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“No, Adam.” She shook her head and opened her palm to show me what was inside—Miles’ inhaler. Mia took every precaution when it came to his asthma. He had inhalers at home, in our cars, at school and in her purse.
“Fuck,” I breathed and pulled her in close. We had to hurry.
45
MIA
Igripped the edges of the sink, willing myself to not throw up, or pass out, or slam my fist into the mirror until it was broken into a thousand pieces like my heart.
There was a steady pounding in my head and my lips felt dry and cracked. I didn’t care. I’d go through any pain, give up everything I had, including my own life, to get my little boy back.
My locket swung like a pendulum from where I was bent over. Back and forth, back and forth. Watching the rhythmic movement, guilt rose to mingle with my pain. Using every ounce of energy left in my body, I pushed off the sink and gripped the metal, warm from where it had rested against my chest. Sticking my nail in the thin crack, I pried it open and stared at the pictures within. Angie’s smiling face that normally brought me nothing but comfort now haunted me.
“I’m so sorry, Angie,” I whispered. “Help me, help me find our son and bring him home.” I thought I couldn’t cry anymore but tears filled my eyes and one slid down my cheek, landing on the locket.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Startled, I dropped the necklace and reached for it, praying for a miracle. A number I didn’t recognize had sent a text. I wiped my eyes and swiped my thumb over the screen, opening my messages.
I have MY son. If you ever want to see him again, you’ll come to the address below after sunset. ALONE. Don’t tell anyone, especially Adam Gage. I’ll know and you’ll never see Miles again.
The phone shook in my hands as I reread the message and looked at the address. It wasn’t far. I breathed a sigh of relief; Miles wasn’t in Oklahoma or Louisiana or Mexico. He was close. But he was with the same man who’d killed his mother, my best friend. The man who I’d been hiding him from for five years.
Adam and I’d talked about Drake Avery. Another late-night conversation where I’d gathered my courage and asked him where he’d gone when he left. He’d told me he’d been hunting, asked me what I knew about Miles’ biological father. I’d told him I knew nothing other than the small bits and pieces Angie had shared before she married him and disappeared.
I’d been terrified when he’d told me that Avery had been looking for Miles, that he’d been close to finding us. He hadn’t shared the details, but Adam had told me he’d delivered a warning and if Miles’ father ever came for us, it’d be the last thing he ever did.
Staring blindly at the instructions, I formed a plan. A stupid, dangerous plan but if it got Miles to safety and away from Drake Avery, I didn’t care. Swiping out of my messages, I pulled up my contacts and made a call.
When she answered, I didn’t waste time. “Can you come get me?”
46
GAGE
Mia Delgado has shared her location with you.
I stared at the pop-up message on my screen. The fuck? I clicked the accept button and was taken to Mia’s contact page. There was a small map with a rapidly moving circle that had a picture of Mia and Miles, faces smooshed together and tongues sticking out. The picture was traveling north, up the highway, toward the city.
Ice filled my veins and I tore through the house, ignoring the questions thrown at my back. She wouldn’t leave without telling me.
“Mia! Mia! Answer me!” I ran to our bedroom, empty. The door to the bathroom was closed and when I tried the handle, locked as well. “Mia!” I pounded, the door shaking beneath my fist. “Answer me, Mia!” I let the silence stretch for long seconds. “Mia, if you’re in there, back up, baby!” After counting to five, I lifted my leg and rammed my boot into the door, splinters of wood arced around me as the door flew inward.
A quick search proved it was empty, the window that looked out into the backyard open.
“She’s gone,” I tore at my hair, the sting hardly registering when I gripped the strands in my fists and pulled.
“Where would she go?” Baz must have followed me and once again was asking all the right questions to pull me back from the edge so that I could think.
“Avery. He must’ve gotten to her somehow.” I showed him my phone, the fear lessening the slightest bit when I saw the dot was still moving. If he had her, no way would he have let her keep her phone.
“You think he’s dumb enough to have taken Miles to his house?” I looked at the map and ran the route in my head.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “It looks like that’s the direction she’s headed. She’s about a half an hour ahead of us.”
Baz gripped my shoulder in his palm and squeezed. “Let’s go get your family.”
* * *
MIA
