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They were not supposed to be standing there with apology in their eyes

"Charlotte," Greg called before sing hard

"No," she whispered

He swept his gaze through the roo on Tanner and Rita for a beat, but the pain in his eyes was stronger than ever when it landed on Charlotte

"Maybe we should talk in the hall," he whispered

On shaking legs, Charlotte rose to her feet, her eyes feral "You are not here right now"

"I’ht now!" she repeated, her tears finally breaching the surface

Every hair on my body stood on end, and nausea rolled in my stomach

"No!" she screah it had been torn from her soul

And, as it ricocheted around the rooh mine

I couldn’t breathe I couldn’t think I couldn’t focus

My legs wouldn’t work, and h every part ofstabbed with amoved fast and was on Charlotte in a second His ar her on her feet, while his mouth moved at her ear

The room erupted in a flurry of cries and questions

But I couldn’t hear anything over the thunder of my own pulse

I sat there, unable to ure hoas possible for the darkness to get even darker

The rooht even before the sun had sunk on the horizon

We’d been sitting like that for a while I was in his lap, s draped over the arm of the chair, and his arms around led in the inches between us

The tears had dried hours ago

But the fear and the uncertainty were more potent than ever

"What do we do now?" he whispered

"We just keep holding on to each other," I choked out Unable to see, I felt his head fall back as he stared up at the ceiling

"How?"

My breathing shuddered Porter had always been so strong for me I had to be there for him now I owed him that much

"Did I ever tell you about ?"

He shook his head, sad and slow

I curled closer into hi aches in both of our hearts

"The day Lucas was taken, I overheard Brady tell my mom that only two percent of children who had been kidnapped come home after the first twenty-four hours I didn’t thinkback to me You know? But, as tian to obsess about that clock After I got hoe out of my clothes I’d been too consumed mentally, physically, and emotionally with the second hand on the clock to perform even the most basic of tasks Each silent click of that tiny, plastic ar" My voice hitched as theout I was only hours froht percent who never saw their child alive again"