Page 85 of Cupcake of the Month
“Which way did he go? Do you have security cameras or something?” Why was the man standing there when Zach was all alone in an unfamiliar place?
“We do, but it’s unmanned and I don’t have access to it. I had my assistant ask if anyone saw him walk off.” Beau trudged back to the terminal. Josh followed, still holding onto Jordan, rubbing his temples with one hand extended across his forehead. If something happened to his brother…
He didn’t finish that thought.
The hum of conversation washed over them as people hurried by the small group. Others sat on benches, playing on phones or laughing with a companion. Announcements blared on the speaker, reciting departures in a tinny voice that bounced around the room.
“Wait here.” Beau went to speak to an attendant.
“I need to make a call. Hang tight, Josh.” She gave his hand a squeeze, then stepped away.
While the man talked with the employees, Josh dialed Berry. He explained the situation and asked him to search Zach’s room and their apartment. Maybe he could find a clue as to what his brother had planned. Worry and fear swelled with every word.
Jordan stood a few feet away from him, her phone already put away. She bit her bottom lip as she watched Beau traverse the terminal. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, then put them on again.
That simple action of her concern brought a sudden tightness in this throat. Love caught him in the chest, a kick that made his heart beat faster and his blood surge. She gave him way more than he deserved, and he needed to let her go, let her getback to Connecticut and wrap up her case. Let her be free of him.
“You should leave,” he said after he hung up with Berry. “Maybe you can still make your flight.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” she responded.
Beau came back with an attendant in tow. “Tristana saw Zach leave.”
“Yes, sir. I was helping a customer and he walked out that door.” She pointed across the terminal. “Going south. Keep in that direction and it meets a state road.”
“When?” Josh asked.
“Ten, maybe twenty minutes ago.”
He muttered his thanks before bolting out the door and into the cooling fall air.
How far could he have gotten in only ten minutes? Josh would be able to catch up with him, easy. Unless any number of jackwads were there to advantage of a young boy far from home. All it would take was the wrong person to convince him to get into a car. Like with an offer of a ride.
No. Zach was smart. Josh would find him.
“Hey!” Jordan shouted. She jogged over and matched his pace. “Where are you going?”
“To get Zach.” Wasn’t it obvious?
She held up the car keys. “Wouldn’t it be more efficient if we drove?”
Chapter 17
Jordan let the keys dangle from her finger as Josh stared at them. He stood too far away to touch, but close enough for her to read the weariness and despair in his face, even shadowed by his ballcap.
He gave a quick nod and followed her to the car. When they got there, he put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. She swallowed at his nearness a second before he drew her into his arms and crushed her against him.
“Thank you, Jay,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “He’s all I have. I can’t lose him.”
“I know,” she soothed, lending him her strength. “I know.”
He stayed plastered to her body. Finally he took a shuddering breath and released her. Undisguised pain and hopelessness raked over his face, and she ignored the swipe of his hand across his eyes. “Okay. Let’s get going.”
They got into the car and Jordan pulled onto the road. “You should call the police.”
He shook his head. “I can’t. They’ll take him away from me.”
“You need more help than just me. Let’s at least report it so they can search for him.”
