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I pushed the button on my steering wheel to record another message.
Me
Update, please.
How difficult was a simple response? A quick, all is well. Hell, I’d even take one of those obnoxious thumbs up emojis.
I passed by a sign that marked Time River was twenty miles away. The sight of it allowed me to draw a small measure of oxygen into my aching lungs.
I was almost there.
Finally, a text dinged through from Paisley, and that ball of aggression released, allowing solace to slide into its place.
I tapped the button to listen.
Paisley
Change of plans. Evelyn is okay, but she had a little accident. I’m taking her to the urgent care in town to get her checked out. Meet me there.
Fear clogged my pores. A dagger driven straight through.
I’d made one oath.
One fucking oath.
To protect the little girl.
And this was what Paisley had given me? That she was okay? No other details? The only thing I knew was it was bad enough that she needed to be taken to the urgent care.
I pressed down on the accelerator, the speedometer rising to a hundred. The countryside sped by in a blur, and my heart beat erratic and out of time.
Flying as quickly as the SUV.
I punched at the button to dial Paisley’s number. It went to voicemail.
“This is Paisley. If you’re getting this message, you don’t know what year it is.”
“Is she fucking kidding me?” I spat, wanting to demand that she pick up but also knowing I’d printed her out an instruction manual five miles long on Evelyn’s care. It had included an explicit statement that under no circumstances was she to use her phone if she was ever driving Evelyn anywhere.
Panic sieged me. That feeling of being out of control. The feeling the things that mattered were slipping through my fingers.
I forced the Rover as fast as I could as I blazed across the desolate road.
My shallowed breaths came quicker when the boundaries of Time River finally came into view. The town was quaint and quiet and peaceful, the pace slowed and easy.
Tree-lined streets and cozy businesses with a backdrop of mountains that could coax you into believing you’d cut yourself a small slice of heaven.
Only a fool believed in that.
The rural road intersected at Manchester. My tires screeched as I came up fast on the stop sign. Anxiety ripped through me as I waited for one car to pass before I gunned it as I made a left.
I raced through the small town, skidding around corners as I took the three turns it took me to get to the urgent care.
It was a plain, one-story brown-brick building with double doors at the front.
I whipped into the lot and flew into the parking spot directly next to the monstrosity that was Paisley’s truck.
The sight of it sent a wave of protectiveness curling through me, too.
I couldn’t believe I’d allowed Evelyn to ride in that thing.
Jumping out, I peered through the passenger window to check the cab.
It was empty except for Evelyn’s booster seat.
Something manic lit in my nerves.
I ran up the sidewalk, ripped open the door, and moved directly to the elevated counter at the reception desk. Grabbing onto the edge, I leaned toward the woman sitting behind a computer.
“Where is Evelyn Greyson?” The demand fired from my tongue.
Without looking up from the computer screen, she held up a finger since she had a phone tucked between her ear and shoulder and was inputting something on her computer.
Irritation blazed.
Fuck.
I knew she was doing her job, but I didn’t have time for this bullshit.
The door to the left opened, and a man led out his hobbling teenage son. I didn’t hesitate, I moved that way, grabbing the handle of the door like I was being courteous and holding it open for them.
Only the second they made it out, I slipped through and into a long hall lined with closed doors.
I banged on the first. “Evelyn?”
The next. “Evelyn? Paisley? Where are you?”
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to return to the waiting room.” I looked over my shoulder at a petite woman wearing blue scrubs.
She stumbled back two steps.
Apparently, my expression was as dangerous as I felt. “I’m looking for Evelyn Greyson.”
A gush of air heaved from my lungs when one of the far doors popped open, and Paisley poked out her head.
“What in God’s name are you doing? We’re right here. A little patience never hurt anyone.”
Patience?
I stormed that way. A volcano that would soon erupt.
“Where is she?” The demand sheared through the air.
“She’s right in here and totally fine.” Paisley held up her hands like she could calm me down.
“If she was totally fine, she wouldn’t be here, would she?”
I pushed inside the room before she had a chance to respond.
Tension boiling, eyes darting around in desperation.
I stumbled to a stop when I found Evelyn sitting on an exam table, sucking on a red lollipop.
