Page 84 of Never Give Up

Other police cars start to pull into the yard and soon there’s a group of ten deputies and state troopers standing around.

Anger and frustration rise. “This isn’t helping. We need to figure out where he could take her. How the hell can we dothatwhen we don’t even know who he is? I thought it was that little prick who tried to hurt the teenager.”

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Jonathan had gotten out of the truck and was looking at everyone.

“Bud, I need you to stay in the truck with your brother.” I look at my son, but I can’t look him in the eye. I pull him into a tight hug and pray that we will be able to find Maya.

“Dad, where’s Maya?” Jon’s voice is shaking. “Did something bad happen to her?”

“Hey, Jon. I need to you be strong. Maya’s gone, but we’re going to fix it. We need to find Maya, and I think you might be able to help, okay? Can you bring me your dad’s phone?”

I could have kissed Jake at that moment for stepping in.

“Yeah, Uncle Jake. I can do that.” Jonathan sprints through the officers and gets into the truck to find my phone.

“Someone needs to take them to my parents’ house,” I say.

“Don’t bother, I’m sure that’s them now. I called them on the way here,” Paul states matter-of-factly as a familiar car pulls up.

“Hey, someone called in with a description of her and a cab.” Jake says this quietly to me. “Do we have any reports of trouble with a cab driver?”

“Not that I know of.” I suddenly stop and look at Jake. “Isn’t there someone who works part-time at the jail who drives a cab? That guy who washed out of dispatch training with Maya’s class?”

“I’ll find where the guy lives. Worth a shot,” Jake says. “But you’re right…” He trails off. “If it’s him, that could be when he started stalking her.”

As orders are barked out about search parties, I’m ready. As soon as we have the address, I’m gonna be out of here.

Fuck protocol.

“The bracelet,” I say, while everyone else is starting to move around, doing their jobs while I’m standing there.

“What?” Jake asks, pausing on his call.

“The fucking bracelet.” I point to the damn thing where it’s lying on the ground. “It’s here, but not her phone. We need to trace that. It’s worth a try.”

“You heard him,” Jake says into the phone. “Get a trace on Maya’s phone and call me back.”

“I have to find her,” I say. “I need to bring her home for my boys. They need her.” I take a deep breath and focus on the task at hand. “I— I need her.”

“The guy, Andrew, the one who drives a cab, hasn’t been at work, so—”

“It’s got to be him. We need to get on the road.” I take Jake’s phone and dial the station. When dispatch answers, I tell them what to do. “I need you to get into the names files in the system. Find anything you can on an address for him and send it through to my phone.” I hang up and wait for the text to come through.

Yeah, I was waiting with the wrong phone, but Jonathan hands me mine before my parents rush him into their car.

A sad smile is all I give them, along with a wave.

But silently I’m promising to bring Maya home.

They’re not going to lose another woman whom they love.

I’m staring at my phone, willing it to ring or alert me to a text.

Jake grabs me by the arm, pulling me into his truck.

“Travis,” he barks to another deputy. “You follow us.”

Before Paul or anyone else can stop us, Jake gets us on the road. “They sent it to me, not you,” he explains. I let him lead the way. Hell, I can barely think, let alone drive.

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