Natalie wrung her hands and sneaked looks at Jem’s stony profile as they zipped toward Wildfire in the evening traffic. The words he’d spoken still wouldn’t compute.
Mike, a cheater.
Steph, a liar.
Lili, alone through it all.
How could she have missed the signs?
Natalie replayed every conversation she’d had with Lili in the past three weeks. The girl had seemed off, sure, but that was easy to put down to her fight with Nick.
But the whole time her family had been falling apart, with Lili forbidden from saying a word about it.
Natalie scrubbed a hand across her face. “That day your dad said she was drunk . . .”
“I know.” Jem’s voice was tight.
He’d barely looked at her since he passed on Nick’s message. Resentment rolled from him in waves. Not that he seemed to blame her for the Lili situation, though she’d clearly misread it.
No, with the Lili situation, he was just worried. But he was mad about Olly—and her reaction.
She folded her arms and slouched in the seat.
Jem swung into the parking lot, his wheels over the painted line. He yanked the keys from the ignition without bothering to correct.
She touched his arm as he twisted in the seat to unbuckle Olly. “She’s going to be okay.”
He brushed her hand aside. “Let’s go.”
She sat still as he exited the car, a hollow ache blooming in her chest.
Jem poked his head back inside. “Are you coming?” He shut the door before she could respond.
Scrambling out, she peered over to the five people staring one another down in the parking lot. What was Lili’s teacher doing there, and why was Nick standing between her and Steph?
Realization hit. She was Lili’s teacher. She was Nick’s aunt. She’d probably come with him to Wildfire for the scholarship interview.
And she was the mistress.
Oh no.” She dashed to catch up with Jem, who’d reached his father’s side.
As she arrived, Mike was telling Jem the story of his encounter with Lili that afternoon. “We planned to talk to you tomorrow,” he finished.
Jem turned to Nick. “And you saw her afterward?”
“She was in front of the school.”
“And she’d just found out about the pregnancy?”
Steph’s face twitched at the word.
Natalie winced.
Nick nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Did she say anything about where she was going?”
“She just said she wasn’t going home. That was it.”
Natalie glared at Mike. What had he done?
“We’re going to search in pairs,” Jem said. “Whoever finds her, call us.” He pointed to his father. “You take Steph. Natalie, Mike. Nick, you’re with me.” He gave each pair a zone of Charlottesville to tackle. “Go to malls, cinemas, and fast-food places first. And any place to do with art.”
“I’ve got the force looking too,” John said, nodding to a police car cruising past.
“Good. Let’s go.” Jem stepped away from Natalie’s side.
She shivered. No reassuring touch to the arm. He just went.
She walked on wooden legs toward Mike. Red scratches stretched across his cheek. She could only imagine what Steph’s reaction had been. “You’re despicable.”
“I know.” He looked at his wife, then Trish.
Natalie followed his gaze. Trish stood alone among the pairs, her arms wrapped around her middle.
Nick hugged his aunt. Natalie was close enough to hear his low words.
“Go home, Trish.”
She mumbled something in response.
“It’s going to be okay. I’m going to be a great cousin for this baby.”
She nodded against his shoulder, sniffed, and left.
Natalie’s stomach turned. Nick, Lili, even the baby, had nothing to do with this mess. But they would suffer for it, nonetheless.
When Trish’s Fiat pulled away from the curb, Mike unlocked his car.
Natalie climbed in, and they headed toward the downtown mall. Silence reigned during the drive and the first part of the search. They checked the Paramount Theater, Splendora’s, the children’s museum, and the Freedom of Speech Wall. Nada.
As they hiked back to the car, Mike’s phone buzzed in his hand. He hit the answer button and set it to speakerphone. “Jem?”
“Nick had a brainwave.” Jem shot the words out rapid fire.
Natalie perked up. They’d found her?
“We tracked her through her phone, same as she did to you,” Jem said.
Mike winced, and Natalie deflated. Jem didn’t sound excited that he’d found Lili’s location, so it mustn’t be good.
“Where is she?” she asked.
“I just sent a screenshot of the map to Mike’s phone. That’s where she was ten minutes ago. We lost her signal—she must have switched her phone off.”
Mike pulled up the image.
“Where is she going?” Natalie studied the pinpoint on the map, at least a hundred miles from Charlottesville.
