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“Do you not know how to contact them?” she wondered.
“I do. I do, but I don’t want to put them at risk,” I explained. “I know how my husband is, and I don’t even want to make it possible for him to try to find out anything about me through them. I want to keep them out of it. It’s the only way to make sure they stay safe.”
A sympathetic look washed over her face. “Gosh, Ellery. That’s got to be so difficult. I mean, you saw that footage. They’re devastated.”
I nodded again, because I wasn’t sure there was anything I could say. My family was devastated. And beyond the obvious worry and concern they had about my whereabouts and safety, it was the guilt I saw written all over my father’s face that was making it extremely difficult for me not to pull out my phone and call them.
They didn’t have this number. They didn’t even know this phone existed.
As part of my plan, I never wanted to involve them in it until I was absolutely certain they’d be safe. That was how little I trusted Patrick.
And I knew when I tossed that other phone at the mall that I’d lost any connection I had to them. They lost their connection to me, too.
The only way I could convince myself that it was the right thing to do was by making a promise to myself that this wouldn’t be forever. Of course, I didn’t know how I’d know that it came to an end, but I just believed it couldn’t go on indefinitely.
Then, I’d be able to reach out to them. I’d be able to see them and hug them and tell them how much I loved them.
Unfortunately, I had a feeling I was a long way away from that happening.
“I’ll figure it out,” I told Hanna. “I just need some time. In fact, I’ve got somewhere I need to be right now. Are you sure you’re not going to call the police the minute I leave?”
“I promise, Ellery. You can trust me.”
“Thanks.”
At that, I turned to leave. But as soon as I made it to the door, Hanna called, “Ellery?”
“Yeah?”
“Why did you come here this morning?” she asked.
My shoulders fell. “I was going to ask if you wanted to have a girls’ night in tomorrow night. I’m just not sure if I’m feeling up to it now.”
I didn’t know for sure if she was disappointed or not, but Hanna insisted, “Another time. Definitely.”
I dipped my chin and walked out to my car.
And though I’d had plans to run a few errands this morning to grab some things I needed, I changed them.
Instead, I drove toward Harper Security Ops.
Because in the midst of all that I was feeling about the fact that Patrick was on the hunt for me and that my parents and sister were devastated over my disappearance, there was one name that rang in my head.
Kane.
I didn’t know if he’d be the one to do it for me, but I hoped he would. I was going to need all the help I could get in this situation, and there was something about him that gave me hope I probably shouldn’t have had.
NINE
Kane
Be prepared.
That was something I’d always taught students who came in for self-defense classes. Sometimes, bad things happened. But as long as they took the steps necessary to prepare themselves, they’d be okay.
Since it was part of the daily mantra we often shared with our students, and a piece of advice I touted frequently, I didn’t think I’d be the one who would wind up feeling so unprepared.
I’d arrived at work a little later than usual this morning. Since I was going to be teaching a few of the classes that ran later into the evening tonight, I wasn’t here first thing this morning.
