“Levi? What’s going on, man?” Dad’s voice carried a trace of concern. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I...”
An instant replay from the day before slammed into him with a sickening thud. His emotional conversation with Savvy in the lobby of the hotel. How she’d slipped away after telling him she wasn’t interested. Nyla’s empathetic expression and gentle hug as she bid him goodbye outside.
Then a very quiet ride back to Opportunity with Jasper.
“Levi? You there?”
“Hang on, Dad. I’ll be in as soon as I can, but I gotta take care of Wren first.”
“Not a problem,” Dad said. “Take your time.”
Well, if there was an upside to getting his heart smashed to pieces, maybe it was gaining some grace and understanding from his father.
He ended the call, threw the covers aside and dragged himself out of bed. Trudging out to the living room, he squinted and looked around. “Wren?”
Hearing no response, terror crept over him. “Wren, let’s go! We’re late. Have you eaten, or do I need to make breakfast?”
Most days, she left a trail behind her when she tried to get her own cereal without help. His eyes searched across the kitchen. Other than a chair pushed back from the table and angled sideways, nothing suggested anyone had been there recently.
Panic set in. There was a knock on the door. Loud and insistent. He peeked out at the driveway.
Miranda’s electric-blue sedan was parked behind his car.
He glanced down at his gym shorts and faded T-shirt. Presentable enough to open the door for Jasper’s fiancée. He crossed over to the entryway and reached out to undo the dead bolt. It was already unlocked. His mouth ran dry.
Wren. Had she snuck out unnoticed?
His heart leaped into his throat as he turned the knob and yanked open the door.
Miranda stood on his porch. She’d pulled her hair into a bouncy ponytail, done her makeup, and was wearing cutoff denim jean shorts and a cropped white T-shirt.
“Good morning.” Her smile quickly faded as she took in his appearance. “I was supposed to pick Wren up, but I haven’t heard from you. Is everything okay?”
Levi scrubbed his hand over his face. That’s right. He’d had to ask Miranda to look after Wren that morning because Savvy was gone and he’d run out of options. “Sorry. I overslept and my brain’s pretty foggy right now. Wren must still be asleep.”
“Oh. Well, do you want me to come back later, then?”
“Actually, if you don’t mind, could you just come inside for a second until I’m sure that everything’s okay? I don’t know if Jasper mentioned anything to you, but we had a rough time yesterday and I’m exhausted.”
Miranda’s eyes filled with empathy. “Jasper told me. I’m sorry things didn’t go like you’d hoped.”
“Yeah, me too.” He stepped back and motioned for her to come inside. “I’m not sure where Wren is. Let me see if she’s still asleep.”
“All right.” Miranda stood awkwardly inside the door, clutching her purse.
He padded down the hall and tapped softly on Wren’s door. It opened with a squeak. “Wren?”
Her bed was empty. His stomach plummeted. Maybe she’s hiding. “Hey, Wren. Not a great time to play, sweetie. Miranda’s here. She came by to pick you up. Are you going fishing today?” He inched closer and pulled back the covers. Her pink-and-white blanket was gone.
“Please, Lord, this can’t be,” he whispered as he dropped to his knees and looked under the bed. The other night, when he’d tucked her in, his toe had nudged a bag of chips. He’d pretended not to notice but went back later after she’d fallen asleep and found six or seven different snacks stashed under there. Just like Savvy had said. Now that food was gone.
Heart pounding, he scrambled to his feet and circled the room. Maybe she was hiding somewhere else because she was miffed that he’d dropped her off with his mother yesterday so he could make the grueling round trip to Anchorage. Except Mom had said she’d had a ball.
He flung open the closet doors. “Wren, I need you to come out. This isn’t funny anymore.”
Still no answer. He pushed aside the curtains and peeked into the yard. She wasn’t playing out there either. Stumbling into the hall, he pressed his hand to his mouth, trying to contain his rising fear.
Miranda stood next to the sofa, her phone in hand. “Is Wren missing?”
He nodded, then swallowed hard, trying to think. “Where would she go? She’s four.”
“I’ll call Jasper,” Miranda said, dropping her keys and her purse on the end of the couch.
“Please do. Tell him to get as many people as he can together to start searching.” Levi turned in another desperate circle. “I’ll call the police.”
Where had he left his phone? Dad’s wake-up call. His nightstand. He hurried into his room, grabbed his phone and called 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
Levi’s stomach twisted into a knot as he gave the emergency operator his address. “My foster daughter is missing,” he said, his voice shaking. “I think she might have run away. She’s only four years old.”
The dispatcher stayed calm and professional. She asked him a few questions about Wren—her eye color, height, hair color—and then told him a patrol car was on its way. After he hung up, he felt numb as he went back into the living room.
Miranda had just ended her call with Jasper.
“Jasper’s getting a group together to help search for Wren.” She tucked her phone back in her purse. “He thinks she probably just got scared and ran off somewhere nearby. We’ll find her soon enough.”
