AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pleased, Alex eagerly scrawled his signature on the receipt. “Thanks for helping him out, Ashlyn.”
“No problem, Mr. Drake. And I let AJ know the store would deliver them this evening.” With a disappointed frown, she added, “Tell him I said goodbye.”
Alex looked around. Something was wrong. “Goodbye? What do you mean? Where is he?”
Ashlyn shrugged. “I’m not sure. He said he forgot his backpack in the dressing rooms, but when I checked, he was gone.”
Red flags and alarm bells started blaring in depths of his mind, kicking Alex’s heart into high gear.
He ripped the phone from his pocket, dialing.
“Hi—”
“AJ? Where are yo—”
“I can’t take your call right now because I’m probably gaming. Or napping. Shoot me a text. Later.”
Alex hung up and sent a text, seething. “I swear, when I do find him, we’re having a serious talk about picking up my calls.”
Where are you?
Text me back.
Oh, this is Alex.
Nerves pricked the back of his neck as he searched around and waited for a reply.
I mean it.
Now mister!
Nothing.
Before he could think it through, he sprinted. Ran like his life depended on it, racing the entire length of the mall and back again. But no sign of AJ anywhere.
Paco chased after him, gasping for breath. “Don’t panic.”
“I’m not panicking,” Alex muttered through gritted teeth, his composure slipping. “I’m calmly, sedately, tearing every fucking inch of this place apart until I find him.”
“As long as you’re not panicking.”
Alex reached for his phone. Nothing. Either AJ was deliberately ignoring them or his phone had died.Which would explain why Paco couldn’t trace it with the phone-finder app. Only its last known location. The food court.
As they reached the bustling food court, Alex’s worry escalated—his heart pounding in his ears.
“We’ve got security checking the footage,” Paco assured him. “And my own security is inbound.”
“Now can I freak out?” Alex retorted with biting sarcasm.
“Maybe just a little,” Paco replied, panting and trying to keep up.
Security. Hand shaking, he scrolled his phone for Damian’s number.He’s here. He can help.
But before he could press call, piercing screams ripped through the air.
His heart lurched in his chest, freezing him in his tracks.
AJ!
