“Something’s wrong.”

The panic in Tori’s voice makes me shoot up off the couch. “What’s wrong,” I reply into the phone.

“I… I'm not sure. Ell hasn't called me in a couple days and I understand why she’s avoiding you, but there isn’t any reason she would avoid me.” Thanks for that reminder. “I went to her apartment today when she wasn’t answering her phone. Everything is in its place.”

“Okay.” I’m relieved to hear it wasn’t in disarray. “Maybe she’s at the Lighthouse.”  

“Kase. Her car is still there. Her luggage is still there. She’s not at work. I’ve gone to all her normal places around here, but no one has seen her either. So, where is she?” she shrills into the phone.

I pull the phone away from my ear. “Calm down, Tori. She’s probably out taking pictures somewhere.”

“Calm down? What if he found her?”

“Who?”

“What if her stepfather–”

“Why would you think that? He’s in jail.” Prickles of fear form across my body as I pace the room. Why would she put that in my head? She just needs her space. Right?

“She’s always been afraid of him finding her. It’s just weird she wouldn’t tell me where she was going. She tells me everything, Kase.”

“Meet me at her apartment.” I end the call and take long strides to my bedroom.

“What’s going on?” Everly asks, walking into my bedroom. Her eyes widen as she watches me slip my holstered gun onto my hip.

“I’m not sure if it’s anything.” I grab my wallet and keys off my dresser and look up at her worried expression. “Ellie’s gone missing. I’m sure she needed a break from everything, but her best friend is worried. Just do me a favor and stay here. Don’t leave.” If by chance, there’s any truth to Tori’s concern, they could easily take Everly for Ellie.

“This is all my fault. I was a major bitch to her,” she says, wrapping her arms around her waist.

I pull her into a hug. “No. If anyone will take the blame, it'll be me.”

Her arms wrap around me. I wait for my body to take over and think it’s Ellie, but nothing comes. It’s about damn time it can tell the difference. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Walking to my bike, I text Cody, asking him to make sure Everly and Reed don’t leave the apartment. I relax a little when I receive a thumbs up text. Tori’s already waiting in the parking lot when I roll up. I glance around Ellie’s car, checking handles to see if it’s locked. I make a mental note to get a Slim-Jim from Hudson later to check her trunk. Neither of us wastes any time talking as we head to her apartment. I keep walking when Tori stops for the elevator.

“I’ll meet you up there,” I say over my shoulder.

“Oh yeah, forgot about your aversion to elevators.”

I make it to Ellie’s door a few seconds before Tori does. “Is that necessary?” she asks, pointing to the gun on my hip that I have in my grip.

I hold my finger up to my mouth. In a whisper, I reply, “Yes. Did you search her entire apartment when you were here earlier?”

“Um… I mean, I went into the rooms, but I didn’t search all the closets,” she whispers back.

I nod, holding my hand out for the key. “Stay behind me.”

The ingrained instinct of clearing a room takes over. I move from room to room swiftly and efficiently with Tori right behind me. Nothing is out of place, worry setting in more with each step. It’s everything Tori told me already, but seeing it for myself confirms what I didn’t want to before. Something is wrong.

Tori’s eyes follow me as I pace the room. My phone is gripped tightly in my hand while I think of who to call first. Where would she go? Did she see Everly, and that’s why she took off? But why didn’t she take her car? Questions continue to swarm my head and I’m getting frustrated I can’t answer them. I scroll through my contact list and press the Lighthouse’s number.

“Is she really there and you’re just covering for her?” The question grates out of my clenched jaw.

“No, Kase. She told us she was dealing with something personal, so we thought she was taking off for a few days. Is everything okay?” Diane asks.

“I… I don’t know.” My head drops. Where are you, Ellie? I pop back up at the sound of a phone ringing. Jerking my head in Tori’s direction, she shrugs. “Gotta go, Diana,” I snap, hanging up on her. The ringing sound is muted, but it’s a phone. We both dash into her bedroom just as it stops ringing. I drop to the floor and look under the bed, but find nothing so I call her phone. It goes straight to voicemail.

“Does Ellie have another phone?”

“She’s never mentioned it.”

“Go through her drawers,” I demand, pointing to her nightstand. “There’s a phone in here and we need to find it.”

Drawer after drawer we check until my fingers land on something hard in a pile of soft material. “Found it.” I hold it up and Tori runs over.

Twenty-five missed calls. Someone’s trying to get a hold of her. Staring at the phone, I wonder what else Ellie is hiding. She has an ugly past I just learned about, but did she tell me everything? The black flip phone lights up when I open it.

“Why do you think she has another phone?” Tori asks over my shoulder.

I shake my head. “Not sure. But someone else is trying to find her too. Let’s see who it is.” It’s the only phone number in her contacts and it’s a Texas number. I have a hunch it’s her dad’s number, but why a burner phone. The phone rings twice before a raspy voice answers.

