Page 157 of From Nowhere

My parents angle their bodies, gazing back at us.

“Let’s go home,” I whisper, stroking my thumb against her hand.

No one says a word as my dad drives five under the speed limit back to my house. When we’re parked in the garage, my parents climb out, but Lola doesn’t move. Mom eyes me with her door still open. I give her a tiny grin, hoping she’ll close the door and go inside the house.

They do.

Lola and I sit idle and silent for at least another five minutes. Then she eases her grip on my hand and exhales so profoundly that her relief also drains my lungs.

“I did it,” she whispers.

And maybe it’s not the best timing, but I don’t have any control over the tears that spring from my eyes.

I need to text Ozzy and tell him the good news. I also need to let him know that I have Lola, and she hasn’t gone missing or been kidnapped.

“Why are you crying?” Lola asks, unbuckling her seat belt.

I wipe my eyes. “Just ...” I swallow past the lump in my throat, repeatedly shaking my head. “Happy.” I try to laugh instead of sob while wiping my eyes. “I’m just happy.” My complete sentence escapes as a whisper.

“I can’t wait to tell Bandit I rode in a car.” Lola climbs out the opposite side and runs into the house.

I stay in the back seat and take a few deep breaths before fishing my phone from my purse.

Chapter Forty-Two

Ozzy

“Lola, dinner’s ready,” I call while towel drying my hair after a shower to cool my temper.

“Lola,” I call again, knocking on her door two times before opening it. She’s not in her room. I check the rest of the basement.

“Lola,” I call again on my way up the stairs. “Is she up here?” I ask Amos when I round the corner into the dining room, because I’m not talking to Tia.

He shrugs and shakes his head. I frown while pivoting.

After checking the back and front yards, the garage for her bike, and calling her name a half dozen times outside, I return to the house with my fucking heart ready to explode.

Amos and Tia have started their own search in the house. She’s not here. I checked everywhere.

“Did she go to one of the neighbors?” Amos asks when he reaches the top of the stairs. “Maybe she heard the arguing and decided to go to a friend’s house.”

I shake my head. “None of her friends live nearby, and her bike is still here.”

Jesus. Where is my child?

My phone rings. I can barely hear it because it’s downstairs. I fly in that direction, quickly answering Maren’s call. “I have to call you back, sorry. Lola’s missing, and I need to—”

“She’s with me.”

I shake my head. “What? No. Her bike is here. Are you here?” I turn in a circle. What am I missing? Is this a joke? Are they hiding?

Maren sniffles, and it’s like a gut punch. Something is wrong. “What happened to her? Just tell me.” I run a frustrated hand through my hair.

“She texted me and said you and Tia were fighting. She wanted me to come get her, but I told her I couldn’t ride a bike yet. And—”

“Maren! Dammit! Is my daughter okay?” My voice cracks because this feeling in my gut is unbearably painful. It’s the “Your wife is dead” or the “Your girlfriend’s plane crashed” feeling.

“Yes, Ozzy. She’s fine. We picked her upin my RAVand drove her back to my house because that’s what she wanted.”

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