She looked around. "She's not here. Maybe she’s inside. I'll go look."
"I'll come with you," I said.
The inside of the school was empty, as it usually was at pickup time. We went to the locker area, but Paisley wasn't there.
"Let's check her classroom. Maybe she stayed behind or came to get something," she said.
"Sure." I walked after her, wondering where Paisley was.
"Okay. She's not here either," she informed me after poking her head in the classroom.
My heart rate accelerated. "She's not here, and she's not in the front courtyard. Where could she be?"
"I'm sure she's with the other kids. Maybe they’re playing hide-and-seek."
That didn’t sound like Paisley, but I didn't say anything as we returned outside. I glanced around the courtyard, taking in every face, but none of them belonged to Paisley.
Ms. McDonald stopped in front of a blonde girl. I recognized Elena, Paisley's friend.
"Elena, do you know where Paisley is?" she asked.
"Yes, Ms. McDonald, she wanted to get tacos. She said tacos always make everything better.”
I swear to God, my heart stopped in my chest. "Where did she go?" I asked, trying to control the desperation in my voice.
"She said she was going to the food truck down the street. They sell tacos there."
Hell.
I immediately strode toward the front gate, and Ms. McDonald ran up to me. "I'm sure she couldn't have gotten too far."
I turned to her, narrowing my eyes. "How was she able to leave at all? You have a doorman, and you have cameras. How can any child get away?"
"I assure you it doesn't happen very often. It didn't happen at all last year. You know how unpredictable kids can be."
“That’s exactly why you need a better security system in place.”
CHAPTER 28
TATE
I wentout the front gate, hurrying to the food truck Elena had mentioned. It really was just around the corner. I was going to find Paisley any minute now. I was sure of it. She had to be there, still deciding what she wanted. My girlhadto be here.
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves.
When I rounded the corner, my whole body went rigid. She wasn't there.
I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other until I reached the food truck.
"Hi. What can I get you?" the vendor asked.
"Nothing. Thank you. I’m wondering if a little girl came here earlier." I tapped the screen of my phone, showing him a picture of Paisley. "She ran off from school."
The guy grimaced. "I'm sorry. She wasn't here."
Fuck. Where is she?
I looked up and down the street. My pulse thumped in my ear. Bile rose at the back of my throat. I called her a couple times.Come on, baby girl, pick up. Pick up.
