Page 61 of The Ex Next Door
“Oh, what’s enough?”
While Declan was coming around to the driver’s side, she pulled out her cell. They hadn’t had any reception on the boat and being apart from her children meant she wanted to be available at all times.
Rob had called her a number of times. She hit Call Back, but it wasn’t Rob who answered the phone.
It was Naomi.
“Mommy?”
Amy smiled at Declan as he got in the truck, buckled and squeezed her leg. She mouthed, “It’s Naomi.”
“Hey there, young lady, what are you doing with your daddy’s phone? Everything okay?”
“Mommy, I want you to come quick! David is missing.”
Chapter Eighteen
At first, Amy wasn’t hugely alarmed.
The words didn’t seem to hit her, but instead they sort of flew right past her like a random arrow missing their intended target.
“What do youmeanhe’s missing?”
She met Declan’s eyes, and his own suddenly narrowed. He immediately started up the truck and backed out of the parking lot.
“We can’t find him.” Naomi began to whimper. “We were at the park with Daddy’s friend. I was on the swings, and I thought David and Daddy were playing catch. Then Daddy came over by himself and asked us where David was. And now we can’t find him.”
Amy had a lot of questions, such as why her daughter had phoned instead of her ex-husband. Hopefully, he was using his time wisely and looking for their son. The son he’d lost. But no, Davidcouldn’tbe lost. There was some misunderstanding. He must have said something to Rob, and as usual, he didn’t listen.
“He probably just wandered off and even though he told Daddy, he doesn’t remember it. I’m coming, honey. Don’t worry.”
“But we’ve been looking for a long time and Daddy’sfriend wants to call the police. But Daddy said no, that David’s just hiding. We have to keep looking.”
“Where am I headed?” Declan said at the light.
“Houston,” Amy said and watched as he made the turn to head toward the interstate. “What’s the name of the park, Naomi?”
“Um, I think…um, Miss Shannon? What’s the name of this park?”
“Is that your mommy? Can I talk to her?” a woman’s voice said, taking the phone. “We’re at Donovan Park. I’m so sorry about this. Rob is searching every nook and cranny of this park, but honestly, I don’t know why if he’s here David won’t answer us calling his name.”
It had been a long time since she’d seen him do this, but at one time, David used to hide from her.
“Sometimes he hides when he’s mad.”
“Oh dear.”
Rob probably remembered that, too, which explained why he wasn’t willing to call the police. He must realize he’d said something to upset David. But he’d never pulled a stunt like this before, hiding in a public place, making them all panic. They’d talked to him so many times about the importance of safety.
What if Davidwasn’thiding? Maybe he was truly missing. Amy’s mind rejected the thought at the same time as she couldn’t get it out of her mind. What if someone horrible hadtakenher little boy? What if she never saw him again? She didn’t want to allow the ugly thought, resisted, but it kept reappearing, terrorizing her. Okay, more than likely David was mad at Rob. Plus, stranger abductions were rare. Everybody said that. It was afact. She repeated this to herself over and over to calm her racing heart.
“We’re headed your way,” Amy said. “We’ll help you look.”
It wasn’t until Amy hung up that she allowed herself to fall apart. Declan was here and he was her rock. He was her security and safety.
“What if he… I can’t think…” She might literally be sick to her stomach as the awful thoughts pressed in.
Declan took her hand and wouldn’t let go of it. “Amy, don’t go there. We’re going to find him and he’s going to be fine.”
