by Lara Wynter
No, no, no. This can’t be happening. Has she just ditched school or has something more sinister happened? I spin away from the desk and dial Leon.
“Leon Oliver.”
“Leon, it’s Jemma. Did you drop Sophie off at school this morning?”
“Of course.”
“Was anything strange? Did you stay to watch her enter the school building? Was anyone suspicious lurking nearby?” My voice is becomes a bit hysterical but I can’t seem to calm myself down.
Leon’s voice becomes commanding. “Of course I watched her go in. When was the last time someone saw her?”
My trembling legs collapse and I fall into a nearby chair. “As far as I can tell, you were the last person to see her. She wasn’t at school all day, and Anna hasn’t heard from her since last night when she said she wasn’t feeling well and might not be at school. The school secretary says she’s been recorded as sick today.”
“Check who made the call. I’ll be right there. Don’t move, and don’t say anything to anyone alright?”
“Okay.”
The phone goes dead and I focus on taking deep steady breaths. Did Sophie plan this or did someone else? Please Lord, don’t let anyone have kidnapped Sophie. Please let her have just decided to skip school for some perfectly innocent reason. Help us to find her safe and well. I stand up shakily and walk back to the reception desk.
“Is everything alright Miss Jones?”
“Can you tell me who made the call about Sophie this morning?”
More clacking on the keyboard. She looks up at me and raises her eyebrows. “You did Miss Jones. What’s wrong? I’m going to call the Principal.”
“Wait, don’t do that. I have the Bowman’s head of security coming here right now. Just wait until he gets here. He has the most experience. I don’t want to do anything until he arrives.”
Her lips thin again but she doesn’t reach for the phone.
I walk to the window. The area is now devoid of life. A car speeds into the carpark and stops. Stan and Leon jump out, and I push through the door and run toward them.
A sense of peace comes over me. Surely they’ll know what to do now. Within no time Sophie will be here safe and sound.
Stan’s eyes sweep the grounds before coming to rest on me. “Any news?”
“No, the school records show I made the call to the school this morning.”
“Have you checked her call logs?” Leon asks.
“Um, no.” I say feeling a bit foolish. I flick through Sophie’s phone until I find the right screen. “Yes, here it is, it says I called the school at 7:45 am this morning.”
“Was your phone unattended then?” Stan asks.
“Um,” I think back to this morning. “I think I was in the shower then.”
I hand my phone to Stan. “That’s good. It means Sophie probably made the call herself. That makes kidnapping much less likely.”
Kidnapping! Just hearing the word said out loud, makes this all more real. “What do we do now?”
“Now, we see if we can track Sophie’s phone. Although, if she’s planned this, there’s a good chance she’s left it back at the house,” Stan says.
My eyes dart between the two. “Has anyone told Wes yet?”
“We’ll call as soon as we have anything to report,” Leon says. “I don’t want to alarm him if this is just a teenager playing hooky.”
“You think that's all this is?” I ask hopefully.
“Most likely, but I’m not ruling anything out just yet.” Leon suddenly looks far deadlier than I ever imagined. For the first time I can tell he has a military background.
Stan turns and heads toward the carpark. “Her phone is nearby.”
I follow behind as he walks back toward the Porsche. He opens the door and reaches into the glove compartment. He emerges with Sophie’s phone in hand. “I think she planned this.” Stan’s eyes go dark. “She knows her phone is trackable, it’s why we insist she takes it everywhere. I think we should head back to the house and see if we can find out where she might have gone.”
Stan has Sophie’s computer open in front of him on the gleaming marble bench of the spotless kitchen. Leon continues his search through Sophie’s phone. I feel useless. I wish there was something I could do. Think, Jemma, think. What does Sophie want most in all the world? The answer is obvious, why did it take me so long to think of it?
“Jackson Durant,” I blurt out. “I think Sophie has gone to wherever Jackson is.”
Both burly security guys turn their intense scrutiny toward me.
“How certain are you Miss Jones?” Stan’s eyes feel like they might bore holes right through me.
