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The small rectangle lighting up in the distance makes my arms shake. I slowly move forward, begging it not to be true even though it is. I bend down, nearly falling out of my chair again as I pick up Cara’s phone. I unlock it, checking her call history and seeing she called Rose thirty minutes ago.
Thirty minutes ago, I was at Easton’s.
I dial her before I can think better of it. Easton might murder me, but I’ll murder everyone if I can’t find Cara.
“What’s up?” Rose says as a way of greeting. Her cheerful tone makes me realize she has no idea what’s going on. She doesn’t know where Cara is.
“Rose.” I utter, my throat barely working as I utter the one syllable.
“Jackson? What’re you doing? Why’re you calling from Cara’s phone?” Her instant panic makes me grind my teeth together, the bones nearly giving away with the pressure.
“You talk to Cara?” My voice rasps, barely audible as emotions take over.
“Uh, yeah. Not even an hour ago? Why? What’s wrong?”
“Did she say anything? Was she acting weird? Anything out of the ordinary happen?”
“N-no. No, not at all. She was walking Wesley. Why? Where are they?! Are they missing?”
“She’s missing. Wesley was here, by himself.” I look out in the distance and see Easton coming back with a distraught look on his face. In the distance, I can see headlights get closer. Whoever Easton must have called are just arriving. They must have sped like hell.
“What!? Where is she?” She screams, and I almost regret the decision to call her in the first place.
“I don’t know. Let me know if you hear from her.” I hang up, ignoring her last-minute words she tries to get through as the line disconnects.
“Nothing.” Easton says with winded breath. “Who were you talking to?” When his phone starts ringing, he looks down and sighs.
“Sorry, man. I had to see if she knew anything.”
“Shit, Jackson.” She shakes his head at me as he turns around and tries to calm down Rose. I can’t hear what he says, his mumbling and growly barely audible until he shouts into the phone, “Let me do my job, Rose!”
I can hear her sobbing on the other end.
“I love you. I’ll call you when I can.” He hangs up, turning to me with an annoyed look. “I’m going to strangle your ass if she shows up here.”
“She spoke with Cara.”
His eyes light up. “What? She didn’t say that.”
“Yeah, just about the time we were at your house. So, that’s like thirty to forty minutes ago. You take in that time, whoever it is that took her can’t be far.”
He gives me a look. “Do we know for sure that she was taken? I mean, we have to take everything into account.”
A door slams behind me, and I can’t even take my eyes off Easton as rage takes over. “What? You think she fucking ran? Fuck off, dude. Her ass was taken. Don’t say that shit again.”
Sadness takes over his face. “Yeah, yeah. I know. You’re right. My bad… it’s just… who?”
Hugo comes into view, and Wesley’s crying picks back up. It’s cool tonight, his skin cold from the chill. I’m sure he’s hungry, too. Cara would be feeding him, putting him to sleep now.
Where are you, Cara?
“Let’s go inside. I have to feed him.” Silently, we all walk inside. Hugo and Easton sit down at our thrift store kitchen table we bought at a steal while I go over to the fridge and grab a bag of breast milk to heat up.
He cries harder, the hunger and confusion probably getting to him. While his bottle heats, I go to his room and change his diaper and put pajamas on him. Loneliness hits me as I think about doing this alone. I can’t. I can’t be a crippled father by myself. I need her.
I need Cara.
By the time I get back to the kitchen, the bottle has been heated and I pop the bottle into his mouth. He takes it instantly, ravenous as he takes huge swallows. Gliding over to the table, I take one last look at Wesley before I look up at the both of them.