“Well, well, well… my little slut has finally decided to call dear ole daddy.” Chills crawl up my spine. Who the hell is this? “I hear you breathing, girly. What’s wrong, you think just because you moved away, I wouldn’t find you? Well, get ready ‘cause Daddy’s coming home.”

“You fucking try,” I roar. “If you touch her, I will hunt you down and tear you apart piece by fucking piece and throw you out for shark food.” My chest vibrates with anger, it takes every fiber inside me not to launch the phone against the wall.

This can’t be her dad. 

His laugh is like a needle scraping inside my veins, making them bleed.

“Seems my little slut has been cheating on me. Do you know her pussy was mine first? It dripped from…” I pull the phone back, slamming it shut. A glass figurine from the shelf shatters into a million pieces as it hits the wall. The slip of anger that worked its way out doesn’t help. I need this guy on a fucking gurney and I need to focus to do it.

I’m frozen in place, his voice echoing in my head. A hand touches my bicep and I whip around, drawing my gun.

Tori’s hands fly up in the air. “Kase, it’s me.”

I choke on my breath, lowering my gun. I need to get him out of my head.

Putting my gun back into the holster, my knees give out and I crumble to the ground as I try to catch my breath. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, ashamed I lost control.

“It’s… okay,” she replies, slowly. “Who was that?”

“I’m certain it wasn’t her dad.” So, whose phone is it? The way he was talking, it sounded like her step-father, but he’s in jail.

I push myself off the floor and call Stone with my own phone. He answers, “I hear you have company.”

“I don’t have time to talk about that. I need you to search the current status of Ray Stevens, stat.”

I wait as keys tap on the other end. “Is that…” He pauses. “Kase. We need to get Ell to a safe place.”

I growl. “I can’t find her! Tell me what you found.”

“He escaped from prison three days ago. What the hell do you mean you can’t find her?”

“She’s missing. No one has seen her the last two days. But he doesn’t have her because I just talked to the son of a bitch.”

Stone talks to someone else, only when the person replies I realize it’s Max. “We’re on our way. Stay put.” Easier said than done.

“I’m at Ellie’s. We need to send someone over to Dalton Keyes’ house. I’m pretty sure Ray has his phone, which can only mean–”

“On it. See you in fifteen.”

Okay, Ellie, where’d you go? I finish going through her drawers, looking for any clues of where she would run to. Finding nothing, I move on to the living room, searching every square inch of her place. Tori sits on the couch, silently crying while she watches me. “You know her better than anyone, Tori. Can you think of where would she go if she wanted to hide?”

“I have no idea,” she cries. “I didn’t even know about the other phone.”

When Stone and Max walk in, they both scan the apartment. “You didn’t tell us her apartment had been trashed,” Stone says.

“It wasn’t. I did it looking for… something to help find her.”

Max puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “She’s okay.”

I do a double take, taking a step back. “What? How the hell do you know?” 

“On the way over, I called some friends. She was taken to a safe house.”

My head falls back, I say a silent thank you and blow out all the panic twisting inside me.

“Oh, my god, thank you,” Tori says, running into Max’s arms.

I take a couple long strides to the door, pulling my keys out of my pockets. “Tell me where she is, I want to be there with her.” Knowing she’s safe calms me a little, but it'd be better if I was there to protect her.

Max’s lips twist and he shakes his head. “The FBI isn’t sharing that info with me. We have another problem though. Let’s go to your place.”

My brows crease, but he walks out ignoring my questioning expression. Guess we’re going to my place.

“Can I come?” Tori squeaks from behind me. I peek down at her and her eyes plead with me. “Maybe I can help.”

Probably not, but Ellie means a lot to her. “Sure. Meet us there.” 

Not ten minutes later, we’re all filing into my apartment. “Ell!” Tori screams, running to Everly and throwing her arms around her. Everly stiffens. “I was so worried about you. I thought you were–”

“Tori,” Max cuts her off, shaking his head. She releases Everly and steps back, confused.

“I’m not… Ellie. I’m Everly.”

“Oh.” Her eyes travel up and down her body. “Wow, you guys look so much alike.”

Max shifts to the door when there’s a knock, and answers it. He shakes two guys’ hands as they walk in. As if there isn't enough commotion, Reed comes out of the bedroom. All talking ceases and eyes flash to me, then him. I get it people, he’s the spitting image of me.

His eyes widen as he takes in everyone. “I’m thinkin’ I need to eat my spinach a little more,” he jokes, breaking up the awkward silence. 

Stone pats me on the back, leaning over to my ear and says, “He’s certainly funnier than you.”

I chuckle, nodding my head at the little guy.

