Page 54 of One More Song

“Ex,” I say. “Ex-husband.”

“He doesn’t have her either.”

The fear I’d been trying to rein in pours through my veins, paralyzing me.

“We’ll find her,” Verona says. “We’re calling the police now, and we have staff and teachers already searching the woods behind the school.”

I hang up, adrenaline finally kicking in. My vision is tunneled, and I barely hear Ash talking to me, or feel him following me, until he’s turning me around, and demanding, “I’ll drive.”

He takes the keys from my hand and helps me into the car. And I’m glad that he’s driving, because I’m trembling now.

“She wouldn’t run away...”

Ash reaches over and grabs my hand, squeezing it. “She probably wandered off.”

“She knows better.” I swipe away my tears with my palms. “What if someone took her?”

Ash doesn’t say anything, but his grip tightens around my hand.

There are already police cars in the school parking lot when we arrive. And my heart races, looking for a familiar face. Mitch is already here. I hand Ash my phone. “Text Millie, please.”

“Of course.”

I fly out of his car before it’s even inpark, panic filling my heart. The principal moves toward me at the same time as Mitch does and I’m glad for the referee. Right now, I don’t trust myself not to say something I might regret.

“Any news?” I ask.

Principal Verona shakes her head. “We’ll find her, Ember.”

“Who was she talking to at recess? Who was she sitting with? Someone must know why she was upset.”

“Did you put her up to this?” Mitch asks, stalking toward me, his lips twisted in a scowl. “Tell her to cause a scene?”

I pull back in shock. “What are you talking about? Of course not.”

“You dropped her off at a stranger’s house last night and didn’t even bring her to school this morning. Pretty negligent if you ask me.”

“She was with Millie. My best friend. God, Mitch,” I shake my head in a scoff, looking at the principal who is backing away from our fight. I don’tblame her. I want to back away too. The anger in his eyes scares me, and my stomach rolls at him suggesting I’m somehow responsible. And I know he’ll use this against me.

“Millie isn’t a listed contact on the school sign-in sheet,” Mitch says. “And you just let our daughter stay with her? Without even running it past me. Can you imagine if I did that, let her sleepover at one of my friend’s houses?”

“You’re twisting the facts. You know Millie. Her daughter is Cadence’s best friend.”

“We can let the judge decide. It’s just another piece of evidence to add to the case.”

“Look,” Principal Verona jumps in. “I recognize you’re in the middle of what seems to be a custody battle, but right now, we need to focus on finding Cadence.”

“Of course,” Mitch says. “I came here right away, first parent on the scene, because I realize time matters.”

I’m so angry with him I could scream, but instead, I nod, tight-lipped and heart pounding. Refusing to let him push me over the edge. Tears are already burning my eyes, threatening to spill over.

“How can I help?” I ask as an officer comes toward me. I turn from Mitch and focus my attention on the one and only thing that matters right now. Finding my little girl.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ash

The entire communityof Stanton seems to have come out to join the search for Cadence, but an hour after we arrived at the school there’s still no sign of the kid. Even the band has shown up, scouring the forest, knocking on doors asking people if they’ve seen her.

---