“If you make it fast, you’ll get the tip of your life,” he’d told the driver as he climbed into the backseat.
“Okay.” The driver grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
Thankfully, the roads were almost empty, and the driver knew how to put his foot down. Sitting on the backseat next to his bag, Cam messaged Logan to ask for his help, then pulled up Mia’s number. He pressed the screen, holding his breath as he waited for the call to connect.
“Hello?” She was breathless. “Cam, I need to keep this line free. Josh is missing.”
“I know. I’m on my way to help.”
“You are?” She sounded wary. “What do you mean?”
“Michael called and told me everything. He asked me to fly back. I should get to Hartson’s Creek later this evening.”
She let out a ragged breath. “Okay. That’s good. Thank you.”
“I’ll let you go. Just hold on. It’ll all work out.”
A sob escaped her lips. It felt like a dagger to his heart. “Please hurry.”
“I will. I’ll get there as fast as I can.” He ended the call, looking up at the driver. “Are we nearly there yet?”
When the policeman pulled up outside Sam’s house, Mia could see a crowd of people gathered outside. They were talking to the two officers manned at the house, who looked like they were giving out directions.
“Mia!” Becca called out, as soon as she climbed out of the car. “Logan called and told us what happened. We’re all here to help. We’re going to form a search party before it gets too dark.”
Mia swallowed back the tears. “That’s so kind of you.” Over Becca’s shoulder, she could see Logan and Tanner, along with Gray and Maddie. In fact, all of Cam’s family was here, wearing warm clothes and carrying flashlights.
Her heart clenched, because the only one missing was the man she needed the most right now.
“Mom!” Michael came barreling down the front steps, flinging his arms around her. “Is there any news about Josh?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“I called Cam. He’s on his way.”
She nodded. “He called me. He should be here in a few hours.”
“I told him I’m sorry. About everything.” Michael choked on a sob, and she hugged him tight. “I’ve been such an asshole.”
Any other time, she’d want to know more, but right now all she could think about was Josh. It was going to be dark in a few hours, and the weather was so cool. He was wearing a jacket, but that would be no match for the night time air.
Two more cars pulled up, and more people climbed out. “We’re here to help search,” one of the women said. “We want to help find the little boy.”
Mia’s eyes stung with tears as she watched them all get directions from the officers.
“Come on, let’s go inside,” she said to Michael, taking his hand.
“Can’t we go and help the search?”
She shook her head. “They need us here. What if Josh comes back? He’ll want to see us.” She glanced at her watch. “And it’s almost time for dinner.”
“I’m not hungry,” Michael told her.
No, neither was she. There was no way she wanted to eat when Josh could be hungry somewhere.
“Then we’ll wait,” she told him. “Until Josh is back. Then I’ll cook us all some supper.”
“What if he doesn’t come back?” Michael asked quietly. “What if somebody’s hurt him?”
“Don’t say that,” Mia said quickly. “Nobody would want to hurt Josh.” But that was a lie. There were bad people out there. She knew that.
Michael’s phone rang. “It’s dad,” he said. “He knows, right?”
“He was the first person we called.”
Michael nodded. He lifted the phone to his ear. “Hello.” He gave a pause. “No, not yet.” Mia couldn’t quite hear what Niall was saying on the other end of the line. Michael glanced up and caught her eye, his brows knitting together. “You’re not coming? Why not? Josh is missing.”
Mia took the phone from Michael. “Niall, where are you?”
“I’m at work. I can’t take more time off. If I lose this job I lose my house.” He cleared his throat. “And Gemma is pregnant. You know I’d be there if I could.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she told him, ignoring his revelation. That was his business. She couldn’t even find it in herself to be angry with him. She was too scared for that. “We’ll do this without you.”
“But you’ll let me know when he’s found, right?”
She sighed. “Yeah. I will.”
“Thank you.” He sounded almost worried. “I hope he’s okay.”
“So do I.” Mia ended the call without saying goodbye, and handed Michael back his phone.
She’d long since stopped expecting Niall to give a shit about his family. But from the expression on Michael’s face, he wasn’t quite there yet.
Cam’s phone lit up while he was in the line to buy a coffee. His plane was due to start boarding in twenty minutes. He hitched his bag onto his shoulder and swiped to accept the call. “Brian?” he said, nodding the person behind him through. “I’m at the airport. Can I call you when I’ve landed?”
“Um, not really.” Brian cleared his throat. “Something weird has happened in the Audi.”
Cam frowned. He’d forgotten all about Brian driving his car back to Boston. “What is it?” he said quickly. “If the car’s got any problems, drop it at a garage. I’ll cover the cost.”
“It’s not the car,” Brian said quickly. “It’s what’s inside. You know the space between the seats and the back, where there’s a cover to stow bags?”
“Yeah?” Cam said impatiently. He wanted to get on that damn plane.
“There’s a kid in there.”
“What?”
“I just stopped to get gas. That’s when I heard some shuffling. He somehow managed to get into the space and has fallen asleep. It’s one
