32. Miles

32

MILES

A s I stood in the foyer of my brownstone, pacing back and forth, I couldn't help but glance at the clock again. Lila was late for her shift, just like that day when she'd hugged me and shifted things between us forever. Only she'd been so reliable ever since then, and this wasn't just a little late, like the usual five or ten minutes due to traffic or a slow subway. This was over an hour. Olivia, sensing my unease, clutched her stuffed rabbit, Princess, and looked up at me with her wide eyes, just like her mother's.

"Daddy, where's Lila?" she asked, her small voice tinged with worry, a sharp contrast to the cuteness of her softened consonants— whewe's Wiwa?

I forced a smile. "She'll be here soon, sweetheart. Maybe she just got stuck in traffic."

But deep down, I felt a gnawing worry I couldn't shake. Lila was never this late without a call or a message. I took a deep breath and tried calling her phone again. It rang, and rang, and then went to voicemail. The sound of her cheerful, recorded voice did nothing to calm my nerves.

"Hey, this is Lila! I can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

I left another message, my voice tight with anxiety. "Lila, it's Miles. Please call me back as soon as you get this. We're worried about you."

Hanging up, I ran a hand through my hair. I had to stay calm for Olivia's sake, but the knot in my stomach was tightening by the minute. I quickly sent a text to Felipe, my business partner and friend, hoping he had some insight.

Miles: Have you heard from Lila today? She's really late and not answering her phone.

Felipe's reply was almost immediate.

Felipe: No, I haven't. That's unusual for her.

Another text pinged my phone while I was trying to call Aaron Pierce. Maybe Lila had mentioned something to him, or perhaps she was caught up in some errand related to her work with Jamie. But Aaron didn't answer. I imagined him in one of his high-stakes business meetings, oblivious to the turmoil I was in.

"Come on, Aaron," I muttered, leaving a voicemail. "Call me back as soon as you get this. It's about Lila."

I checked the text, finding another message from Felipe.

Felipe: Do you want me to come over?

I hesitated. Was I overreacting? But then I looked at Olivia, her eyes filled with concern, and my resolve hardened.

Miles: I'm going to Pierce Enterprises. Meet me there.

I couldn't just sit and wait any longer. Making a decision, I scooped up Olivia, who wrapped her arms around my neck, clearly sensing my distress. "We're going to see Uncle Aaron, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she said softly, her head resting on my shoulder.

I called us a cab instead of taking the train, wasting no time. The ride to Aaron's office felt interminable. Every red light, every slow pedestrian crossing the street—it all compounded my anxiety until my pulse thundered at dangerous speeds. Olivia remained quiet, her little hand clutching Princess Bunny, her eyes on my face. I made sure to keep my cool outwardly for her sake, and I even shot off a message to Mrs. Nguyen, who I knew was in town, hoping to get some arrangements for Olivia while I tried to sort out whatever brewing crisis I could feel in my bones. For once, my compartmentalization was serving someone other than myself.

When we finally arrived, Felipe was already there, waiting for us in the lobby. His normally relaxed demeanor was gone, replaced with a tense urgency that mirrored my own.

"Any news?" he asked as we approached.

I shook my head. "Nothing. Let's find Aaron."

We bypassed the receptionist, and when we reached his office, we found Aaron emerging from a meeting with several suited men whose faces blurred into one. His expression shifted from confusion to concern as he saw us.

"What's going on?" Aaron asked, stepping forward.

"Lila's missing," I said bluntly. "She's over an hour late, not answering her phone, and we haven't heard anything from her."

Aaron's face paled. "Let's get to my office. We'll figure this out."

Once inside, we huddled around Aaron's desk, the tension palpable. Felipe's fingers drummed on the desk, Aaron's brow furrowed as he pulled out his phone to make a few calls, and I clutched Olivia a little tighter, trying to keep my panic in check.

"Maybe she got caught up somewhere?" Felipe suggested, though his tone lacked conviction.

Aaron shook his head. "She's never this late without letting someone know. It's not like her."

I checked my phone again, hoping for a missed call or message from Lila. Nothing there, but at least Mrs. Nguyen had come through and was happy to take Olivia for the afternoon. My heart sank further.

Then, Aaron turned on the TV mounted on the wall of his office, flipping to a news channel. We all froze as the news anchor reported a disturbance in the subway earlier that day.

"There was a commotion on the downtown line earlier today. Witnesses report seeing a young woman and a child being forcibly taken by a man and a woman. Authorities are investigating the incident, but the identities of the victims are not yet known."

My blood ran cold. A woman and a child. It couldn't be.

Aaron's eyes were wide with fear. "Could that be…?"

I nodded, my throat tight. "We need to find her. Now."

Olivia looked up at me, her little face mirroring my terror. "Daddy, what's wrong?"

I kissed her forehead, trying to keep my voice steady. "Everything's going to be okay, sweetheart. We're just… um, going to help Lila with something."

But inside, I was falling apart. Memories of losing Janessa flooded back, the helplessness and the pain. I couldn't lose Lila too. Not now. Not when we'd just gotten her, had just learned how good this thing could be between the four of us.

I turned to Felipe and Aaron, my voice shaking. "We need to contact the authorities. We need to do something. I can't lose her."

Aaron was already on his phone. "I'm calling my contacts in the police department. They'll help us."

I held Olivia close, my mind racing. Lila had become more than just a nanny, more than just a beautiful woman who haunted my dreams. She was part of our family. And somewhere along the way, I had fallen in love with her. The thought of never getting to tell her how I felt was unbearable.

I couldn't lose her. I wouldn't.

With Felipe and Aaron by my side, a united front of men who cared for sweet, strong, incredible Lila Dawson, I vowed to do everything in my power to bring her and Jamie back safely. We had to find them. We had to bring them home.