“No. Stay here where I know you’re safe.”
She shakes her head, already stepping past me toward the door. “I’m coming,” she says, her voice firm.
I sigh, knowing I don’t have time to argue. “Fine, but you stay in the car until I figure out what’s happening. Got it?”
“Got it,” she says without hesitation.
I speed toward Hope Creek, my grip tightening on the wheel. I tried calling Ash once, but it rang out, and I don’t want to try again. If her phone isn’t on silent, I could be giving away her hiding spot. The thought of her trapped in her classroom, unaware of what’s happening, makes me feel sick.
“Wouldn’t the kids have already gone home?” Laney asks, her hands twisting anxiously in her lap.
I glance at the clock. “Yeah, they would have.”
“Then maybe it’s just a mistake,” she says hopefully. “Maybe someone hit the alarm by accident.”
“God, I hope so,” I whisper.
She reaches across the car and laces her fingers with mine.
“I’ve been an idiot, Laney. If anything happens to her…” My voice catches, and I can’t finish the thought.
“She’s going to be okay, Dad,” she says with quiet certainty.
I nod, but the truth is, she can’t possibly know that. No one can. I’ve spent the past two weeks pushing Ash away when all she wanted was to be there for me. I was so caught up in my own grief that I never stopped to consider how she was feeling. I need to fix this. I just pray I get the chance.
When I pull up to the school, a police cruiser blocks the entrance to the parking lot, forcing me to park along the curb. I turn to Laney. “Stay in the car.”
Climbing out, I scan the area. A handful of staff members are gathered outside, faces tight with worry, but Ash isn’t among them. My stomach clenches. I assume they got the same alert I did, but that doesn’t tell me what’s happening inside.
My stomach drops when I spot Ash’s black Audi in the parking lot. There was always a chance she’d left for the evening, but I know she likes to stay late to finish work. And she never answered my call.
“Ben!” a voice shouts.
I turn to see Nash, and relief floods through me. If anyone cares about Ash as much as I do, it’s him. I know he’ll do whatever it takes to get her out safely.
“Nash,” I say, jogging over. “Do you know what’s going on?”
He exhales sharply. “The alarm was triggered from the kindergarten room,” he says, his troubled eyes locking onto mine.
“Ash’s room,” I murmur, my stomach twisting.
He nods. “One of the staff members left about ten minutes before it went off. He thinks he and Ash were the last ones in the building.”
I frown. “That doesn’t make any sense…” My breath catches as a horrifying realization dawns on me. “Unless someone is after Ash.” I glance at Nash. “But who?”
He shakes his head. “Could be a disgruntled parent. Was she having issues with any of the kids’ families?”
“Not that I know of.”
Guilt crashes over me. We haven’t exactly been talking much lately. What if shehasbeen dealing with something and I had no idea?
“I need to get in there,” I say, moving toward the entrance.
Nash grabs my arm, pulling me back. “Ben,no,” he says firmly. “Not until we know what we’re dealing with.”
I shake off his grip and keep walking. “I don’t care what we’re dealing with!” I shout, my frustration boiling over. “I need to get to Ash.”
He reaches for me again, his voice urgent. “Wait! If you go charging in there, you could make things worse for her. If someone is in there with her, he could have a gun, a knife, anything. We have to be smart about this.”
