Page 49 of Missing

I could see Beth blinking back tears.

“I bet your dad would be proud to hear you say that.”

Chase’s smile revealed a gap where he’d recently lost a tooth.

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Beth insisted on paying when we got to the museum. I thought about arguing, but Chase was watching, and I wanted to set a good example for him. I considered myself a gentleman and didn’t usually let women pay for dates, but Beth’s argument—she’d invited me so she should pay—was a solid one.I can buy them lunch later.

Beth let Chase choose which exhibit we saw first, and of course it was the dinosaurs. I couldn’t blame him, there was something magical about seeing the bones of creatures that lived so long ago it may as well have been on a different planet.

He'd love Sue, the largest and most complete T-Rex fossil ever found, at the Field Museum in Chicago.I hope I get to take him.

After lunch, I scanned the crowd as Chase and I waited outside the ladies’ room for Beth. When I turned back to Chase, he was gone.

My head was turned for five seconds.

“Chase.” I scanned the crowd, my voice projecting calm authority as I called for him.Fuck. The weekend crowd would make it hard for him to hear me without yelling, which would cause a scene.Fuck. My heart raced—I lost him.

Beth is going to kill me.

My height gave me an advantage, but Chase would still be hard to see.

Think like a five-year-old, Sharpe.

To the left was a line for a special exhibit, one he wasn’t interested in. In front of me was the food court, where we’d just eaten. He may have gone back there, but I didn’t see him. To the right was a stand-alone display of a giant turtle.Jackpot.

I was about to call out again when the crowd shifted. There he was, talking to the middle-aged guy pointing at the display. Without thinking, I marched through the crowd, grateful for my size.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly as I stopped next to Chase.

“Chase, whatcha doing Little Man?” I kept my voice as calm as I could as I put a hand on his shoulder and tucked him into my left side. I looked for some indication the guy might be an employee. No museum polo, no badge, nothing.

“Mr. Doug! Mr. Dale said turtles live a long time. And they sleep in their shells. Did you know they’re related to dinosaurs?” Chase explained like he hadn’t just given me a heart attack by wandering off.

I’d been assessing Dale while Chase talked and hadn’t picked up on any obvious signs of ill intent, but that didn’t mean he was innocent.What grown man talks to a kid without asking about his parents?

Dale opened his mouth to say something, but I wasn’t interested in anything he had to say.

“That’s nice.” I cut him off before turning to Chase. “Say goodbye to Mr. Dale.”

Just then Beth ran up, clutched Chase to her side, and asked, breathlessly, “What’s going on?”

Fuck.I’d hoped to be waiting for her, where she’d left us, so this wouldn’t happen. I would have told her, and she would havebeen upset, but she wouldn’t have experienced the fear she was currently feeling.

I let my hand fall from his shoulder and moved to a better position to intercept. Dale didn’t look like he’d try anything, but I wanted to make it clear he’d have a bad day if he did.

Beth’s chest was heaving, her eyes wide.

“Sorry ma’am, I didn’t mean to worry you. I was just telling young Chase here about turtles. Thought he might be interested when I saw the dinos on his t-shirt.”

I wanted to believe him, but couldn’t. Even if Chase had wandered off, what kind of guy would befriend him but not look for his parents?

The wrong kind. Keeping my voice neutral, I said, “We’ll be on our way.” Before Beth could say anything, I turned and stepped between her and Dale. Not wanting her to start a scene, I reached for Chase’s other hand and gently nudged them away.

Beth had every right to be scared and pissed, but yelling at the guy wouldn’t solve anything. Plus, it’d upset Chase, who I was sure was about to get a lecture on stranger danger.

Chase stared at his shoes as we walked away. I could feel the fear radiating off him.

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