"Collin Ainsworth." Again, Riley swore, fury filling her eyes.
Daniel had no idea who Collin Ainsworth was, but he hated him immediately. He must be a terrible man to evoke such hatred in Riley. Daniel couldn't recall ever hearing her swear before, but she'd done it three times now in a matter of a few minutes in reference to that man.
He hurried to where Riley had dropped her phone on the ground and picked it up. "Hello?"
No response.
He walked back over to where Riley stood shivering. "Call your friends."
"What?"
He held the phone out to her. "Call your friends. The ones Paige is supposed to be staying with. Let's find out what's going on."
"Right. Okay." Her hand shook as she took the phone and searched her contacts. Finally, she pressed a button and lifted the phone to her ear. "Jen? Where's Paige?"
Daniel couldn't hear the response on the other end of the line, so he watched Riley's face carefully, looking for clues of Jen's response. Each breath he drew in seemed to echo in his ears as he waited.
"Are you sure?" Relief mingled with skepticism in Riley's voice. "I need to talk to her." A pause. "Yes, I know it's after midnight, but I need you to wake her up. Please."
After a short wait during which he and Riley stared at each other, gazes locked, both of them holding their breaths, Paige must have answered the phone because Riley nearly collapsed with relief.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay." When her knees buckled, he caught her and guided her over to a camp chair under the warmth of the propane heater. "Please tell me that scumbag didn't hurt you."
The tension inside him relaxed, and he breathed more easily as he dropped into the other chair. He continued to study Riley's face, attempting to glean more information about Collin Ainsworth and why he had such a debilitating effect on Riley.
Tears once again filled her eyes as she said, "Collin called me with your phone."
Daniel only grasped snippets of the conversation from Riley's end after that, but apparently, Paige's purse had been stolen while she was at a restaurant with her friends earlier that evening.
"I can't believe he walked right past you and took it." Indignation filled Riley's voice now that she knew her cousin and best friend was safe. "He probably wore a hoodie or something so you wouldn't recognize him."
Daniel relaxed back into his chair and crossed one ankle over his knee as Riley and Paige talked a little longer, during which Riley lowered her voice and assured her cousin multiple times that she was fine. She stopped meeting Daniel's gaze about that same time, however. Which meant she was anything but fine.
When Riley ended the call, Daniel waited for her to fill him in.
It felt like an eternity before she looked at him. "I guess you figured out that Paige is fine. Her phone was stolen along with her purse."
He dipped his chin, trying hard to be patient and put it all in the Lord's hands like Tom had reminded him to do during dinner.
Daniel silently repeated the words he'd whispered to the heavens earlier.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
When Riley didn't offer more information, he cleared his throat. "Who is Collin Ainsworth?"
Riley's arms again wrapped around her body, and she rocked back and forth as she stared at a spot on the ground near the base of the propane heater.
Does she realize what she’s doing?
When she didn't speak, he lost his patience and ventured a guess. "Is he stalking you? Is that why you're so jumpy?"
"Yeah, something like that." Relief crossed Riley's face. "H-he knows where I live, and he k-keeps coming to the clinic."
"Is that why Dr. Nelson suggested you take a leave of absence?"
She nodded. "We're hoping Collin will lose interest when I'm no longer around to...harass."
"It doesn't appear to be working...yet."
