Page 12 of Breaking News

“I’ll be sitting on the curb,” she said, sniffling again before adding, “Thank you.” And then she hung up.

“Oh my God,” I muttered, picturing my daughter sitting alone on a curb in the darkness.

“Is she okay?”

“I don’t know.” I licked my lips, noticing we were still several minutes away from Jill’s place, according to the GPS. Damn, shereally did live clear on the other side of Woodvale. “Did you get that address?”

“Yes, and it’s not far.”

I nodded. “I should take you home first.”

“No, she’s closer. Go get your daughter, Graham.”

“Okay.”

“Turn left at the second stop sign,” Jill instructed, taking on the role of my navigator. I sped through the residential neighborhood as she directed me where to turn. I rolled through every stop sign without a care, imagining all the ways I could hurt Richie if he did something to my daughter. I forced myself to take some slow breaths, realizing how absurd it was to be thinking about kicking a teenager’s ass.

Would my mugshot at least look better than Silas Brown’s?

“It should be in the center of this block,” Jill said, lowering her phone down between her knees. “On the right.”

And there was my daughter, standing up from the curb when she spotted my car approaching. She hugged herself tight, wearing a backpack, and glanced over her shoulder at the house behind her. There were a few other kids standing up there, a mix of teenage boys and girls. Watching her.

Why wasn’t anyone standing with her?

There were so many cars out in front of this house that I couldn’t find a place to pull up. I stopped my car dead center in the street and threw it in park. Olivia gave me a puzzled look as she approached the car when she noticed Jill in the passenger seat.

I got out, waving for her to come around to my side. Olivia scowled down at her feet as she walked. “Dad. Get back in the car,” she grumbled. “People are watching.”

Placing one hand on her shoulder, I said, “Did someone here do something to you that I need to know about?” I didn’t evenknow what I was asking, or what I even planned to do if her answer was “yes.”

Olivia looked up at me with her bright blue eyes filled with tears. “Dad, please,” she said through gritted teeth. “Get back in the car. You are making this worse for me.”

I clenched my jaw, letting go of her shoulder. I did as she said and got back into the car, glancing at her in the rearview mirror as she tossed her backpack into the backseat and slid inside. She didn’t reach for the seatbelt, so I waited.

“Oh my God, drive already,please,” she begged, burying her head in her hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

My mind raced with questions, but I bit my tongue, deciding against pushing her for answers right now. Whatever this was, I’d get an explanation eventually. But for now, getting her home safe was the only thing that mattered.

The faint click of her seatbelt when I reached the end of the block gave me the tiniest bit of relief. I let out a quiet exhale as Jillian caught my eye, giving me a warm, reassuring smile. And then she reached over to give my arm a gentle squeeze, her touch sending a wave of calm over my entire body.

It was just a small, supportive gesture—but in that moment, it was exactly what I needed.

chapter five

Jillian

“Are you Jillian from the news?” Olivia’s words broke the silence in the car as Graham backtracked his way to my house.

I looked over my shoulder at the girl, who slipped her phone down into the side pouch of her backpack. She was sitting behind her father, and he kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror. “That’s me,” I said, flashing a smile. She had beautiful eyes, blue like her dad’s. Her mascara was smeared beneath them.

I just knew a boy had to be responsible for this.

Olivia looked from me to the back of her father’s head, as though she were trying to work something out. I spoke quickly to prevent her from making any assumptions. “I was at a party in the neighbor’s backyard and needed a ride. Your dad came to my rescue tonight, too.” I looked over at Graham, witnessing the corners of his lips tug upward.

“At Owen Gardner’s house?” Olivia asked.

“Yes.”

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