Page 18 of Ethan's Command

“Sure, no problem. Thanks, Aunt Brooklyn.” He closed the car door and ran back into the school building. Brooklyn watched the door close behind Liam and then started her car. As she made her way through the parking lot, her heart pounded against her rib cage.

She just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t leave him behind.

She guided her car into a parking spot, turned the engine off, and sat there. Her hands were shaking. She had no idea how long it would take to get over this whole incident, but it wasn’t going to happen today.

She wasn’t going to leave Liam in school after hours with fewer people around. What if the van came back? She’d sit there in the parking lot and wait. It was only an hour—what else did she have to do?

Brooklyn watched as the other parents came, picked up their kids, and drove away. Soon, the parking lot was almost empty. A security guard, Harry Carr, walked over and knocked on her window.

“Mrs. Alexander?” he called.

Brooklyn rolled down her window. “It’s Miss. And I’ve told you a million times, Harry—call me Brooklyn.”

The guard smiled sheepishly. “Okay, Brooklyn. Is there a reason you’re sitting here?”

“Liam’s just staying after school to help with the computer lab,” she said, keeping her tone light. “I thought, since it’s only an hour or so, there wasn’t really enough time to do anything else. It’s such a beautiful day, I figured I’d just sit here and relax a little.”

He nodded and replied, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m all good, Harry. Thanks very much.”

“All righty.” Harry tapped the door frame then moved away.

Brooklyn kept the window down, letting the breeze roll in. She didn’t know why she felt so strange—so on edge—but even Harry stopping to check in had unsettled her. Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen.

She didn’t really want to talk to Ethan right now. The police station earlier had thrown her off completely. The fact that Ethan had thought to show up and update Peterson had been sweet—too sweet. And she didn’t want to feel that way about him, not since he’d ignored her after the night they’d spent together. He acted like nothing had happened; like she was a stranger. Even last night, when he’d offered to stay, he hadn’t suggested staying in her bed. Knowing he’d been on the couch, mere feet away, bordered on torture.

Still, she hesitated. If she didn’t answer, he’d probably keep calling. But she wasn’t ready to deal with him. She still needed to figure out how to deal with their kiss in the kitchen. Thank God for the kettle, or it would have been a hell of a lot more than kissing. She sent the call to voice mail and exhaled, her fingers trembling as she set the phone aside.

She glanced at her watch. Had it really only been twenty minutes? There was at least another forty minutes to go—longer if Mr. Williams let the boys keep playing. She rolled all the windows down and settled back in her seat, letting the ocean breeze wash over her.

As she looked around the now-empty parking lot, her gaze drifted to the soccer field, where a serious game was underway. She smiled when Liam’s school scored a goal. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it—a white van parked at the far edge of the lot.

Her mouth went dry, and icy fingers clawed at her chest. Could it be? Instantly, she was on high alert. Should she get out and check? Stay in the car? Run into the school and get Liam? Or call Harry back over to investigate?

None of the options felt right. If she called Harry, it could turn into a whole thing with the school—a conversation she didn’t want to have. Liam would never forgive her. She decided to sit tight. After all, the van wasn’t doing anything suspicious. Not yet. She reached for her phone and stared at it for a moment, chewing her lip. Should she? Forcing out a breath, she decided should call Ethan. If she was in danger, she had the luxury of doing nothing. But this was Liam’s safety and she wasn’t about to mess around when it came to that.

“Brooklyn, is everything okay?” Ethan’s voice came down the line.

“I’m at Liam’s school. There’s a white van in the parking lot. Liam is still inside the school but I’m worried.”

“Stay right where you are. Keep your phone next to you. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Brooklyn stared at the corner of the white van. She couldn’t see it well since there was a dark blue SUV blocking it, but the corner of the van she could see resembled the one from the other day.

Ten long minutes later, a familiar pickup truck pulled into the lot and parked next to her. Relief swept over her as Ethan climbed out. He bent down and rested his arms on the window frame. “You okay?” he asked.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. Brooklyn pointed toward the far corner of the lot. “Look over there. It looks like there’s a white van. Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’m making this up.”

Ethan scanned the parking lot. “You’re not wrong,” he said grimly. “It’s a white van.”

“Damn,” she muttered.

“Don’t worry,” he said firmly. “I’m going to check it out. Stay right here. Liam is still inside?”

“Yes. He stayed after school to play video games with his friends. I said yes, but now I’m wondering if I made the wrong call.”

Ethan leaned closer. “Is there security?”

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