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“Okay.” Kassie sounded uncertain.
“You can do this, Kassie. We’re going to be okay. You’re being very brave.”
Movement jarred her. She spoke softly to Kassie, encouraging her. The blade slipped and pricked against the side of Snow’s hand.
“I’m sorry!” Kassie exclaimed.
“It’s all right. I’ll be fine. Just keep trying. You can do this.”
Kassie made a few more attempts. The zip ties pulled tightly against Snow’s wrists, but finally, they sprang open.
“There,” Kassie said, sounding pleased with herself.
Snow shook her hands free and rubbed her wrists, shaking her shoulders as well to ease some of the tension that had been building at having them pulled back at an awkward angle.
“Thank you,” Snow said, pulling the girl into a hug. She crouched so she could be at Kassie’s eye-level. “Now, let’s knock on the door. We’ll shout and tell them you have to use the restroom. When they come to let you out, I’ll barge forward and kick them down.”
“Kick?”
“Yeah, I know a little self-defense.” A very little. Even so, she smiled to assure Kassie, wishing she felt as confident. Eric had spent the majority of that time showing off and battling Hunter. If only Snow could have learned a few more helpful moves. She only hoped she could remember the few things they’d covered and use them quite as well as she’d done at the dojo.
No matter what happened, she would do everything she could to get them out of this. Not only for herself, but for Hunter too. Heaven only knew how worried he was right now.
* * *
Hunter showedthe police officer Kassie’s photo before pocketing his wallet and staring at the studio. Everything was in order for the season finale. Each of the bachelors had been invited back to wish Snow a fond farewell and be featured one last time, but the men were all growing restless, as were the members of the audience who’d been invited to be on hand.
Amira approached him. Her lips were pressed into a concerned line. “Oswald and I are just about ready,” she said. “Are you sure you want to keep going?”
“Yes,” he said. “We’re going to air this live.” It was the best way he could think of to spread the word about what had happened. The police had known about the suspicion against Tys, but the idiot was here on the set, gawking around the studio and sitting silently with the other bachelors on their tall stools.
Hunter knew it was risky. The threat had been that continuing the show would prove Heartthrob’s downfall—but they still weren’t sure if the mention of Heartthrob was referring to Snow herself as the Heartthrob of the season or the show and magazine in general. Was someone going to light the building on fire? Set off a bomb? He didn’t know what to expect, but he was glad the police and the SWAT team were on hand for whatever it was.
He would appear on the show and explain the situation. And then he was going to join in the search. Hunter had directed the police to the house he and Snow had staked out, but they said the woman there hadn’t seen hide nor hair of either Snow or Kassie. The police had even gone in with a warrant to search and found nothing.
Where was his little girl? Where was Snow?
Hunter stepped onto the set and approached the bachelors. The seven of them perked up at his arrival, some sitting straighter in their chairs, others standing up altogether.
“Thank you all for coming,” Hunter said.
“Any word on her whereabouts?” Clayton asked.
“Nothing yet.”
“We’re going to help look for her,” Preston said. “After this. After we spread the word, we’ll help too.”
“Thank you,” Hunter said, heartened by the assurance. These men cared about Snow too. That spoke so much of her, even in light of the fact that—aside from Clayton—they’d each been rejected by her. “As owner of HMW, I wanted to offer my personal apologies. I know the show didn’t turn out how any of us anticipated—”
Eric waved him down. “Don’t worry about it, bruh. None of us is going to sue you for this. We just want her back safe. And your girl too.” The other men nodded.
The tension in Hunter’s chest released. They could sue all they wanted, he supposed. Their safety had been in jeopardy, but not because of anything he’d done.
Hunter’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Thank you, that means a lot. I just wanted to express my gratitude.”
“We’ll find her,” Marcos said. “Let’s get this on with.”
Hunter couldn’t agree more. He inclined his head. “At least we have the means of going public,” he said before turning away from them toward where Oswald and Amira were waiting. Luis was situated behind his camera, one hand on its moveable stand, eyes fixed on Hunter.
