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Jaw hard, Ryan steps on the accelerator to speed down the tiny street and skids the Land Rover to a stop on the side of the outermost police car There are more than five police officers on the front stoop ofto one another with varying degrees of concentration, and half a dozen of their vehicles are scattered throughout the street and blocking its passage

I unbuckle ht lump in my throat and a sick ball of lead in my belly Ryan follows suit—at least, I think—the sound of his door sla as I rush through the chaos toward the front door of my mom’s house

My pal of running ht out from under me if I let them

The officer with his back to the front door noticesun on reflex I hate to say I understand, but I suppose I a rather hysterical I can’t see my own face, but I knoithout a shadow of a doubt, I look anything but rational or calm

He shoves through the other officers as they notice him take a stance of alertness, and he holds up his hand towardlady Calm down What’s your name?”

I clamp my hands across ether in the front ive et sucked into the vortex of endless questions about me I want to know if my mom is okay If she’s hurt If she’s scared

“My-my mom She lives here I need to see her Is she okay? Is she hurt? What happened? Why are there sofrantically I feel Ryan’s hand touch ly powerful in identifying it’s hi able to see him

“Stella Page is your mother?” one of the other officers asks, a tri perfectly above his top lip I nod frantically and almost don’t notice when one of the other officers steps off the concrete pad of the stoop and into the lawn Ryan’s hand leaves my shoulder as the officer orders, “Sir, step back”

That, I’lance back to hi the situation, but Ryan meets my eyes and mouths, “It’s okay”

I turn back to the ain “Yes, yes She lives here Is she okay? Did she take another fall?”

“Is your nae?” the officer directly in front of ether

“Yes!” I answer impatiently I just want to know if my mom is okay I don’t knohy they have to beat around the bush solike this I need to knohat’s happened to her

Radio in hand, theon his shirt, puts his lips to his shoulder and reports obscurely, “We’ve got the girl We’ve found the girl I repeat, we’ve found the girl”

“What?” I ask, looking between theirl? I’e She’s about this tall,” I say, holding up a hand to illustrate, “and she has blond, fluffed hair and bright-blue eyes and—”

I look up just as the glass storh everyone to wrapher alive and well and uninjured stunningelse

“Mom,” I mumble into the thick of her shoulder

“Carly, thank God!” ht you were taken! I thought I was going to have to use the rest of your father’s retire my boobs re-lifted!”

I can’t say I’m proud of how confused I am, or the fact that my sexy Barney Fife really does have some sort of prowess in detective work, but I also can’t deny that Ryan catches on a whole lot quicker than I do to what’s really going on here

“You thought Carly was ?” he asks, his rich voice and the way it sounds when he uses it to saymy body spasm with some Pavlovian response to all of our sexual endeavors—especially last night and early this