“She’s on the interstate to Raleigh,” Mike said. “Grace lives there.”
“Things haven’t gone well with Grace’s dad, and her grandmother in Washington has cancer.” Nick’s voice came over the phone. “Grace and her mom have gone to take care of her for a couple months. Grace mentioned it to me the other day. But I don’t think Lili knows that.”
* * *
They were losing time.
Natalie folded her arms against the icy chill of the November night wind as she leaned against Jem’s car, the heater inside still humming to warm Olly. They’d regrouped at the parking lot of Jem’s apartment.
Across from her, Jem and Nick leaned over Jem’s phone. Both had loosened ties and frustrated expressions. They’d been trying to pick up Lili’s signal again.
“This isn’t working,” Jem lowered the phone. “Mike and Steph, are you sure Raleigh is where Lili would be heading?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Steph shivered as she spoke.
Mike offered his coat to her.
The look she gave him could have frozen an Eskimo.
Mike shrugged his jacket back on. “She doesn’t know anyone else in that direction.”
“I can contact the bus station and find out if she bought a ticket,” John said. He wore only shirtsleeves but seemed unaffected by the plummeting temperature.
Jem nodded. “But for now, we’re running out of time. If she is on the bus, the schedule says she should arrive a bit after 9:00 p.m. And she doesn’t know that Grace has moved. If Lili isn’t able to contact Grace for some reason, she could be stranded.”
“You’ll never beat her to the bus station.” Natalie studied the map on her phone.
“The bus could’ve been delayed. They often are.”
“We can take a squad car,” John said. “Faster.”
“I’ll follow in the Bimmer,” Steph said. Her gaze cut to Mike. “You can ride with your father.”
“I’ll go shotgun with Steph,” Jem said.
“Whoa.” Natalie took a step forward. “Is everyone going? Won’t that be overwhelming? She might just stay on the bus.”
“We can’t take Oliver. One of us will have to stay home.” Jem’s face shuttered as he spoke. His expression wiped every time he was forced to speak to her.
“You’re her uncle. You should go,” she murmured. Then, louder, “But I don’t think all of you can show up and expect things to go well.” She stared down Mike. “Especially you.”
Steph stood straighter. “I’m her mother—I need to be there.”
“She’s angry with both of you.” Jem spoke at the same time.
“Just put her in the police car and don’t give her a choice.” John started toward his car.
Natalie put two fingers in her mouth and whistled.
Everybody stopped.
“Lili hasn’t been able to be honest with any of us lately. Except Nick. I think we should ask what he thinks.”
The boy’s eyes widened.
Steph pursed her lips but nodded.
Nick scratched his head. “I understand Mrs. Walters wanting to be there. You, too, Mr. Walters. And if you stay home, she might think you don’t care.”
Steph flashed a triumphant look toward John.
“But I also don’t think she’ll come quietly if you show up at the bus station. She’s still pretty raw.” His eyes landed on Jem. “You’ve got the best shot.”
Natalie nodded. “Mike and Steph, you guys could go, but get a couple of motel rooms and stay there while Jem talks to Lili. That way she has the option of seeing you and knows you care. But if she can’t handle it, Jem can just drive her straight home or stay in a different room.”
“Best idea we’ve had yet.” John pulled out his keys. “Mike, get your backside in here.”
Jem snagged Nick’s elbow. “If you have to leave, that’s fine, but I’d like to have you with me if you’re willing.”
Nick pocketed his keys and nodded.
Jem approached Natalie. “I’ll text you to find out his sugars.” Jem inclined his head toward where Olly dozed in the back seat.
She looked down. She’d deserved that. “Okay.”
Jem didn’t move.
She scrounged the courage to lift her face again. “We will find her, you know. She’ll be okay.”
“Physically, maybe. But we can’t fix her broken heart.” He shook his head. “I’ll let you know when we’re on our way back. If you don’t want to be here, then . . . See if your mom can babysit Olly instead.”
Her eyes filled. Why did he give up on their relationship so easily?
Then again, if he didn’t support her dream of working at Wildfire, did she want that relationship?
He walked away and slid into the passenger seat of Steph’s car. The vehicles pulled away. Natalie stayed, propped up by the car, until they disappeared into the dark night.
She hit her speed dial. “Mom? I need you to come over.”