Page 80 of The Doctor's Twins

Oh, fuck! Peyton!

“No. She’s with her family. Her sister is having a baby. The timing couldn't be worse, Sam!”

“Look, I’m not saying this is a catastrophe, but I suggest you call Peyton and warn her to be careful. If he is on his way to The States, he may be looking for trouble.”

“Okay, thanks for calling, Sam. Let me know if your man finds him.”

“Will do. I’m sorry about this, Ben. I don’t know how, but he must have spotted our man.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

I ended the call and immediately dialed Peyton’s number. The call went straight to voicemail. She was probably asleep. Damn it! I got up and went straight to my computer. If Mateo was on his way to Peyton’s folks, I’d have to get there as soon as possible.

I pulled up the list of available flights to Peyton’s hometown so I could get the hell over there as soon as possible. I could only pray that I’d get there in time.

I found a flight scheduled to leave in an hour and a half and booked a seat on it. I threw a few items of clothing in a bag and headed for the airport.

I drove like the devil was chasing after me. All I could think of was Peyton and how I would warn her. I tried a few times to call her phone but without luck.

“Pick up, Peyton!” I yelled at the cell phone and threw it down onto the passenger’s seat.

Calm down, Ben. No sense in getting yourself all worked up into a frenzy. She’s with her family. She’s probably sleeping. Get on the plane and then you can quietly lose your shit.

I left my car in an undercover parking bay, locked it, and rushed to board the plane. I could have scaled the wall and snapped the overhead announcement board in half when the words ‘flight delayed’ flashed across the screen.

I made my way through the throngs of passengers to the counter and spoke to the boarding assistant.

“Excuse me, do you know what the delay is?” I asked her.

“There’s quite a bad storm overhead, Sir,” she smiled, trained to keep her game face on at all times. “The flight should be here in the next half an hour. We do apologize for the inconvenience. Perhaps you could enjoy a coffee while you wait.”

I was sorely tempted to tell her where she could shove her coffee, but I understood that it wasn’t her fault that Mateo had disappeared from sight or that Peyton wasn’t answering her phone. Neither could the poor girl control the weather overhead. I had no other option but to find a seat somewhere and try calling Peyton again.

Peyton had given me her parents’ home number once, in case I ever needed it. I looked at my watch. It was the middle of the night. Was it wise to call there and whip the whole family into a frenzy? Probably not.

Mateo hadn’t been gone for too long. I calculated the time it would take him to travel from Mexico City to the border. By my calculations, it would take him roughly six and a half hours to get there, and then about an hour to get to Peyton.

I would get to her about an hour before he did if the fucking plane would get its ass in gear. Then again, I didn’t know when he’d left Mexico City, so basically, I could have done all the calculations in the world and still come up clueless. Fuck! Where was the plane?

The flight landed an hour later than the booking assistant had calculated. I was a fuming mess by the time we boarded. To add insult to injury, I sat next to a woman with a baby who screamed throughout the flight. I was ready to murder by the time I stepped onto terra firma.

It was morning, and the sun was beating down on my head. I booked an Uber as soon as I stepped into the airport building and typed in Peyton’s parents’ address. The car and driver arrived a few minutes later.

“Hello,” the young man greeted me with a pleasant smile.

“I’m in a hurry,” I said and threw my bag into the trunk of the car. “Step on it. I’ll pay the fines.”

The driver nodded and got behind the wheel.

Hang in there, Peyton. I’m on my way.

* * *

The nurse who tended to Madi was kind enough to provide me with a bed for the night. I supposed she thought she’d extend a fellow professional a courtesy. I was grateful for it.

I woke up just before dawn and checked in with my sister and her beautiful new baby girl. Gabi was a beautiful baby with perfect fingers and toes, and a peaceful little face. She looked like Madi. I was both envious and overjoyed.

“Hey, Madi,” I whispered when I walked into her room and saw her breastfeeding the hungry little mouth.

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