Page 212 of No Headlines Please

No kidding. The camera pulled back just enough to show pine trees framing an old-fashioned white farmhouse with a rolling farm field behind it.

I stared, dumbfounded. "Hey, that looks like Michigan."

"Not Michigan," Franny corrected. "Indiana."

I could hardly believe it. "Indiana?"

Franny nodded. "Yup. Oak Hollow."

At the name, I almost staggered. "Hold on…did you say Oak Hollow?" It was the same place Cal had mentioned just yesterday.

This couldn't be a coincidence.

Franny gave a vigorous nod. "It's a little town north of Indy."

I turned to stare at Maddox. In spite of his silence, I knew exactly what this was.

Plan B.

But what on Earth was Plan A?

Franny said, "She was hiding out at her grandma's sister's place."

Stunned, I turned back to the screen, where Sloane had started yelling at the reporters. "No headlines! Please!" When they responded by calling out more questions, she shrieked, "Hey! I deserve my privacy!"

I was insanely glad to see her alive. Still, none of this made sense. I looked to Franny. "Wait…so she was rescued and didn't say anything?"

"Oh, honey, it's better than that." Franny's eyes gleamed. "She was never missing."

I just about fell over. "You're joking, right?"

On the screen, a new figure burst out of the farmhouse and onto the front porch. I recognized her immediately. It was Cynthia Hayworth, Sloane's mom.

She grabbed her daughter's elbow and gave it a hard tug. "For God's sake, Sloane, get off the porch."

"Why?" Sloane shrieked. "It's not like we can put the horse back in the barn now." She whirled back to the reporters. "You know what? Fuck all of you! You fucking paras—"

The broadcast cut to a commercial.

Yikes.

For a second, nobody said anything.

I gave Maddox a long sideways look. He didn't even twitch.

From near the sofa, Ryder looked to Maddox and said, "Looks like you dodged a bullet." He grinned. "So hey, you're welcome."

Tessa gave Ryder a funny look. "Wait…what does that mean?" But then she paused. "Oh, my God. That friend you talked out of a terrible relationship…you meant him? Maddox Freaking McGuiness?"

As if there were a different Maddox.

Ryder only shrugged.

Tessa frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did," he said. "I just didn't name names, that's all."

Maddox finally spoke. "And he never talked me out of anything. He just gave me some info." He shook his head. "So don't blame him. Blame me."