“Pretty sure. We should see if she’s booked a plane ticket.”
Stan and Leon return their focus to the screens in front of them. I really hope I’m right about this. Surely Sophie will be safe with Jackson. He seemed like an okay guy. As soon as she turns up, he’ll probably call to let us know. There’s no way he’d want to get into anything with a thirteen- year-old.
“Found it,” Leon exclaims. “She booked a flight to LAX for 11a.m. this morning, arriving at 1:30. If we leave now, we can be there before the sun goes down. I need to call Wes.”
“I’ll do it.” The words leave my mouth before I can think things through. Do I really want to be the one to tell Wes his sister is missing?
“Fine,” Leon says. “You can call from the car while Stan organizes our flights.”
I follow them out and slide into the back of the black SUV. My heart pounds as I dial Wes’s number. It rings and rings.
“Hey, what’s up?”
Wes sounds relaxed and happy. How can I shatter his world?
“Hello?…Jemma?”
“Uh, I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to tell you.”
“You’re not leaving are you?” Wes’s voice sounds slightly panicked.
“Sophie’s missing. We’re pretty sure she flew to L.A. to meet Jackson Durant. The guys and I are on our way to the airport now.”
“She what! I’m going to kill her… As soon as I know she’s safe, I’m going to kill her!”
“Don’t worry Wes, we’ll find her. I promise we’ll find her.”
“Tell Leon and Stan I’m coming. I’ll meet you at LAX.”
The phone goes dead.
Normally the thought of seeing Wes would send excitement coursing through my whole body, but all I feel is dread. What if I’m wrong? What if Sophie isn’t with Jackson? What if it’s something else we know nothing about? Bile slides up my esophagus and I choke it back down.
Chapter 12
Wes
I scan the crowd, searching for those distinctive blonde curls. There. Sitting alone at one of the small eatery tables, the mostly uneaten remains of a sandwich in front of her. I walk toward her. Her eyes remain downcast. An expression of sorrow makes her look fragile and almost ethereal. Leon and Stan have already left to go to Jackson’s house. For some reason Jackson isn’t answering his phone and none of his team seem to know where he’s gone. Surely Leon and Stan, combined with Jackson’s security team can track them down?
“Jemma.”
Jemma looks up. She hastily pushes herself away from the table and flings herself against me wrapping her arms around my neck. I hug her tightly to me.
“Oh, Wes, I’m so sorry.” Sobs wrack her small frame and her entire body shakes.
“Shh, you didn’t do anything wrong. We’ll find her, I know we will.”
Jemma takes a step back and brushes the tears from her face with her fingers. Her scars have reddened with her tears, and I just want to hold her. But there’s no time. We need to find Sophie. If she’s with Jackson, why isn’t he letting anyone know? It’s not as if he could be interested in someone four years younger than him. And if he is, I’ll remove his limbs one at a time…
“Why would Soph run off like this?” Jemma asks.
“She might seem mature, but she’s still hurting. Our mother
only died last year. It was an aggressive brain tumor. And while she was a terrible parent, she was still our mom. I should have insisted Sophie talk to someone…”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re doing the best you can. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“She’s my responsibility now. I thought I could…ah…I just thought we were doing okay.” I shake my head sigh.
“What can we do? I can’t just sit here and wait for news.”
“I agree. We’ll catch a cab. Any idea where they could have gone?” I take hold of Jemma’s hand as we walk toward the exit.
“Well,” her brow furrows in thought, “Last time they were together, Soph seemed really interested in seeing the set where JD was filming. Perhaps we can check that out. Do you know if he’s filming anything at the moment?”
“Great idea. I’ll call Leon and have him ask someone.” I dial Leon. The phone only rings once before he answers.
“Yes boss?”
“Any news?”
“Nothing yet. Jackson left the house at around ten this morning. No one has seen or heard from him since.”
I run a hand through my hair in frustration. “Can his car be tracked?”
“Not the one he took.”
“Is Jackson working on any movies at the moment? We thought maybe they’ve headed somewhere like that.”
