a great guy, perfect in every respect. But it still didn’t change the fact that Riley was her top priority. She couldn’t risk getting into a relationship that might not last, and what relationship could possibly stand the crushing weight of Michael looming over it? What Riley needed was stability, and hard as life on the road might be, at least there was a consistency in her being the only adult in his life. If she stayed here, she risked not only the tenuous balance they’d found, but worse, Riley’s father catching up to them and trying to force her back, or even take her son away from her altogether and raise him in the abusive, horrific home. And she wouldneverrisk that. She was a mother, and Riley would always come first.
And that extended to late morning lie-ins, no matter how comfortable the bed. Riley would be waking up alone in a strange house…she shouldn’t even have stayed in this room. She should have been next to him, in case he woke during the night. With a flush of guilt at her horrible parenting skills and uncharacteristic selfishness, she left the bed and hurriedly got dress.
It was already bright outside, which meant that it was morning time at least. Riley was probably hungry. She hoped Chase wouldn’t mind her raiding his fridge.
“Good morning, Riley,”” Hailey sang as she walked into their shared room.
Theiremptyshared room.
Her blood ran cold. Riley wasn’t there. Where was Riley? Her heart pounded in her ears, making it hard to think, and she gasped in a sharp breath. She should never have let him out of her sight.
Had Michael followed her there? Had he snuck in and taken their son while she and Chase were sleeping?
Oh God, what was she going to do?
“Riley!” she shrieked as she hurriedly checked the closet and under the bed, clutching a desperate hope that he was hiding, playing some childish game.
Nothing.
She raced round the entire of the upper floor, panic fueling her limbs as she rushed from room to room, shoving open doors to be confronted with terrifyingly empty rooms. Trying to keep her head above the panic that threatened to drown her, she ran down the stairs, because maybe he’d gone exploring in the new house. It wasn’t like him, but he might have done. That was what boys did, they explored.
She pounded through the empty hallway, into the empty living room and then into the empty kitchen. Not a trace of him, not anywhere.
“Riley!”
Where was Chase? Had he seen anything? But there was no sign of him, either; he must have left for work already. Wait, it was Christmas today, wasn’t it? Who worked on Christmas? Phone, she needed a phone. Hers was… She thought back, mind flicking through blurred memories. In her car. Dammit! She needed to call for help, call…someone. Anyone. The police.
A flash of movement caught her eye through the kitchen window; two figures in the snow-covered backyard.
One large, one small…and unmistakably her son. The large one had Chase’s easy smile as he played with the boy, helping him build what looked like a snowman.
Hailey sagged back against the table, not tearing her eyes from the pair. They were just playing. Everything was fine. Riley was safe. Her instincts were to rush outside and snatch Riley to her chest, holding him safe to her, but she reined it in. She didn’t want Riley to see her wide-eyed and breathless, near sick with worry.
He looked…happy. Carefree. His mouth was open wide with laughter as his feet sank into the fresh snow, almost losing his balance as he tried to mimic Chase scooping up handfuls of snow. Chase patted the snowman, encouraging the boy to add his fluffy white haul to the somewhat misshapen, only vaguely humanoid blurb. Riley tottered closer, and patted the snow directly into Chase’s face.
