Page 71 of You Can Trust Me
She cuts off my words by pulling me into a hug I so desperately need. When we connect, she inhales a shaky breath. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
I hug her tighter, my body trembling with sobs. At this point, I’m convinced she’s the one keeping me standing. “I’m so sorry.”
“We looked everywhere for you,” she tells me. “We’ve been a mess. I just…” She pulls back, rubbing a hand over my cheek. “I can’t believe this is real. Can’t believe you’re here.”
“I’m real.” I look over her shoulder, searching for the one face I so desperately need to see. “Where is he? Where’s Blake?”
When I meet her eyes again, there’s a new sort of sadness in them. “He… He got off the boat, Mae. When we couldn’t find you, he was convinced you’d been taken and he couldn’t wait. He rented a boat Thursday in Costa Maya and went to look for you.”
“What?” I ask. “He went to look for me? What was he thinking?”
“He wasn’t. Neither of us was. We were such a mess, Mae. You have no idea what it was like. No one would help us, and he just got tired of waiting.” She looks me up and down. “Are you…okay?”
“I’m fine,” I promise her. “I mean, tired and hungry, but I’m okay. I’ll explain everything, but first, we have to find him. Did he say where he was going?”
“Um, some island called… I can’t remember the name…”
“Isla de los Robados?” I ask, recalling the name Danny had given me.
“Yes! That’s it! Is that where you were? Was he right?”
“Yes, but only briefly.” I wave away the terrified look on her face. “I’m okay, I promise. Right now, my only concern is finding him. He wasn’t on the island when I was there. At least I didn’t see him. Is there anything else he told you? We need to go to the police.”
“Yeah, of course. That was all he said. I was trying to go with him, but he left me. He said I needed to be here to tell your parents what happened, in case he didn’t make it back.Which he will,” she adds quickly, pulling me in for another hug. “Oh my gosh, I just can’t believe you’re here.”
I’m not listening, still distracted by everything that’s gone wrong. Even when I manage to get free, even when I find a way home, I’m still not with Blake. If he dies going after me, if we never see each other again when I am so close to having him back, I’m not sure what I’ll do. I’m not sure how I’ll survive.
“Hey…” Florence whispers, rubbing my back. “It’s okay. We’ll find him.”
This is all my dad’s fault. The realization slams into my chest. If I lose Blake, it will be my dad’s fault. And Blake will be gone because he met me. Because he loved me. It’s all too much.
“Have you talked to my parents?”
“Yeah, they should be here any day. They’re driving in.” Her eyes widen. “Oh, my gosh! I just realized… They’re going to be so happy you’re here. They’ve been so worried. We should call them.” She unlocks her phone, scrolling through her call log.
“No,” I say too quickly. “No. Florence, you can’t let them know I’m here. Don’t tell them you found me. Let them think I’m still missing.”
“Wait, what?” She looks up at me with furrowed brows. “Are you joking? Why?”
I drop my chin to my chest, the words burning me from the inside even before I say them. “My dad is… He’s the reason I was taken. He did this.”
She laughs as if it’s a terrible joke. “What?No.” She shakes her head. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s true. Look, we need to go to the police station. I’ll explain everything there.”
“Let’s go then.” She doesn’t understand, and I couldn’t expect her to, but she asks no further questions. Instead, she takes my hand, lifts her bags, and leads me to her rental car. She’s everything I could possibly need to get through this.
We stop next to the trunk when I spy two officers standing next to a squad car, studying everyone who leaves the port.
“Excuse me! Officers!” I take a step toward them, a hand in the air. “Can you help us?”
“Is everything alright?” the first officer asks, her hand moving to her gun in its holster. My throat goes dry.
“No. My husband is missing. He was supposed to be on the boat, but he got off, and now we don’t know where he is.”
“Ma’am, slow down,” the second officer says, his voice steady and calm. He holds his hands out as if to say I shouldn’t be dramatic. If he only knew what I’ve been through… “What’s your husband’s name?”
“Blake Barlowe.”