Page 55 of Chasing Forever

“Ms. Mayfield, if the bush is that big of a nuisance, why don’t you trim back what’s on your side?”

Her chin jerked back as she huffed in affront. “So now it’s my job to handle it when my neighbor breaks the law?”

A headache was forming behind my eyeballs. I couldn’t take it any longer. I’d officially reached my limit where this woman was concerned. “There are no laws being broken. You’re a bitter, miserable woman who spends her day searching for anything under the sun to be angry about. And when you can’t find anything, you invent it! Your neighbors haven’t done a damn thing to you other than exist, but apparently, even that is offensive to you somehow. If anyone has cause for complaint, it’s the people on your block, because they’re stuck having to live next to you!”

“Oh shit,” Harrison muttered as soon as I finished my diatribe.

Sue Ellen’s jaw dropped as she rocked back on her heel. “How dareyou speak to me like that? I have half a mind to go straight to the mayor and file a complaint against you for?—”

“Then do it! Christ, please, stop threatening and do it already. At least then you’ll be raining your special brand of misery on town hall instead of here.”

“What in the hell is goin’ on down here?” Hayes called out as he stormed into the bullpen.

“What’s going on is that I’m being verbally assaulted by one of your detectives,” Sue Ellen accused.

I was about to point out that it was her company that was the assault when my cell started ringing.

I twisted away from Hayes and Sue Ellen, who were now trading barbs in front of the entire department, and pulled the phone from my pocket. I swiped the screen without looking to see who was calling and brought it to my ear. “Fanning,” I answered.

“Mr. Fanning?” a voice I didn’t recognized asked.

“Yes.”

“This is Judith from Hope Valley Elementary. We’re calling to see if you would be picking Levi up this afternoon. We have him in our office right now.”

I glanced at my watch and saw that school had gotten out thirty minutes ago. “His aunt is supposed to have picked him up already,” I said as a chill moved down my spine.

“Yes, that was what I thought. But we’ve tried calling Ms. Bell a few times and can’t get through.”

My muscles locked up tight and everything around me faded away. “She didn’t answer?”

“No, sir. And it’s unusual for her to be late.”

It was more than unusual. It just plain wouldn’t happen if Merritt could control it. Levi was her number one priority, and there was no way in hell she would ever be late to pick him up. Unless something was wrong. “Thank you for calling. Someone will be there to get him soon.”

I disconnected the call and scrolled through my phone to Merritt’s number. My heart began racing as it rang and rang in my ear before voicemail kicked in.

“Goddamn it,” I growled, hanging up and trying again. “Come on, baby, pick up,” I pleaded under my breath. “Pick up. Please.” I got voicemail for the second time.

Reading the energy coming off me, Hayes walked over and placed his hand on my shoulder. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Merritt didn’t show up to get Levi.” I looked at him as my heart fell out of my chest, saying the words I never wanted to say. “I think something bad has happened.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Merritt

Irolled over with a groan, my skull pounding like it had been cracked in two. I blinked my eyes open and the sunlight coming in the widow felt like an ice pick in my brain.

I tried again, more carefully this time. When I was finally able to open them enough to take in my surroundings, nothing was familiar about the room I was in. My memory was hazy, and I felt like I had the world’s worst hangover, but that couldn’t have been the case. I didn’t remember drinking anything.

I thought back, trying to recall what had happened leading up to me waking up in this room. I remember going to see Lennix and the conversation we had about Raylan. I remember going to the grocery store afterward to pick up something for dinner before I had to get Levi.

Levi.

I shot up as my nephew’s name filled my head. My stomach revolted at the movement and my head grew woozy; I thought for a second I was going to be sick. I breathed deeply, in through my nose and out through my mouth, until the nausea abated. But the panic was still there. I was supposed to pick him up from school. But I hadn’t made it. Why hadn’t I—Oh god. Oh God no.

Memories came barreling back, whipping through my head like they were on fast forward, and with them, a racing heart and fear-induced tears.

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