“Okay, hon. Can you stay on the line? We’ve got officers on the way. They’re five minutes out, okay?”
“Okay.” I let out a deep breath, whether it was from relief or sadness, I wasn’t entirely sure.
As promised, red and blue lights flashed outside the window a few minutes later.
My gaze caught on my mother, still lying motionless on the floor.
She stepped in to defend me. To protect me. She’s not moving because ofme.
I need to leave. I need to leave before anyone else gets hurt trying to defend me.The only way I can protect the people I love…is if I disappear.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
hayden
PRESENT DAY
Sierra hadn’t come back yet, and it was starting to get dark. We’d need to get back home soon if we were going to make it for dinner.
It was a long way, but maybe she started walking back to the house. If that was what it took for her to get her emotions in check, I wasn’t going to interfere. We all had different ways to regulate our emotions, maybe walking was hers.
I dialed the home line anyway.
“Hayden?” Mom answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Mom. Did Sierra go back to the house?”
She hesitated on the other end of the line before replying, “No? Was she supposed to?”
Fuck.
Where could she have gone?
“No worries, Mom. I just wanted to double-check. We’ll be home for dinner shortly.” I did my best to mask the panic in my voice, tried to keep it steady.
“Hayden? Are you sure everything’s okay?”
A lump in my throat constricted my air, and I swallowed it down.
Fuck.
I took a deep breath, forcing out the words. “She’s gone, Mom. I don’t know where she went. She said she would be right back and…”
“Oh, honey.” Mom’s voice broke a little. “Try calling her, okay?”
I nodded, even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “I’ll call you back, okay? I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, honey.”
The line beeped as she hung up, and I immediately dialed Sierra’s number.
Come on, Sierra, come on. Pick up.
“Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system. The person you’re trying to reach is unavailable. At the tone, please record?—”
I hung up and dialed again. I’d call as many times as it would take for her to answer. We could figure this out. I’d talk it out with her all night if I had to.
“Your call has been forwarded?—”
