Page 6 of Steal My Breath Away

A woman ran over to help us, and then a man who had been across the street, and a family who had been standing on the corner. Someone called 911 and after that, everything became a blur. There were sirens and police cars. An ambulance. A paramedic wrapping me in something soft and warm.

“She’s in shock,” the paramedic said to Paige, who was sitting at the back of the ambulance beside me, holding my hand. “I think you’re in shock, too.”

“I don’t understand,” she said. “Why would someone want to kidnap Haley?”

I didn’t understand it either, but for some reason I was more upset that I’d scraped my hands in the fall and how was I going to perform next week if they scabbed over?

“How are we doing? Feeling any better?” A uniformed police officer with blond hair and bright blue eyes joined us outside the ambulance, along with his shorter but no-less-good-looking partner.

I shrugged, realizing my brain wasn’t as fuzzed as before. “As better as an almost-kidnapping victim can be.”

“Humor. That’s a good sign.” He pulled out his notebook and asked Paige and me to recount everything we could remember about the attack.

“Any idea why someone would want to grab you? Did you have a fight with an ex? Have you had any arguments or disputes? Are you involved in anything I should know about?”

“No exes,” I said. “I’m not big into relationships or criminal activities. Also, not a sex worker, if that’s what you mean. Do you think it’s a human trafficking thing?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” He ran a hand over his jaw. “People have been grabbed here before. We’ll need to talk to the other witnesses and see if we can track down the van. It’s hard to tell if it was opportunistic or targeted until we have more facts.”

“It could have to do with my mom,” I offered. “She’s a US senator and is up for reelection. Her name is Elizabeth Chapman.” I told him about the man who had come up to me earlier to ask if I was Senator Chapman’s daughter, but the description I gave him didn’t match the man Paige had hit over the head.

“I’ve got your details in case the detective in charge needs to talk to you,” he said, handing me his card. “Call me if you remember anything else or if you have any questions.”

“We should ask them out,” Paige whispered after they walked away. “We could double-date.”

“They’ve got to be at least thirty,” I said. “I like my men to have been born in the same decade.”

“Did you text your mom?”

I nodded, shrugged. “She wanted to fly out first thing in the morning, but I told her not to. I wasn’t hurt, and it would just be awkward. She always has so much to do, and she’d probably bring along a photographer for a photo op of her hugging her almost-kidnapped daughter.”

Paige gave me a sympathetic look. “I’m sure she’s genuinely worried about you.”

“Her first words were ‘What were you doing busking on the street?’ followed by ‘I thought you gave up that silly hobby,’ so I don’t think my safety was her first concern.” For a brief moment, I wished my dad was here. Or Matt. Or even his best friend Ace, who had practically lived at our house when I was growing up, and always seemed to be there to catch me when I fell. It was Ace who came after me when I decided to do a solo hike in the forest during a family camping trip. Ace who saved me when I swam out too far in the lake. Ace who stopped a senior from taking advantage of my naivety at a high school dance. Ace who had been there for me when my father died. Strong, steady, quiet Ace who grounded me and made all the noise go away.

Ace who had broken my heart.

“You always have me,” Paige said, giving me a hug.

“There’s no one better. You swung that amp like a pro.” I leaned into her comfort, but for the first time since Matt died, I wished Ace had been there, too.

CHAPTER 4Haley

TEN YEARS AGO

I was ten years old the first time I met Ace Murphy. Paige and I were in the kitchen dancing and singing to Martha and the Vandellas with my dad while his grilled cheese sandwiches sizzled in the pan. He was a chef and the owner of Riverstone’s only high-end restaurant, a charming riverside bistro named HAM—Haley and Matt. Dad’s creative cooking had earned him a coveted Michelin star, but the remote location meant that he struggled to fill tables after the summer rush was over.

“How was school today?” Dad loved all the gossip and had arranged his work schedule so he could be home when we got in from school. Mom left early every morning for work in her law office so Dad fed us breakfast, made our lunches, and sent us off to school. He did his shopping and meal prep at the restaurant during the day, then came home to fix our snack and prepare dinner for when Mom came home. He spent his evenings at the restaurant, often not getting back until Mom was in bed. I never appreciated how well their system worked to ensure we always had a parent in the house, nor did I appreciate what we had—stability, security, and the absolute joy of his presence—until he was gone.

That late-summer day, we filled him in on all the gossip while he nibbled on a dry rice cake. His doctor had put him on a strict diet after his last checkup revealed he was not only overweight, but his blood pressure was too high, and his heart wasn’t working the way it was supposed to. When Mom told Matt and me thatwe had to make sure he didn’t sneak any bad food, I pretended it was a game and tried not to think about the family curse. His dad and his grandfather and his great-grandfather had all died young from heart attacks, and the doctor had told him he was heading that way if he didn’t look after his health.

Dad had just plated our sandwiches and was about to show us a new dance move when Matt walked in the door with his friend Rafael and another boy I’d never seen before.

“This is Haley and Paige,” Matt said behind me. “Don’t be too nice to them or they’ll follow us around and be a total pain. Everyone, this is Ace. He just moved to Riverstone and he’s in my class.”

Curious that Matt had brought home someone who didn’t know me and Paige, I looked back over my shoulder as Dad twirled me around. Rafael stuck out his tongue like he usually did. Ace just stared. He was as tall as Matt, but lanky, with dark tousled hair and a face so pale it looked like he’d never seen the sun. He wore baggy clothes that seemed too big for his frame and his hands were shoved into the pockets of an oversized jacket.

When the song ended, I turned to properly study the new boy. Our eyes met, locked, and that’s when everything went quiet.

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