Page 33 of Guarding Truth
He huffed but relented and tossed her the keys. “As long as we’re moving toward the school, I’m not going to argue at this point.”
A police officer waved them through the parking garage gate, and they hit the road.
“I can’t lose her, Jules.” His voice cracked. “She’s all I have.”
Juliette glanced at him. “I know. She’s so lucky to have you as a dad. We’ll find her. Like you said, maybe she’s playing hooky. The school has high security, so it’s likely she’s still on campus. We don’t know the facts yet.”
Facts were his life. Numbers dictated logic and reason. But this? His niece was missing, and it was all his fault. He might as well sign custody over to Ivy’s grandparents.
“I never should have sent her to school today. I should have listened to her.” His foot tapped out a steady rhythm on the floorboard of the passenger seat. Could Juliette drive any slower? Oh good, a red light. He was about to tell her to blow through it when his phone buzzed with an incoming text.
It’s Ivy. My phone died. I’m using Noelle’s phone. Are you ok? She said there was an explosion. Are you safe?
His heart restarted at the sight of Ivy’s message. “Thank God. Ivy found Noelle and texted.” His fingers trembled as he replied to her text.
I’m not hurt. But Noelle couldn’t find you and I was worried.
Three little dots and what seemed like a thousand minutes later, Ivy responded.
I cut English class. I’m sorry.
He relaxed his clenched jaw muscles. Let future Caleb worry about Ivy ditching classes. Right now, all he cared about was her safety.
Juliette’s phone vibrated, and she put it on speaker. “Noelle, what happened?”
“I’ve found Ivy. There’s no evidence of danger here. She cut class to meet a friend by the soccer field. A school security officer found her walking from the field to third period like she didn’t have a care in the world. I’m with the principal and the school resource officer now.”
Juliette pressed mute. “What do you want to do? I can have Noelle meet us with Ivy at the apartment.”
Caleb nodded and Juliette unmuted. “Noelle, can you please bring Ivy back to the apartment? I’ll text Matt to see if he can send an officer to escort you.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Noelle hung up.
Juliette turned the car toward Caleb’s apartment.
“I’m not going to be at ease until I see Ivy,” Caleb said. “This was a false alarm, but what if these terrorists come after her, Jules?”
She pulled into a parking space next to his apartment building. “I think it’s possible. They may see her as a link to you. Let’s hope Agent McGregor can find us a safe house.”
Us? Just like that they were a team again, falling in step next to each other as they headed toward his apartment. Once inside, Juliette rummaged through his kitchen to make them some sandwiches. Waves of nostalgia rolled over him, which only complicated his current situation, because no matter what, he couldn’t fall for Juliette.
Not again. The last time that had happened, she’d walked out on him.
He sat at the dining room table and cleared a space for them to eat. She sank down next to him with two sandwiches and bottled waters.
He blessed the food—which she didn’t object to—and stared at his plate. His stomach refused to settle until Ivy bounded through the front door.
“What do these guys want with you?” Juliette picked up her sandwich. “Why make it so personal?”
He shrugged. “I took a cursory look at their program. They seem to be intent on releasing an all-out cyberattack against the bank. Are they afraid that I’ll stop them? I mean, I will stop them. But why take Theo? My heart aches for his wife and son.”
She took a sip from her water bottle. “I keep checking to see if the police have any leads on Theo’s whereabouts, but so far, nothing. I think we need to revise our action plan. We need to get you and Ivy out of town for a while.”
Caleb nodded. “I hate to run. But if it keeps Ivy safe and in my sights, I’ll do it. As long as I can have a computer to keep working, I’ll be fine.”
Juliette scrunched her face, her tell that Caleb knew all too well. “What’s wrong? You obviously have bad news. Spill it.”
“I’ve been texting with Agent McGregor. He’s working on getting you into a safe house. But he mentioned it being an internet-free zone. He thinks the best thing for you and Ivy is to get off the grid.”