Then he’d called her business, but the shop’s voicemail informed him it had closed at five. It was still possible she was there, outside on the grounds somewhere, involved in a butterfly emergency—if such a type of emergency existed—and had set her phone down while she attended to it. But the fact that he still hadn’t heard back from her bothered him, and he had this increasing feeling that something was off.
He got to the restaurant where they had arranged to meet fifteen minutes early, and for a moment, when he turned the corner onto the block, he thought he saw her standing out front, and the burst of hope almost made him miss a step. But his heart dropped when the woman turned, and it wasn’t her. And he should have known because there was no little boy anywhere in sight.
He paced the street, the seconds ticking by until she was officially five minutes late. And dammit, it was only five minutes, but Cami wouldn’t leave him waiting like this unless something was wrong.
Rex walked toward his truck as people strolled by on the sidewalk, some laughing, most caught up in conversation, oblivious to the alarm bells that were ringing inside him. He tried Cami’s number for the twentieth time and swore when her voicemail picked up again.
She was with Cyrus now ... and Cyrus had a phone too. He’d almost forgotten.
He scrolled through his phone for Cyrus’s number, holding his breath as it rang. And then swearing when that number went to voicemail too. The sound of his innocent, childish voice made his heart nearly beat out of his chest.
Rex wasn’t used to feeling helpless, not like this, and he realized now why it was discouraged for men in the field to have families, personal involvements that affected decisions and gave choices emotional weight. Made a man wonder if he was overreacting because his heart was involved. But picturing Cami’s and Cyrus’s faces now also made him understand why so many disregarded that discouragement.
Where are you, Cami? And Cyrus?
He considered something, scrolling quickly back through his text messages with Cami and soon finding what he was looking for. She’d sent him her father’s and Gigi’s cell numbers just in case when she’d left Cyrus with them to go and visit Hollis. And if they weren’t together right now, that was the only other place Cyrus would be.
He felt a little awkward calling, especially since he hadn’t met her father or stepmother in person, but he set that aside and dialed Mr. Cortlandt’s number.
The man picked up on the second ring with a casual hello.
“Hello, sir, my name is Rex Lowe. We haven’t met but—”
“Rex Lowe?” There was some minor scuffling as if Mr. Cortlandt had stood or moved and was now walking into a quieter room, where the background noise became more distant. “Son, I owe you a debt of gratitude, one I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay. It’s a true pleasure to meet you, even over the phone. Cami speaks of you like the hero you are.”
Despite the current state of his nervous system, Rex felt honored by his words, and relieved by this particular man’s kind reaction to Rex’s call. And maybe, deep down, he experienced a heartbeat of healingthat he hadn’t even known he craved and was too preoccupied to think about now.
“Thank you, sir. I’m glad I was able to help. And I’m sorry to interrupt you like this, but I’m looking for Cami and Cyrus. We were supposed to meet for dinner, and they didn’t show, and neither is answering their phones.”
“Ah, well, Cyrus is in the other room. We’re watching a movie.” His voice became muted, and Rex heard him call for Cyrus. “I think he said Cam had a meeting. I assumed it was work related. Hold on, here he is.”
“Rex!”
“Hey, buddy.”God, it’s good to hear your voice.“Do you know where your mom is?”
“She dropped me off with Pops and Gigi because some lady wanted to meet her.”
Rex felt a twinge of discomfort under his ribs. “Some lady? Do you know who?”
“No. But she’s picking me up soon so we can meet you for dinner. Are we late?”
Dammit. What the hell is going on, Cami?At least Cyrus was safe, and he felt a hell of a lot better knowing that.Some lady.He also knew Cami would not have met anyone she didn’t feel comfortable meeting. “I think your mom’s running a little behind, but hopefully not by much. Oh, hey, I tried to call you. Where’s your phone?”
“Oh. I put it in the front pocket of my mom’s purse and then forgot about it.”
My mom.God, Cami would love to hear him refer to her that way. “Okay. You’re good?”
“Yeah, I’m good. See you soon.”
“See ya.”
“Rex?” Mr. Cortlandt said when he got back on the line. “I just had my wife dial Cam’s number and she’s still not answering, like you said. And she is late picking Cyrus up, which isn’t like her at all. I’m getting a bad feeling.”
“I don’t want to worry you unnecessarily,” Rex said. “But I have the same feeling and I don’t like that none of us know who this woman is she’s meeting. And after ...”
“After everything ...” Mr. Cortlandt finished. There was no need to finish that sentence.Everythingwas a lot, and they both knew it.
“I’m going to call the police, Rex. They might not do anything yet, considering she’s only been missing for less than an hour. But with what she and Cyrus have been through ...”
