Page 65 of The Kidnapped

“How did you and your parents do this?” Raleigh asked her.

“My parents treated me like shit. I got angry and left. I don’t recommend it,” Ada said. “I was so angry at the whole thing; I almost missed the fact that Dylan had the hots for me.”

“When she grew up,” Dylan clarified quickly. “Not when she was a teenager.”

Ada laughed and said, “Yes, that’s an important note, babe.”

“That’s right,” Raleigh remembered. “There’s an age difference between you two.”

“About ten years, yeah,” Ada replied. “Cradle robber, over here, was being kind and dedicated, and I was a bitch to her for a while.”

“Apparently, I have a type,” Dylan stated, shrugging both shoulders.

“How are your parents now?” Raleigh asked.

“Strangely, better now that they know that he’s gone. The missing, the not knowing, is the hardest part of it, as you know, I’m sure. Noah disappeared when I was under the water for maybe fifteen seconds. He was there one minute and gone the next. They blamed me. Hell, I blamed myself. I’m not sure that guilt will ever go away, either.” Ada looked down at Dylan and reached for her hand. “I’m better now. Less angry. Happier because I know he’s okay now. I don’t really believe much in the whole heaven thing, but I know he’s not in pain, and that makes it easier. I still wish I hadn’t jumped from that rope swing into that lake. Maybe the person who took him wouldn’t have tried anything then, and Noah would still be here, but I’ll never know.” She met Dylan’s eyes. “And as much as I miss my brother and wish he was here, I met Dylan because of what happened. No one gets me like Dylan does, and I would’ve missed out on her and us. Now, I’ve had two beers, so I’m a little on the mushy side right now, which isn’t really like me, but it’s nice to think that maybe Noah brought her to me; like he knew she was the one I was supposed to be with or something, and he made it happen. Anyway, that’s how I like to think of it.”

“I think that’s nice,” Raleigh said softly.

“Me too,” Dylan agreed.

Then, Raleigh thought of Hollis.

“Can I ask you both something?”

“Sure,” Dylan said.

“Hollis.”

“Is the name of the woman you like,” Ada stated in response.

Raleigh went to say something first but then stopped and nodded with a small laugh.

“Yeah, I do like her.”

“So, what’s the question?” Ada asked, now sitting in Dylan’s lap.

“How did you two get through all of that to get here?” Raleigh asked. “Even with all the baggage and awful stuff, you’re married now. You’re both successful at work. I just can’t see how I can manage it myself. I’m already struggling at work. My daughter is missing, and I can’t be happy until she’s home. Then, I meet Hollis, and there’s just something I want now that I haven’t wanted in a long time; that I never thought I’d have again. But now, she’s here, and I just…”

“You don’t know how you can possibly be with her when you’re supposed to spend every minute of every day trying to find Eden?” Dylan guessed.

“I mean, I was already wishing I could just quit my job and spend all my time searching for her, but I have to have a house for her to come home to,” Raleigh replied. “And now, I like Hollis, and she’s… special. She makes me less angry; less sad, sometimes.”

“I’m no expert,” Ada said. “Dylan snuck up on me, too, though.”

“And I definitely was not looking to start something with someone I’d last seen as a teenager while I was just starting out as a Lieutenant, trying to get a cold case squad up and running,” Dylan added.

“But you got here,” Raleigh argued.

“Yeah. And it was hard fucking work,” Ada replied. “She’s a pain in the ass.”

Dylan smiled and said, “And she’s sassy and sarcastic and just says whatever’s on her mind all the time. She’s a lot; that’s what I’m getting at.”

“I think I really like her,” Raleigh admitted.

“Then, go for it,” Ada told her.

“You can’t just wait for Eden. You know that, right?” Dylan asked. “I wish I could tell you that we’re going to find her, but–”

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