Page 152 of Ever With Me

What else can I do?

How can I beat this prick at his own game?

How can I make sure that Maddie doesn’t believe what this asshole made me send her?

Could he code the message that only Christine would understand?

If I relent today, will he really leave Kayla and Audrey alone? And who the hell was this “buddy” and what was the guarantee thathewouldn’t simply choose the same path as fucking Mike?

But he came up empty.

For once, Mike had him by the balls in an iron grip.

Fuck my life.

41

MADDIE

“Calm down.”Naomi set a paper cup of water beside Maddie, then took Maddie’s trembling hands. “Calm.”

“I just don’t get it. Why would he leave? Why turn off his phone? Something must have happened.” Maddie met Kayla’s eyes on the other side of the trailer sofa. “Everything was fine. We were happy.” She appealed to Dan Klein. “Isn’t there any security footage at all?”

“We’re looking for aerial footage,” Dan said with a frown. “But you know how it is. It’s a field in the middle of nowhere. We don’t have resources like they have in the cities, Maddie.” He and the two other police officers in the room made the space feel crowded. God love her parents—they’d taken Audrey to their house for safekeeping.

One of the other officers cleared his throat. “Is it possible he left on his own? That’s often the case with something like this. Especially when it’s only been four hours. And his text message to you indicates that’s what happened.”

Cormac, the other person in the room, shook his head. “Brooks wouldn’t just leave when he’s got a concert to play, and definitely not without telling anyone and evading his bodyguard. That’s not like him at all.”

“What about Mike? Was his mom able to get in touch with him?” Maddie asked. Her gut instinct had been to worry about him, considering he’d threatened Brooks earlier in the week.

Kayla nodded. “Yeah, she just texted me back. She doesn’t know where he is. They don’t talk too often.”

“You really have to cut her off, Kayla. She’s a nice lady, but that link is toxic,” Cormac fumed.

“I’m not discussing that right now,” Kayla shot back. They acted like brother and sister sometimes. Maybe because Cormac was the closest thing Brooks had to a brother.

Maddie looked away from them both, thankful that Naomi was here. She was always steady in these situations. “Brooks didn’t just leave. I’m certain of it.”

“Okay.” Naomi squeezed her hand. “What do you think his text message meant then, Maddie?”

“I don’t know.” Maddie met Naomi’s gaze, searching her eyes frantically. “I don’t know. But I’m sure he wouldn’t leave. He loves me, Naomi. He wouldn’t just walk out without talking to me. He wouldn’t leave the whole town high and dry with this concert. Humiliate me. He wouldn’t.”

“We can take a missing person report if you want, Maddie,” Dan said gently. “But the text message is a crucial piece of evidence here.”

Maddie closed her eyes, trying to think straight.

No way in hell Brooks would leave like this.

Kayla wasn’t saying much, but Cormac appeared to be on Maddie’s side.

Everyone else, it seemed, thought the text message was damning.

Because it is.

“I’m sorry. I had to go. Don’t try to reach me.”

What the hell was she supposed to make of this?

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