Page 34 of Jack

“Voicemail.”

Boo walked over to her, her eyes wide. “Okay . . . so . . . don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

And then she turned and looked at Jack.

His mouth opened, and Harper could nearly see the understanding washing over him. “Wait . . .”

“Jack. She’s missing.”

He looked at Harper. “She’s done this before.”

“What? This is not that.”

Boo pleaded now. “C’mon, Jack. Please. You have to find her.”

He drew in a breath. And in her head, Harper heard,“I can’t let people down if they don’t depend on me.”

And just like that, in a moment that should have been accompanied by bright lights and singing, she got it. The fight. The rift. And now, after four years, healed or on the way.

“I was trying to . . .”

Protect my sister. Yep, that was the probable end to that sentence.

And now he didn’t want to promise something that might end up . . .

No.Penelope was fine. Probably on a shopping trip to Minneapolis. But even Harper’s brain said that didn’t make sense.

Still, the realization of all of it made her open her mouth, made the words come out almost on their own. “I’ll offer a reward.”

Even Boo gave her an incredulous look.

Jack shook his head. “No, that’s not?—”

“A hundred bucks if you can find Penelope.”

He shook his head.

Boo rounded. “He’ll take it.”

“What?” Jack had risen. “No, I won’t?—”

Boo spun to face him. “Please. Jack. Find my friend.”

Harper’s heart nearly went out to him when he sighed and then nodded. “Of course I will.”

But onlynearly, because he got up, pushed his chair back, wiped his mouth, and looked at Harper when he said, “But I have three rules.”

“Oh goody,” Harper said.

He narrowed his eyes. “One, no promises.”

She could have guessed that.

“Two, I don’t make arrests. And I don’t rescue anyone. I find them and let the authorities do the rest.”

“Fine. And three?”

He met her gaze. “Rule three. I work alone.”

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