Page 82 of Octane

“I see what you’re saying,” I tell her. “That just means we need to figure out what the hell happened, and fast, so we can figure out how get her back.”

She nods in agreement.

“What else happened when you went to see her? Tell me everything.”

She starts with a scoff. “For starters, he put a leash on her in the form of an engagement ring.”

What?

My heart drops, but as Carissa continues, I focus my attention on her.

“I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s been through a lot with him, and I’ve watched her fire fade, but this time… there was no light left in her eyes. Like she’s a shell of her former self.”

I rub my hands down my face and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. If he touched her, forced her to do something. I’m going to kill him.

“She looked me in the face and told me that her and Daniel have history, and she felt like she needed to see the relationship through. I mean, she is absolutely bonkers right now. It was scary.”

“What the hell could he possibly have said to get her to go with him voluntarily? Because I still don’t believe she did. The state of her cell phone tells me that there could have been any number of involuntary things happening in her hotel room last night.”

I reach into my bag and pull out what’s left of her phone, laying it on the sofa.

“I have no idea,” Carissa murmurs, assessing the damage, “but I don’t believe it, either. I noticed an alarm system on the wall by the door when I was there. It’s new. I got an eerie feeling like he had it installed more to keep Sawyer from getting out, than to keep other people from getting in.”

Fuck.I never took Daniel for a particularly smart individual, but I’m beginning to think I may have underestimated him. The idea pisses me off.

“Zach, can you think of anything?”

There’s something about Sawyer’s father’s demeanor that is unsettling. He’s fidgety. As though he knows more than he’s letting on, and I don’t like it. The jovial man who I met at the first race has been overtaken by someone with a guilty conscience.

“No. I wish I did. It’s terrible to say, but I haven’t been the best father to Sawyer, especially in the past several years. We’ve lost touch, and…”

“And what?” I urge him. “Say what you need to say, Zach. No matter how insignificant you think it is, it may be the clue we need to figure out why she went with him.”

“I know she’s upset with me. The last time we spoke, just the two of us, was right after she found out I’d dissolved her trust fund.”

“You didwhat?” Carissa shouts.

Zach’s face pleads with Carissa to hear him out.

“I ran into some trouble a few years ago and needed the money. I was planning on paying it back by now, but business still hasn’t quite leveled out.”

Zach can’t meet mine or Carissa’s stare, and I can tell that he’s embarrassed. I’m sure he’s a proud man, and it’s tough asking for help. It can make you feel ashamed or like you’ve failed. I can understand how he’s feeling, but I don’t think I’d ever be able to steal from my kids.

“She never used it. You know how she is,” he finally looks at Carissa, trying to make her see things from his side. “Anyway, she came in here a few weeks ago, really upset, asking about it. When I asked what she needed it for, she told me she wanted to make some renovations to the condo.”

“Oh. My. God,Daddy,” Carissa groans, resting her head in her hands. “You honestly think she would be upset overcondo renovations?”

“Well, I don’t know. She doesn’t open up to me like you do, Riss.”

“When did she come see you? What day, do you remember?” I ask Zach.

“Gosh, I don’t know. Um, it was a few weeks back.” Zach continues to think for a moment, and then he snaps his fingers. “It was the week of her first race. Tuesday, I remember because we had dinner at the Kramer’s house the next night. We have a standing dinner each month. It’s always on a Wednesday.”

That was the day after I called Sawyer to my office under the pretense of a team meeting. It hits me then.

“She wanted to get away from Daniel with that money,” I acknowledge out loud, even though I was talking more to myself than to them.

“What?” Carissa asks. “How do you know?”

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