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The clock switched to 3:01, and I hopped out of bed to take a shower. The house felt empty without Allie. She’d moved out to Tristan’s and was hosting Thanksgiving next weekend, and I missed her. But she was dealing with pregnancy, a stalker, and a crazy fucking ex who’d come back from the dead, so I couldn’t add any more to her plate. Besides, she couldn’t help me do anything I couldn’t do myself.
The shower trickled a few more minutes away. I dressed and drove to the office, picking up an extra large coffee on the way. The brew at work tasted amazing, but the shit around the corner from our house would keep my eyes open much longer. Greg, the Silvers’ secretary, was here already and loved the strong java just as much, so I dropped off an extra cup on his desk. At six in the morning, he was already sitting behind his welcome desk and clicking away in front of the screen.
“Good morning. What are you doing here this early?”
He looked up from his computer and pulled away from the keyboard. “I’m more than just a pretty face. Thanks for the brew. You can’t sleep?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m looking for my baby.”
“I’ve heard. Everybody’s heard, and everybody’s looking. James is here, by the way.”
I followed his outstretched finger to James’ office. “Already?”
“Aha.”
He hadn’t called or texted in two days, and I was worried he had bad news or no news at all.
“You think he found her?” I asked Greg.
“He’s certainly working hard. The bags under his eyes match my grandma’s.”
“I’ll go say good morning.”
He winked. “Sure thing.”
I scanned through the secure entrance and walked down the hall to the corner office. The door had been left ajar, and James was sitting behind his mahogany desk with his head in his hands. I stood at the threshold and gently knocked.
“Good morning.”
His head flew up and my eyes flew open; he looked like he’d stepped out of hell. His eyes burned like balls of fire, and dark shadows lay beneath them.
“Did you stay up all night? What are you doing here?”
He stood up and pulled his fingers through his hair. The move would have been sexy a week ago, but now it was tense and careless. “I couldn’t sleep. Thought I would get a head start on the day. What about you?”
“Same. Could have told me you were here. I would have brought you coffee.” I sat down across from his desk and set my coffee aside. “I haven’t heard from you—”
“I’m sorry. It’s just a lot.”
“If there’s anyone who can find her, it’s you, James. I believe in you.”
His eyelids dropped. “Laura, I will find her, but there’s something you need to consider.” He lifted his gaze to me in slow motion.
“What if your daughter is happy where she’s at? If she’s seven, it’s unlikely the girl even knows she’s adopted.”
“You don’t think I’ve thought about that? She’ll think I’m nothing but a stranger. It will take time to build trust with the family—“
“The courts would likely prevent you from approaching her.”
“Jesus, I haven’t even thought the parents would mind, but they have no right. They got her illegally.”
“Maybe they didn’t know that.”
“How can you not know you’re buying a baby on the black market? Who doesn’t do their due diligence?”
“You can’t jump to conclusions. You don’t know the situation.”
“And you do?”
