She blinked. “You don’t even know what’s happening.”
“No, but I know you have to be somewhere. Something bad happened. You’re shaking. I’m not letting you drive, or be alone.”
Chapter Thirteen
Reid
I took it as a bad omen that Hailey didn’t even attempt to fight me. She was quiet from the moment I clasped her hand, leading her out of the penthouse, up until we were in the car and I asked for the address.
“What’s wrong?” I asked after starting the navigation system.
“My nephew got lost. Everyone’s searching for him.”
Fuck. Fuck.
“We’ll find him. How old is he?”
“Ten.”
Her hands trembled in her lap. I reached out, covering them.
“We’ll find him,” I repeated. “Who is searching?”
“Umm... my entire family, and also some LAPD guys. My brother Will used to be a detective.”
“See? We’ll find him.”
“Not if he went into the water,” she mumbled.
“Not a swimmer?”
“He does know how to swim, but the ocean can be dangerous anyway.”
I wanted to put her at ease, but I knew there was nothing more I could do than be here for her. And find her nephew.
When we arrived at our destination, a villa near Santa Monica, Hailey jumped out of the car before I’d even cut off the engine. I followed her quickly, into the yard that was milling with people.
“Will, any news?” Hailey asked a guy who seemed twice her size.
“No. But we’ve got a search party of twenty. We’ll find him.”
“What if he went into the ocean?”
Will set his jaw. “Milo’s smart. He knows not to go in if there are waves.”
“Where should I search? Give me a task.”
“Me too,” I said, stepping closer to her. Will glared at me, clearly just now realizing I was here.
“Who are you?” he barked.
“Hailey’s date. Now, which part of the grounds could use more people in the search party?”
Will dished out instructions, and I could tell that if circumstances were different, he’d skewer me with questions.
We divided into groups of two. I stayed with Hailey, and together we combed every inch of the beach stretching in front of the house, as well as the neighboring ones. Jesus. The waves were crushing. No matter how good a swimmer you were, you couldn’t override them.
I didn’t tell Hailey that. We just kept on trudging, right until someone called, “We found him.”