Elle stroked her back. It reminded her of the way Sadie stroked her back when she was sad. Sadie’s words whispered back into her head.
Be brave, baby girl.
She straightened her spine, forcing the words out. “My mom has a gun and she forced me and Sadie into her car.”
Elle’s eyes widened.
“I need to call Daddy,” she continued. “But I can’t…my fingers won’t…”
“Shh. It’s okay.” Elle continued to stroke her back, and it was the only thing that stopped more tears from falling. “I’m here. I’ll help you call him.”
She nodded, and this time when she put in the code, the phone unlocked. She didn’t need to search for her father’s number, she knew it by heart. He’d made her memorize it years ago.
She typed in the numbers and pressed call. The phone barely rang before she heard her father’s worried voice.
“Sadie?”
Eastern’s fingersmoved quickly on the keypad. He had his entire damn team of officers scouring the streets. Finding any business surveillance or street cameras that might help them locate Sadie and Avery. They’d already searched the library and surrounding streets, they weren’t there, dammit.
It didn’t feel like enough…any of it.
The door opened and Paxley stepped in, lips pressed into a thin line.
It was bad news.Dammit.
“Tell me,” he growled.
“Jamie ran through a red light not far from the alley behind Sugar and Spice. The photo clearly shows her face, so we have her license plate.”
“But?” He knew what was coming next, but he needed her to say it.
“But since then, there hasn’t been a sighting. We still have officers on the street. It won’t help though, if…”
“If they’ve already left town.”Christ. He wanted to throw his damn fist into a wall.
He rose from the desk and pressed his hands to his head. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t lose them. Sadie and Avery were his entire world.
He grabbed his keys.
“Eastern—”
“I’m going out to look for them, Paxley.”
“I’ll come with you.”
He’d just stepped into the foyer when his phone rang. Every muscle in his body locked at the name on the screen. He answered it quickly.
“Sadie?”
Wind blew over the line. “Daddy?”
His throat closed at his daughter’s voice. “I’m here, princess. Where are you?”
“Mom took me! Sadie forced her to take her too but now she’s in trouble. Mom’s sick and she has a gun and I think she’s going to hurt Sadie!” Every word ran into the next, fear alive in her voice.
“Avery, it’s okay. I’m coming. Do you know where you are?”
There was a beat of silence, then a shuffling sound before a new voice came over the line.
