Page 67 of Reclaiming Adelaide

I’ddroppedBeccaoffeight hours ago and drove around town, scouring the city streets for her. Searching the closest bus and train stations. She was nowhere to be seen, and I was exhausted.

“Where the fuck are you, Adelaide?”

I brought my watch up and groaned. Three A.M. No wonder my body threatened to shut down on me. The adrenaline drove me into a hyper-focused state until it wore off, depleting me.

The longer she was out there, the higher the chance of her making a mistake and they not only going after her but coming after me. I made the deal with them, after all. So, it wasn’t just her ass on the line…

My phone buzzed, and I silenced it after seeing a number I didn’t recognize.

“She’s really got under your skin,” Charity said as I slapped the steering wheel, striking out on another dark alleyway.

Adelaide had me wandering the bad side of town not only once but twice, searching for her.

“Yes.”

“What’s her goal?”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s her end goal? Why did she run away from you?”

I thought about it for a minute, thinking of all the reasons, excuses, and things she’s said over the week. “She’s scared.”

Charity snorted. “Of you? I doubt that.”

“No, not of me.”

“Is she as paranoid as you?”

“I’m not paranoid.”

She scoffed. “Okay. And my boots aren’t black.”

I ground my teeth. “Fine. Not as much, but I’m sure more so now.”

“Then we need to scratch the typical places. She won’t go there.”

“I hadn’t planned on it.”

“So then, where should we look?”

I gripped the steering wheel and exhaled as I pulled over.

“If I knew where to look, I’d go there. But I don’t. She’s difficult to pinpoint. She’s random and does shit without thinking sometimes.”

Adelaide would like to think she’d made calculated decisions, but she was still a teenager who lacked life’s experiences and made mistakes left and right.

That’s how I’d found her before, and that’s how I’d find her again.

“You don’t have to come with me,” I said, expecting her to be tired by now with constant yawning. “I’m sure you’re tired.”

“I’m a night owl, and any opportunity I can get to break some kneecaps, I’m on it like flies on shit.”

“Hmm.” If I didn’t find Adelaide soon, she’d get the opportunity.

“I might have an idea. There’s this one guy I know who helps runaways cross borders. Maybe we can check him out. He could know of some hiding places.”

“Call him. It’s worth a shot.”

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