Page 97 of Ice Cold Hearts

“I won’t hesitate to get you.”

“Okay.” She nods, then closes my door.

My hands shake as I punch in the number for Audrey’s school on my office phone.

“Helping Hearts Montessori Academy. This is Lilly,” a cheery voice answers.

“Hello, I’m calling about Audrey,” I say.

Her voice turns cold. “Now you listen here. I don’t know who you think you are calling here, but you've got a lot of nerve trying to call here. I’m not telling you anything, you venomous piece of trash. And another thing?—”

“Lilly, it’s me,” I say quickly. “Emily. Emily Hayes. Obviously, something has happened, but all I know is I got a call from you guys a few minutes ago. Is my baby okay? What happened?”

“What was in Audrey’s coat pocket this morning?” Lilly asks warily.

“Not again,” I groan, momentarily distracted. “Please tell me she didn’t smuggle in another snail.”

“Okay, it is you.” Lilly sighs, relieved. “It was actually two snails and a worm this time, but that’s not why we’re calling. Before I say anything else, I want you to know Audrey is safe and we handled things right away.”

A knot loosens in my chest. “Okay, so what happened?”

“At recess, Audrey was playing in the garden by the fence with some of her friends, and a reporter rushed up to the fence and started shouting questions at her. Mrs. Clark noticed right away and went over, got the kids inside, and called our school resource officer. The reporter took a ton of photos once she realized she’d been made, but the officer was able to detain her. Like I said, Audrey is safe, but she is very upset and scared. Her teacher and our counselor talked to her, but she is inconsolable. Are you able to come get her?” she asks.

“I’m leaving work now. I will be there as soon as I possibly can.”

I don’t wait for her to say anything else. I don’t even think I say goodbye. I just slam the phone down and race out of the office.

This time, they’ve gone too fucking far.

32

EMILY

Iknow my men would want me to call Hank and wait for him to get here, but I can’t do that. There is no way I’m waiting any longer than necessary to get to Audrey. I’d run there if I thought I could get there faster. I jerk my office closet door open and yank my purse off the hook and make a beeline for Jenna.

“Hi, Mrs. Simms. I need to borrow Jenna for a quick second. Can you excuse us?” I ask.

“Of course, love,” she says.

I hardly wait for Jenna to stand before I’m dragging her back into my office.

“It’s bad,” I blurt out. “Really bad. I don’t have time to log off or lock up my files. I need to get to Audrey. A reporter showed up at her school and was harassing her.”

“Fucking bastards,” she mutters. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll secure everything for you. Get out of here.”

Now that I know my patients’ medical information is in safe hands, I sprint out of our hospital wing toward the main entrance. There’s always a cab or two lurking around there. My shoes squeak as I slide around corners, and there are several near misses with custodial staff and nurses. I yell out apologies behind me but don’t stop to see whether I’ve done any damage. I burst out the front sliding doors like a horse at the races and look madly around for a cab.

Yes!

I swear the color yellow has never looked more beautiful to me than it does right now. I rush to it, jerk open the door, and practically dive into the back seat.

“Hi, I’m in a massive hurry. Do you know where Helping Hearts Montessori Academy is or do you need an exact address?” I ask.

“You’re good,” he grunts.

“Great. If you can get me there as fast as possible, I’ll give you a fifty percent tip,” I tell him.

The tires squeal as we pull away from the curb and zip out onto the street.