I introduce everyone to Everly and Reed. Max takes over, introducing the two guys and I’m not surprised to find out they’re FBI. Everly wraps her arms around Reed’s chest as she eyes me. I don’t want to be the one to tell her they're here for her. I crushed her hopes we could be together and now I’m about to tell her that her life is in danger because of the face she shares with the woman she lost me to. Talk about a double-edged sword.

“What’s going on, Kase? Is Ellie in danger?” She looks past me at the guys talking in the kitchen.

I sigh. “No. She’s safe.” I pause, taking in a deep breath, looking down at Reed. “Tori, can you take Reed into the bedroom.”

She hops off the barstool. “Yep. Come on Reed, I’ve got a deck of cards in my purse, let’s see if you can beat me at war.”

He glances between me and his mom. She nods, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’ll come play in a few minutes.” Once they’re out of earshot, her smile drops. “Why is the FBI here?”

“They’re here for you.” Her eyebrows shoot up. “There’s someone after Ellie. She’s at a safe house so she’s safe… but–”

“But, I look like her,” she finishes my sentence.

The guys join us and discuss with Everly what'll happen. They waste no time gathering their luggage. She’s biting her nails as she watches them take it out the door.

“Come here,” I say, pulling her into me. “I’m so sorry this is happening. But if it’ll keep you and Reed safe, I’m all for it.”

“Where are they taking us?”

“They don’t disclose that to anyone. It’s better that way. I’d come if I could.”

“How long are they going to keep us there?” She pulls back, panic flashes in her eyes. “Kase, we can’t just disappear. Reed has school, I have–”

“The guy that’s after Ellie broke out of prison. Once he’s found, you’ll be able to go home.”

She spins around and stares out the window. “I can’t believe this is happening. One minute I have the perfect life, the next, my brain decides it’s a good time to screw it all up. It’s been downhill ever since. I wish I never remembered you.”

Even though I’m not choosing her, her words hit a sore spot on my heart. I want to tell her I’m sorry, but I’m not. I have a son who should have been in my life from the beginning. This situation sucks all around, but I’ll never regret finding out about him. I can’t wait to get to know him better and the sooner that bastard is caught, the sooner that can happen.

“It’s time to go,” one of the FBI agents tells Everly.

“Can I have a moment with Reed?” I ask her, not caring what the FBI agent says. Still staring out the window, she nods.

The typically dark room is bright from the open curtains. Tori and Reed are sitting on the bed playing cards. Tori looks up at me and smirks. “Better watch him, he’s a card shark.”

“Hey! No, I’m not, you just stink at cards.” He laughs. I’ve never wanted to bottle up a laugh, but damn, I could listen to that over and over and it’d never get old. “Kase, you wanna play?” Yes. All day, every day. Tori squeezes my bicep as she walks out of the room.

“I wish I could. There’s been a change of plans,” I say, sitting next to him on the bed.

“Are we still going to the beach?” He pops up on his knees.

“No. But I promise that's one of the first things we’ll do when you come back.”

“Come back? Are we leaving already? We just got here.”

Everly and I haven’t discussed the possibilities of him coming here, but the disappointment in his voice makes me believe it’ll happen.

“You remember your mom’s twin?” He nods. I run the words through my head first, trying to be sensitive to a ten-year-old’s ear, but no matter how I spin it, it’s bad. “She’s in danger so the FBI is guarding her. Since your mom looks a lot like your aunt, the FBI wants to be diligent in protecting you guys too.”

“Are you coming with us?” His big eyes, filled with concern, stare at me. I can’t even explain the emotions flowing through me. I’ve never felt this deep draw toward someone. It’s amazing and scary at the same time.

“Not this time, buddy. I’m staying here to help find the bad guy.”

His eyes flick to my gun. “Are you a cop like my dad? I mean…” He trails off, looking down, flicking a card against his fingers. As much as it hurts to hear, it’s not his fault.

I lift his chin to meet my eyes. “Hey. It’s okay. He’s still your dad.” I swallow the sting. He nods his head in my hand. “But no, I work in security. It’s a little like being a cop.”

“Do you know how to use a gun?”

“Kase is the best there is at shooting a gun, Reedster,” Cody answers, walking into the room.

Reed jumps up on the bed, excited. “My dad taught me how to shoot, he said I was a natural. I must get it from you.” I’m not sure if now's the best time to have a proud dad moment, but I am. “Will you take me shooting?”

“Heck yeah. I’d love to see those skills you have.” We high five each other and he hops off the bed.

“Kase, they’re ready to leave,” Cody says.

“All right big guy, do everything they say. We’ll have you back as fast as we can.” He jerks forward, wrapping his arms around my waist, digging his head into my chest. I take a deep breath, soaking in every millisecond of his touch. When I wrap my arms around him, I melt. Ten years without this. With the hatred I feel for Wayne right now, it’s a good thing he’s not here.