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He stared at the collection of condiments and half-full Brita filter He dumped it out in the sink and refilled it with fresh water He’d have to get groceries in the h the cupboards and dug out an opened box of Ritz, the crackers gone soft in the huainst the counter eating them

What’s Ben doing? Is he home in his cabin? What does it look like? Is he okay? Is he thinking about me?

The questions swirled endlessly, although Jason was the one who’d said he needed time Yet he could feel the phantom touch of Ben’s hands on his body, the wet press of his lips and slide of his tongue Could smell the clean pine and hear Ben’s puffs of breath, the warmth on his skin

Grabbing his phone, he opened a textof the kidnapping, Ben saying he’d ie away, before their lives had changed in a blink At least Ben had been there At least one good thing had come out of it

Guilt sliced through hiht side of his daughter being kidnapped?

Jaer, he shoved the box of crackers back in the cupboard and turned abruptly, kicking a shopping bag of recycling he hadn’t had ti for vacation Cans and plastic spilled out onto the checkered brown linoleu this way and that

Biting back a curse, Jason stepped over the wreckage and tiptoed to Maggie’s door todeeply and evenly He went back and flicked on the overhead light, shoving everything in the bag and frowning at the dull flooring

A stain he hadn’t noticed splashed out by the fridge, and he wet a sponge to get at it On his knees, he could see the edges of the floor under the counter needed a thorough clean as well, weeklyin the crevices

With spray Coe in the other, Jason scrubbed every inch of the floor, his knees sore by the tirout with an old toothbrush His hands were dry froloves, but he kept going, attacking every surface of the apartie’s room

On the wall by the couch, dust covered the IKEA picture fra there Jason sprayed Windex on a paper towel and carefully wiped the glass surfaces Maggie’s school pictures smiled back at hi with cru paper around them and bows on their heads

He hesitated at the pictures of Amy There were two—one of Anant and their lives changed co out