with kisses and passion and vows of forever.
All in the past. He had to let it go.
Still, it was killing him to watch her endure this. Her fear for her daughters was palpable, and with every tick of the clock the danger became more menacing, the tension more intense.
Shelton Lane’s insensitive comments definitely hadn’t helped. Adam had been sorely tempted to plant a fist in the man’s face. Thankfully, he’d managed to hold back. Going to jail for assaulting an officer would have left Hadley to spend the night in this house all alone.
Instead, she was in his arms.
But she needed a hell of a lot more than a shoulder to cry on. She needed a hero. So did Lacy and Lila. His mother had thought he could be that man, but there were so many missing pieces to the puzzle he didn’t know where to begin.
Hadley sniffled and pulled away. “I’m sorry, Adam. I didn’t mean to lose control like that. I hate being weak.”
“You’re anything but weak, Hadley.”
She pressed the palms of her hands against his wet shirt. “You’re soaked.”
“The shirt will dry. It’s fine. How about some food?” he asked, changing the subject.
“I’m not hungry, but you can check the fridge. There are likely fixings for a sandwich or a salad, but probably little else unless you like yogurt, raw veggies or fruit. Mother’s on a health kick.”
“I’m sure I can wrangle up something.”
“Make yourself at home. I need to call Mother and tell her that we heard from the kidnapper and that he’s promised the girls are safe. That may let her get a little bit of much-needed rest tonight.”
“You might want to give yourself a few minutes to think things through concerning Matilda’s brother before you call.”
“I’ll just tell Mother what the detective told us. I’m sure it hasn’t occurred to her that Quinton could be involved. If it had, she would have given his name to Detective Lane.”
“Will you call Matilda?”
“I won’t have to. Mother will have her on the phone in seconds after we hang up to see if she knows how to find Quinton.”
“I imagine someone with the DPD has already done that. For the record, I’m sure they’re checking me out, as well.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m sure you’ll pass muster with flying colors.”
“Unless they think a few speeding tickets make me a risk.”
But they would question his and Hadley’s relationship.
“Go ahead and call your mom,” he urged. “I’ll check out the fridge.”
Hadley followed him into the kitchen but went straight for a cup of stale, black coffee. He inspected the food options and decided on turkey sausage, eggs and toast. Hopefully, he could convince Hadley to try a few bites.
He got started on the sausage while Hadley made the call. Her voice remained surprisingly steady as she inquired about how her mother was feeling and then quickly described the contents and delivery details of the FedEx package.
It was obvious when the topic switched to him.
“Yes, he’s still here, Mother.” Pause. “Because I asked him to stay.” Another pause. “That’s my decision.”
Adam could understand Janice not being thrilled to have him back in the picture, but you’d think he’d be preferable to having Hadley face this alone.
Once again, he wondered where in the hell the girls’ father was and why he hadn’t come up again in tonight’s discussion with the detective. Whatever Hadley had told the detective about him this morning must have been enough to take him completely out of the picture.
“Can you just please let it go for now, Mother? There’s something far more urgent we need to talk about. I’m switching to speaker now so that Adam can join in the conversation.”
“I have nothing to say to Adam.”
Janice O’Sullivan’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Then just listen for a minute. Based on what we know now, whoever took the girls had to have easy access to the house,” Hadley said. “Both day and night.”
“You know I would have changed every lock on every door and window if I’d any idea the girls were in danger.”
“I know and I’m not blaming you for a second.”
“The locks were all changed when we did the remodeling,” Janice said. “That’s only been a few months ago, I’m certain there aren’t a lot of working keys floating around.”
“You didn’t mention that earlier.”
“I just remembered it. I think it’s the pain meds. They keep me groggy. I told them I’m leaving the hospital in the morning. You need me and they can’t keep me against