Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

HENDRIX

I'd never moved so fast in my life. Sophie sounded terrified and I could barely breathe, knowing she was alone somewhere. Dad went with me, his hand locked on my shoulder, and we teleported as close as possible to where Sophie told me she was. I had a lot of questions, like why she was calling me out of everyone, and what the hell she was doing, but my immediate concern was getting to her. We took off into the air, heading straight for the park where Sophie was hiding. She was waiting for me on the top of the jungle gym, a backpack sitting next to her and a pillow in her arms. She tossed it aside and launched to her feet when I landed, throwing herself at me the minute my feet touched the ground. I hauled her into my arms, hugging her tightly.

"What happened? What are you doing out here? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, her face buried against my shoulder. I shot my dad a confused look. I wasn't sure what to do. He studied Sophie, letting out a soft sigh.

"You ran away, didn't ya?"

Sniffling, Sophie lifted her head to look for the voice. Her cheeks were tear stained, her eyes red rimmed, and she wore the same heartbroken look I'd seen on Art's face a few days ago. She took in my dad standing next to us, but she didn't disagree with him.

"Oh, Sophie…"

Her chin trembled, and she burst into sobs again. I hugged her tightly, rubbing her back, my chest aching. We moved to the bench nearby, and I let Sophie cry it out before lifting her chin to get her to look at me.

"How'd you get ahold of me?"

"I… I got your number out of Daddy's phone after you came to visit. I wanted to call you and ask you when we could dance again. I hid it in my backpack when Daddy called me down for dinner, and I forgot about it until now."

"And how'd you call?" Dad asked. Sophie was still a little kid. I wasn't sure if she had a phone yet.

Sophie grimaced, her eyes dropping to her lap. "I… I stole Lee's phone. Him and my mom were arguing. I was gonna take hers, but she was holding onto it, waiting for my uncle to call. She wanted him to make it so I couldn't see my daddy anymore. I was scared. I saw Lee's phone on the charger and I took it and ran away. I thought I could get to my daddy's on my own, but I got lost and…"

And she called for help. I didn't agree with what she'd done, but at least she was prepared for the worst. She was smart, I'd give her that. But also heartbroken and just a little kid. I couldn't be mad at her for reacting like that, not when she thought she wouldn't get to see her dad again.

"I need to see that phone, Sophie."

Her brow furrowed and her eyes searched mine. "Why?"

"Because I gotta call your mom."

She protested, her eyes filling with tears again, but I shook my head. "I know you're upset, and this is really scary, but you can't just run away. Your mom is probably terrified right now, wondering where you are. Give me the phone. I'll call her and your dad, and I'll stay here with you until they show up. Okay?"

She looked so defeated, it hurt me to make her do it. But I stayed firm, keeping my expression calm but serious until she went to her backpack and pulled out the phone. She was reluctant to hand it to me, but I put out my arm and she cuddled against my side once she handed it over. Luckily, there wasn't a lock on the thing and I found Val's number in the contacts. It rang a few times before she answered, her voice wobbly and scared.

"Lee? Did you find her?"

"Uh, it's not Lee. I'm Hendrix, Art's–" I hesitated. She lost her mind when she found out about me and Art. Probably better not to bring that up right now. "Anyway. I found Sophie. She's okay, just upset and a little lost. Can you come get her or should I bring her to you?"

Val sounded flustered, stuttering as she tried to figure out what to say.

"I– What– Where–"

"We're at the park on Magnolia and Hudson, by the playground. Do you know it?"

"Yes. I'll be right there."

After she hung up, I pulled out my phone and dialed Art. It didn't surprise me that he didn't answer, so I left him a message letting him know what happened. Hopefully, he'd check it at the very least. I didn't want him to be left unaware of what happened.

We were quiet while waiting for Val to show up. I recognized the area, we were close to Art's house, but I didn't know where Val lived or how long it would take for her to get here. Sophie shivered next to me, so I pulled off my leather jacket, wrapping her in it to keep her warm.

"Hey, Sophie. Why'd you call me?"

It was driving me nuts. Sophie and I had only spent a few days together, and I liked it, but I never really thought we were that close. Not close enough that she'd feel comfortable calling me in an emergency. I wasn't unhappy about it, but I still had to ask.

"I tried calling Daddy first. He didn't answer. And… I was hoping you wouldn't call my mom."

Ouch. I could see why she thought that, but it never crossed my mind to keep Val out of this. She was Sophie's mom. She deserved to know where her daughter was and if she was safe.

