Wyatt shuddered. Kidnapped. It was a terrible word. More so when his baby was involved.
Raph ended the call, then ducked into the car, pressing a quick kiss to Wyatt’s lips. “Can you get Sam to check the security footage on the restaurant? We need a license plate number.”
Wyatt groaned. “Sam’s not great with tech stuff. I’d have to get the files off the camera myself—damn it!”
They drove out of the parking lot, wheels screeching. Raph swore. “Almost empty on gas here. I don’t know how far we’re gonna be driving.”
Wyatt’s heart sank. With shaking fingers, he hit Sam’s Call button. Sam answered after two rings. “Wyatt?”
“I need the security footage, Sam. Can you pop it out of the cameras? Is there anyone else who can help?”
“The cameras?” Wyatt could almost hear Sam wincing. “Hey, Penny,” Sam said. “Do you know how to deal with the cameras? Wy needs the footage.”
In the background, Penny said, “Sure,” and Wyatt sagged into the seat, the weight on his chest easing slightly.
“Thanks,” he said. “We think someone took Hazel.”
“What?” Sam yelped. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Wy. I should’ve been keeping an eye on her. Tell me what to look for on the footage. I’m just—I...”
Wyatt didn’t know whose fault it was. It didn’t matter, anyway. Hazel was gone. His precious baby girl, who had smiled at him when she was two months old, the one person who didn’t know any of Wyatt’s history, only that he was her dad.
Raph reached over, catching his hand. “Do you want to try calling her?”
“Sam said she didn’t answer.” If Wyatt called, would it alert the kidnapper? How much battery was left on Hazel’s phone? They were still moving; he couldn’t risk losing the GPS signal now.
“Penny’s getting the footage,” Sam said over the line. “She’s bringing it to the office.”
“Thanks. Close up after the last patron,” Wyatt said. “Paid hours for everyone.”
Raph squeezed his hand, and Wyatt squeezed back. Was Hazel scared? Was she conscious? His stomach twisted.
They pulled into the drive-in’s parking lot, stopped right outside the front door. The parking lot was near-empty; at 1 PM, there were only a few diners present. Inside, Mina waved, her smile strained—she had to have heard the news, too. Wyatt’s gut churned. Who could have taken Hazel? Why would they have chosen her?
“Think it’s Max?” Raph muttered halfway to the office.
Wyatt stumbled, his heart lodging in his throat. “I—I hope not.”
But Max was the most prominent suspect—he was in Meadowfall. He knew where Wyatt worked. He’d seen Wyatt and Hazel at the store.
Raph caught him around the chest, holding him up. Then he hugged Wyatt from behind, his breath puffing through Wyatt’s hair. “Things will be fine. We’re gonna find Hazel, and she’ll be back before you know it.”
Wyatt trembled. Raph was just saying that to comfort him. The map had updated; since they’d located Hazel at the station, she’d traveled another ten miles north.
They burst into the office, crowding into the tiny space. Penny and Sam looked up from the laptop. Then they both stood, Sam with regret on his face, Penny with her forehead crinkled.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said. “I should’ve been more careful.”
“I should’ve started to search when Sam first mentioned it.” Penny winced, rounding the desk. She pulled Wyatt into a hug. “We’re fast-forwarding through the footage now. We’ll find her, Wy.”
“Have a car we can borrow?” Raph asked. “Wy’s is low on fuel.”
“Take mine.” Penny dropped her key into Raph’s hand. “I’ve just gassed up, and it’s turbo-charged.”
“Thanks. Didn’t know yours was a turbo,” Raph said.
Penny puffed her chest up, some of the worry falling away from her face. “It might look tiny, but that Mini Cooper is mean.”
Raph squeezed her shoulders. “I’m sure.”
“How does the security footage look?” Wyatt asked.
Penny released him, hurrying back to the laptop. “We’ve been fast-forwarding the footage from this morning. It’ll take another fifteen minutes or so.”
“We’re tracking her with an app.” Raph glanced at Wyatt’s phone. “Fifty miles from us, now.”
Wyatt’s stomach flipped. “We need to go. I don’t want to wait the fifteen.”
“Tell us when you find her,” Raph said, setting Wyatt’s key on the desk. “If it’s a false alarm and no one took Hazel, then we’ll need you to search for her around here.”
“Sure,” Sam said. Then he blinked. “Wait. I thought you guys broke up.”
Penny looked up, surprised. Wyatt smiled sheepishly. “We made up. And told Dad. Dad’s okay with us, I think. You don’t have to keep secrets from them anymore, Penny.”
Penny smiled in relief. “That’s good to hear.”
She turned back to the screen, and Raph caught Wyatt’s hand, turning them out of the office. “C’mon, Wy.”
“I’m coming.”
If things had been better, he’d have made a joke of that. Right now, Wyatt followed behind Raph, his heart thudding. With every minute they wasted, his baby was getting further from them. Who knew where she was? Who knew what would happen to her?
As long as she was on the move, it meant her captor couldn’t do anything to her... right?
He swallowed, climbing into the passenger seat when Raph opened the door for him. Then they were off, screeching out of the parking lot.
“Drives like a sports car,” Raph said, his lips curling a little.
“Don’t joke about that.”
Raph glanced at the road, then at Wyatt. “I’m not leaving you to your thoughts, Wy. Your mind’s a dark place.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
Raph shrugged, turning them down one street, then another. Then they got onto the acceleration ramp of the highway, and Wyatt relaxed by a fraction. We’re heading for you, hon. Hang in there. “Tell me anyway.”
“The time you asked me to slap you,” Raph finally said, looking at the road. “I learned things about you, Wy. Not sure you meant me to, but I did.”
“Oh.”
Wyatt still remembered that night, when Raph had stripped him raw with words, and Wyatt had laid before him, vulnerable and broken. Then Raph had cradled him
