Page 109 of Must Have Been Love

She nods, touching my arm softly.

“Take him to the Captain’s House,” Hudson says, distracted by the detectives who are getting ready to leave. “Asher’s on his way. I told him to meet us there.”

“Asher’s coming?” Autumn asks.

Hudson nods. “He’s been staying locally, wanted to help.”

The cops call Hudson’s name, and he and Autumn head over to the police boat, and I take a deep breath.

This is good news. It has to be. Her grandmother loves Ayda, she would never hurt her.

Or at least that’s what I pray as I walk over to where Parker is slumped over against the wall.

* * *

HUDSON

“It’s going to be okay,” Autumn says as we speed along the water toward the mainland. We’re both wearing blue lifejackets, and sitting exactly where we were instructed, because we want to get there as soon as possible.

“Of course it is,” I say, my voice tight. Because I can’t think of any other option. The very fact that the police – and Skyler and Parker – were searching the coast makes my stomach twist.

I thought this island was safe. I thought she’d be protected here. But the fact is, there’s danger everywhere.

“Why were you so mean to Skyler?” Autumn asks me.

I let out an annoyed grunt. I don’t want to talk about Skyler right now.

“Leave it,” I say. “I’m not in the mood.”

“We’ve gotten word that your daughter is in the café safe and well,” the detective says, hunkering down in front of me. “We don’t want to scare her by sending in SWAT. We’ll wait for them to come out.”

I open my mouth to tell them to unleash the dogs of hell as long as Ayda’s okay, but then I close it. They’re right. I know Catherine won’t hurt her. Although, she’d hurt me in an instant.

But getting Ayda out of there without causing her any more trauma seems like a sensible thing to do.

“Thank you.” I nod. I can’t feel relieved until my daughter is in my arms. “Will it take us long to get there?”

“Twenty minutes. We have a squad car waiting to drive us straight there. If the timing is right, we may arrive at the café before your daughter and her grandmother come out.”

I narrow my eyes. “Good.”

But those twenty minutes are the longest of my life. And each one of them feels like a dagger piercing my cold fucking heart.

* * *

SKYLER

Asher arrives at the Captain’s House about twenty minutes after Parker, Barney, and I get there. He and Parker hug and then he holds his hand out to me. “I think we met at Ayda’s party,” he says. Barney is laying by the door. He looks up hopefully when it opens, then drops his head when he sees it isn’t Ayda.

“We did meet.” I shake his hand. “I’m Skyler.”

“Asher. Or Ash. Whatever.” He takes a deep breath and looks around. “Have you heard from Hudson?”

“Not yet.”

Asher has the same unreadable face as his brother. Parker is currently shivering on the sofa. I gave him Tylenol when we got back to the house, and I’ve made him hot tea and have instructed him to drink it.

Parker’s phone rings and he answers it. I can tell by the softness in his voice that it’s Autumn. Their conversation is brief, but Asher and I keep silent until it ends.

---