"You can't ask him to do that, sugar. If you want Henny to be part of your life, he can't dismiss your mama. It'll only make her double down on not lettin' him near you," Dad pointed out.

When Sophie looked up at me for confirmation, I nodded. "He's right. I love that you called me and I'll always come when you need me, but I'll never hide what happened from your parents. Either of them. They love you so much, Sophie. They deserve to know you're okay."

"But… My mom is gonna take me away from my dad…"

I sighed. "I can't say much about that. I don't know how human laws work with that. But you should talk to your mom. She loves you. She only wants what's best for you."

I could tell she didn't believe me, but she didn't argue anymore. And when Val showed up in a panic a few minutes later, she handed me my jacket back and went willingly into her mother's arms.

"You did the same thing when you were little," Dad murmured.

Glancing at him, I frowned. I didn't remember that. "When?"

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "About a year after the divorce? I was still gettin' my feet back under me. Drinkin' too much to take care of a little kid. Me and your mom agreed to give us some time apart so I could get a grip. You didn't like that. You ran away from her and flapped your wings home to me. It elated me that you loved me that much, but also pissed me off that you ran away. Couldn't really blame you for that, though. I just called your mom and told you I'd see you soon. I thought you'd hate me for that, but you came around eventually."

Looking over at Sophie, my chest ached. It wasn't the same situation. Art was a good dad. He didn't drink or put Sophie in unsafe situations. He loved his daughter. It wasn't fair that Val was taking her away.

After a minute, Val came uneasily closer. She still looked terrified of me, and her eyes moved between my dad and me like she was waiting for us to pounce. I purposely stayed where I sat, keeping all my movements to a minimum so I didn't freak her out.

"Why are you here? Did you tell her to come to you?"

"No. She called me because she couldn't get ahold of Art. I wasn't even aware she had my phone number."

Val's eyes narrowed, studying me like she was looking for a lie. I wanted to be annoyed that she immediately saw me as a monster, but I couldn't begrudge a mother being protective over her kid.

"Why did she call you?"

Shifting my gaze to Sophie, I raised my eyebrows at her. "You wanna tell her, or should I?"

Sophie winced, ducking her head, her voice trembling. "I thought…" She swallowed hard. "I thought if I called Hendrix, he wouldn't tell you. I just want my daddy."

Val's fierce scowl wavered and hurt flashed across her face. I got the feeling there was a lot left unsaid about Val's thoughts on Sophie and her dad. I hoped one day that she'd be able to talk to Sophie about it because I worried about their relationship otherwise.

Val stared down at her daughter for a minute before giving her attention back to me. Her expression was less angry now, more resigned and hurt.

"Why did you call me? You could have done what she wanted. Art always does."

"You're her mother. It would be wrong to not let you know."

"And if your mama ever found out you'd kept something like that from the lady, she'd tan your hide," Dad added.

True, but probably not helpful right now. I shot him a look that said he needed to keep quiet and turned back to Val. I offered her the phone Sophie took.

"Sophie borrowed this. Don't be too mad at her. It was a smart move to have some way to contact people. Even if running away wasn't so smart."

Val huffed, shaking her head as she took the phone. "More than not smart. But thank you. For coming and for calling me. I was scared…"

"I would've been surprised if you weren't. I called Art after we hung up. He didn't answer, but I left a message. If you could update him–"

Her brows drew together tightly. "Why can't you?"

Pushing to my feet, I tucked my hands into my pockets. "I told you. If it got Art his kid back, I'd stay away. I'd do anything for those two." There wasn't much left to be said, so I gave Sophie a small smile. "Be good, kiddo. No more running away. I expect to see you doing something great in a few years."

Her lip trembled and her eyes were full of tears, but I stepped away from the duo. Dad stood to follow me and I was about to leave when Art called out, his voice tearing at the now familiar pain in my chest.

"Sophie!"

Sophie spun around, wrenching herself away from her mother and taking off towards her dad. He scooped her up the second she was close enough, hugging her tightly. It was heartwarming to watch and also unbelievably painful. I couldn't stand around here anymore. Not when the future I wanted but couldn't have was so close. Art looked towards me and our eyes locked for a second, but I didn't linger. I dipped my chin, forcing myself to smile, and launched into the air without a word, my dad right behind me.

For Sophie's sake, I hoped they'd work it out. At least make the sacrifice worth it. Because I knew deep down, I'd never recover.