My chest tightens at the thought. At the thought of her disappearing. Of never seeing her again.
I pull out my phone and call Caelian.
“Killian,” he answers on the third ring. “What can I do for you?”
“Dr. Sam is MIA. Can you help me find her, mate?” I hear the panic tightening my vocal cords.
He blows out a breath. “Hang on.” There’s some rustling and then a door shutting. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“Early Sunday morning, around six at the warehouse. I’m at her apartment now, and it looks like she hasn’t been here for a few days. Her car’s missin’, too.”
“The warehouse.” There’s a considerable pause before his voice lowers. “You sure she wants to be found?”
I rub the back of my neck, guilt heating my skin. I know what he’s asking. The news of my unnecessary brutality spread like wildfire. He thinks I scared the lass away. “No. But I at least need to know she’s safe.”
After a few seconds of silence, he says, “All right. Let me see what I can find out.”
Relief loosens my lungs. “I owe ya, mate.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He disconnects and I find myself drifting into her bedroom. Her comforter is thrown back, the indent of her head still in her pillow. I sit and lift her pillow to my nose. Her scent is faint, but it’s there. It brings back the locker room, my need to protect her from the panic attack I could see coming, the way she fit perfectly in my arms, my shock when she fell to her knees and took my cock in her mouth. Her soft hair against my thighs. Her beautiful eyes as she looked up at me, and the connection I felt to her that was deeper than I’m ready to admit.
Self-doubt creeps in. What makes me think I can help Sam when I failed so miserably at protecting Amber and our baby? One thing I know for sure. I will either protect Sam or die trying. Because now that I’ve had a taste of how sweet life is with her in it, living without her is not an option.
I stand. I have to stay focused on finding her. I sweep the room once more. There’s no photos anywhere. No family. No friends.
Wherever she is right now, she’s alone.
Chapter 34
Samantha
We’re finally back in Tampa. I had the Uber drop us off in a busy Walmart parking lot. If Michael’s men find us again, at least there’ll be witnesses. Besides, I need to get Rona some things since I abandoned her suitcase. Thank God she’s been clinging onto Bear. I couldn’t replace that.
I ignore the stares at my bruised and swollen face as I push Rona around in a cart, gathering things we’ll need for a few days. Sunglasses for me, clothes, toiletries, snacks, coloring books and crayons and a new mermaid Barbie.
She’d woken up on the drive and, after I calmed her down about my “boo boo” eye, she asked for Celia.
“She had to go back to New York to visit her family. We’ll see her soon.” The lie was so bitter on my tongue, so vile, I almost choked on it.
I tried to call the burner phone I gave Celia, but it just rang and rang. If they had her, they would’ve tossed it first thing. Thinking about Celia in Michael’s clutches threatens to send me into a tailspin of panic, so I have to keep that thought at arm’s length. One minute at a time, that’s how we have to survive now.
Rona’s been quiet since she asked about Celia, watching me with uncertainty in her eyes. She’s sucking her thumb, which is something Celia said she’d stopped doing.
I go through self-checkout, so I don’t have to see the pity in a cashier’s eyes and then call another Uber. Abandoning my car has made it more difficult to move around, but it is one less thing for Michael to track.
After having the driver go through a McDonald’s drive-thru, he drops us off at a hotel. I’m getting low on cash, and it’s not safe to go back to my apartment to grab more. I’d cut a hole in the drywall in the bedroom closet to hide my money in. It’s safe but doesn’t do me any good if I can’t access it.
I sigh. That’s a problem for tomorrow. Today, I have to heal some of the emotional damage to my daughter. This hotel is pricier, but the rooms are on the inside of the building, so I feel more secure and it’s cleaner.
I dig through the Walmart bags and pull out her new mermaid Barbie. “Want to make friends with your new doll?”
She silently slides off the desk chair, where she’s been taking tiny bites of her cheeseburger and watches as I tear open the packaging, struggling with the stupid plastic ties holding the doll to the box. It’s a small bit of relief to finally free her and hand her over to Rona. It’s the little things.
If we didn’t have a psychotic killer chasing us, this would actually be my idea of a perfect day. We color, watch movies, order pizza and I hug and kiss her every chance I get. She finally starts to relax, and I see the old sparkle back in her eyes as she lays on her stomach, kicking her bare feet and trying to sing her ABC’s as she colors.
When it gets dark, we snuggle up, and I tell her bedtime stories until her eyes drift close.
