Page 9 of Doctor Grump

Except, this time, he looked mad enough to spit.

4

IAN

“Over my dead body.”

Piper and my daughter both squeaked as they looked up to find me standing behind them. Surprise showed in their gaze.

I hadn’t necessarily meant to sneak up on them, but it was a habit at this point. Moving lightly and silently was one of the skills I retained from my military days, and it came in handy at times like this. I did not doubt that if Kendy had seen me coming, she would have taken off running, and judging from what this woman said, she probably would have helped her.

Irritation crawled through me. Now that the anxiety over my daughter’s disappearance had dissipated, anger took its place.Of course, it was Piper.Who else would it be, once again butting her head into my business?

And as for Kendy…

My daughter sat beside her, and her face had returned to its trademark mulish expression. There was no fear in her eyes, not of me or the situation, only stubborn pride. My annoyance grew. Even at twelve years old, my daughter did not have a fearful bone in her body. It was one of the most reckless things about her. And it terrified me. She had no idea what type of trouble she could get into by doing the shit she did. She didn’t know what could have happened to a little girl like her on the road.

She had no idea the sheer panic that ran through my mind for the hour I was searching for her.

I came home earlier this evening to a home that was strangely quiet, which was the first hint that something was up. I immediately searched for Kendy or the babysitter who was supposed to be watching her, only to come up empty on both fronts. I turned the corner and saw her note, the one she helpfully left on the kitchen counter that read, “I’m going to find my mom.”

“God damn it,” I’d sworn. The girl was going to be the death of me.

Immediately, I rushed out to look for her. This wasn’t the first time she had run away from me ever since I took her from her mother. She threatened it pretty much every week, and the first time she went through with it, she actually made it to the airport, only to be caught and held there by a concerned TSA agent who noticed how young she looked.

Another time, she attempted to hitchhike, but the couple who picked her up had brought her home.

After that time, I yelled at her for an hour straight and made her swear never to do it again. God, just to think of the potential danger. If she had been picked up by someone less well-meaning than that couple…I hated to think about what could have happened.

She could have been a statistic.

And now she had done it again.

After leaving home, I refused to let my panic drown my thinking, though. Instead, I tried to figure out where she had gone. Since going to the airport hadn’t worked the first time, she might try a bus next. I Googled the closest one and immediately entered the address into the GPS before pulling my truck out of the driveway at record speed.

On the way there, I called the police, informing them of everything that had happened. I hoped I would get there in time to catch her at the bus station, but I had to be prepared for the worst-case scenario…that she had already left. When I got there, I bolted out of my car and ran down the station, hoping against hope that she was still there.

And that was around the time when I saw her sitting next to Piper.

Relief filled me, and I took a few seconds to soak it in. But then it quickly turned to anger when I caught the tail end of their conversation.

“Hey,” Piper smiled in her usual bright way, which only served to make me even angrier. “It’s a pleasure seeing you again.”

“Can’t say the same,” I practically growled. “Tell me, did you know that offering to take a child somewhere without their parent’s permission is kidnapping?”

“Dad…” Kendy started to say but fell quiet at my glare. I turned my attention back to Piper.

Her eyes widened as she looked between my daughter and me. Just like that, she pieced it together.

“Oh.” Her lips made the perfect pouty circle when she said the word, and I wished to God that I hadn’t noticed. “Oh, she’s your daughter.”

“Yes. And she’s only twelve, despite what she might have told you. Trying to take her on a trip without my permission is kidnapping.”

“Hold on, hold on.” She held up her hand, her eyes sliding shut. “Wait, you’re getting this all wrong. I wasn’t kidnapping her. I only said I would help her find her mom and even take her there if need be.”

Temper flared up. “Without asking me?”

“Well, yeah, I didn’t know who you were. And it’s better than having her go alone, isn’t it?”

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