Page 149 of Seal the Deal

There’s a beat of silence, and I hear her breathing, shaky but slowing. “O-Okay. I’m pulling over.”

“Good girl,” I murmur, my chest loosening just a fraction. “We’ll find him. You’re doing great.”

“Jake, I can’t lose him—I can’t—” Her voice shatters into sobs, and it takes everything in me not to tear my steering wheel straight off my dash.

“You won’t, sweetheart. I’m on my way.” My voice is calm, even though inside I’m on fire, just like her. “We’ll find him, I promise.”

I don’t care what Alex’s excuses are. He’s lost Noah.

Stay focused. Find Noah first. Then deal with Alex.

My SUV roars to life as I peel out of the parking lot. Charlie’s voice echoes in my head, her fear clawing at me. All I want is to hold her, make sure Noah is safe, then tear Alex apart for letting this happen.

He hadonejob.

***

Charlie

The streets of LoDo blur as I pull up to the building Alex mentioned, my heart pounding so fast it feels like it might burst. My hands are shaking as I rush out of the car, stumbling onto the sidewalk.

I can barely think, can barely breathe. Noah. My baby. The words Alex said on the phone keep repeating in my head.He’s gone. I lost him.

People move around me as I scan the bustling streets. They’re all going about their day as if my entire world isn’t falling apart right in front of me. Panic squeezes my throat, suffocating me. I need to find Noah.

I turn toward the entrance of the building, my phone clutched in my hand, but I can’t think. I can’t function. My mind is a haze of what ifs.

Then I see Alex. Leaning against his car, scrolling through his phone, looking like he’s barely inconvenienced. He looks up as I approach, but before he can say a word, my anger flares.

“How could you lose him?” My voice is sharp, cutting through the noise of the street. “He’s six years old, Alex! How could you just leave him?”

Alex straightens, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. “He wandered off, Lottie.” His tone drips with impatience, like I’m the one being unreasonable.

“Wandered off?” I echo, my voice trembling with fury. “He’s a little boy, not a dog you can let wander while you have a meeting!”

Alex’s expression hardens, his lips curling in disdain. “He didn’t listen, like always. Maybe if you taught him some discipline, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

I feel my pulse spike, my vision blurring with rage. “Don’t you dare blame this on me or Noah,” I seethe, stepping closer. “You were supposed to watch him, Alex! You—”

“Lottie, calm down,” he interrupts, his voice low and patronizing, his hand waving me off like I’m being hysterical. “I’ve already called the police.”

Calm down?

I take another step forward, my hands shaking. My voice drops to a dangerous whisper. “Don’t youdaretell me to calm down. This is your fault, and if anything happens to Noah—” My voice breaks, and I can’t finish the sentence.

“He’s my son, too,” Alex snaps, his eyes flashing with irritation. “I’ll deal with this. You need to stop overreacting.”

I jerk back as if he’s slapped me, disbelief swirling with fury in my chest. How can he be this detached when our child is missing? He reaches for my arm, but I yank it away.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I spit, my voice shaking as much as my body. I’m unraveling, the panic tightening around my chest like a vise. My mind is spinning with all the terrible possibilities.

I dart my eyes around, searching the streets, hoping to see a flash of Noah’s blond hair. But it’s just a sea of strangers. I feel sick.

I wish Jake was here.

The tears spill over, hot and uncontrollable. I sink onto a bench and burymy face in my hands. I can’t hold it in anymore. My body shakes with sobs, the fear, and the helplessness breaking me from the inside out.

“Charlie!”

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