Hustling down the hall, I closed myself in the laundry room before dialing.
In my ear, it rang once, twice, three times, and just when I thought I was about to be transferred to her voicemail, Arizona answered, her irritated voice coming through the line.
“Look, Levi, I know you’ve developed some kind of bond with Austin, but the second you closed on that house, the relationship between you and me ended.”
Her hanging up on me felt imminent, so I blurted, “I need help.”
There was a heavy sigh through the speaker. “What in the world could you need my help with?”
Okay, here came the hard part.
“You’re raising a teenager, and there’s a girl who showed up here.”
A gasp of horror came down the line. “A teenage girl is in your home, and you decide to callme?!? Don’t you think your lawyer is better equipped to handle this situation than your realtor?”
I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “Don’t worry, that’ll be my next call.”
There was a long pause. “Levi, what the hell is going on?”
Pulling in a deep breath, I confessed, “Her name’s Maisie, and she’s twelve. All the evidence points toward her being my daughter, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Levi.” She drew my name out slowly in warning. “I swear to God, if this is another one of your games . . .”
“It’s not. I promise.”
After a groan of frustration, Arizona said, “Fine. Hang tight. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
My forehead hit the wall, my eyes sliding shut as I breathed out, “Thank you.”
There was an unintelligible grumble before she ended the call.
I had no doubts that woman would show up at my door, acting like an angry drill sergeant, barking orders and demanding answers, but with that knowledge came the immense relief that I wouldn’t have to deal with this alone.
Help was on the way.
Chapter 8
Levi
WhilewaitingforArizona’sarrival, I called my lawyer, who put me in touch with a firm that specialized in family law, and I left a message on their answering machine. Then there was just enough time to get the details of Maisie’s cross-country trek to find me—none of which were good.
She had lied to her foster parents about staying after school for an activity, then skipped out to hop on a bus from Kansas to California. A quick internet search confirmed that they’d issued an AMBER alert for her.
It couldn’t get much worse than this. Already, I was bracing for the inevitable questioning from law enforcement as to how I’d ended up in the company of a girl they assumed to have been abducted.
Ding-dong.
I bolted off the couch, running to the door, knowing salvation stood on the other side.
Pulling it open revealed Arizona and Austin, and I frantically waved them inside. “Come in, come in.”
Austin cocked his head to the side, surveying me. “Dude, why’s your hair sticking up like that?”
My hands flew to my head, attempting to tame the messy strands. I had a bad habit of tugging on them whenever I felt uneasy. Finding out I had a daughter sent my anxiety through the roof, and it was a wonder I hadn’t pulled all my hair out in the amount of time it’d taken them to drive over here.
Arizona got right down to business. “Where is she?”
“This way.” I led them to the living room, where I’d left Maisie.