“We’ve already checked out that angle. No luck I’m afraid, boss. You just hang tight and we’ll call you with any leads.”
“I can’t just sit here and do nothing. As soon as we have an idea we’ll check it out.”
“Alright, but stay safe.”
“Yeah, bye.” I end the call.
We exit into the fading daylight. Jemma squeezes my hand. “Where to then?” Anything Sophie’s always wanted to do in L.A.?”
“Well…last time we were here, she was bugging me to go up to the Hollywood sign, but we were too busy with band stuff.” I sigh.
Jemma’s smile lights up the twilight. “Perfect, let’s check it out.”
Several taxi’s wait by the curb, so I open the back door of one and Jemma slides in first. I climb in beside her and pull my baseball cap down low over my eyes. The last thing I want is to be recognized right now.
Seeming to understand, Jemma asks the driver to head for the Hollywood sign. Hopefully he’ll think we’re just tourists.
“Wes,” Jemma whispers, “Do you know what car he’s driving?”
“I’ll text Leon for the details. We don’t want this cab driver to catch onto what’s going on.”
I quickly punch the message into my phone. The details come back almost instantly. I show Jemma the screen. They’re in a black Honda CR-V. Something that won’t stand out here at all.
Jemma reaches out and takes my hand. The connection helps release some of the pressure that builds within me. Sophie is the only blood family I have. It would kill me if something happened to her. I can’t even bear to think about it.
I’d better text Finn an update or he’ll come here too. It was almost impossible to get him to stay behind in Denver. We don’t have a show until tomorrow night, but we still have publicity commitments. The only reason he’s agreed to stay behind is to try to keep this out of the press. One band member leaving is bad enough, but the two founding members of Infusion Deep suddenly heading to L.A. on short notice would be sure to attract the attention of the paparazzi.
I type a detailed message to Finn and hit send. The remaining daylight slowly fades. Somehow my hope seems tied to the fading light. As if somehow, the light represents my hopes of finding Sophie unharmed. My shoulders hunch, and a harsh sob escapes from deep within. I just can’t hold the darkness back anymore.
Jemma
Wes’s heartfelt sob tears my heart asunder. I wrap my arms around him as if I can somehow shelter him with my body. I know how much his sister means to him. How much he holds himself responsible for every bad thing that happens in her life. I wish I could promise him that everything was going to be alright, but I can’t. There’s only one thing I can think to do right now.
“Do you mind if I pray for Soph?”
“Yes. I’ll take anything right now.” Wes makes a strange choking sound. “That didn’t come out right. Please, I’d really appreciate your prayers.”
“Father, I pray for your protection for Sophie right now. Send your angels to watch over her. Please be with her and help us to find her safe and well. And be with Wes. Help his heart to heal and to not lose himself in fear. Thank you. Amen.”
Wes looks up into my eyes. He does seem more himself now. It’s hard to be this close to him, to not feel things in my heart. My love for him is more than the friendship I know I should feel. He is so passionate and beautiful. I just want to hold him for the rest of my life and never let go. But can we really have a life together when we don’t believe the same things?
Pale gold and honey brown eyes with a few flecks of green stare straight into my own eyes. Wes’s are so open and expressive. They hold such an expression of love and hope I just can’t look away. I pull back slightly, too drawn to him to let go, too afraid to move closer and let him know how I really feel. I lower my eyelids to give myself a break from the intensity that’s growing between us.
“What did you mean when you called God ‘Father’?”
My eyes fly to Wes’s again. I draw in a sharp breath. “Well…I guess firstly because he calls himself that. But on a personal level, I feel like he’s always looking out for me. He knows what’s best for me in my life. He cares for us all, even if our own fathers wasn’t what we’d hoped for. He’s there through everything that life throws at us. He was there for me when I was burnt by the oil. His love for me helped me to not give in to the darkness. His light guided me. I know that he loves me no matter what. Through the good stuff and the terrible stuff.”
“Weren’t you angry about what happened to you?” Wes’s face looks curious rather than judgmental. I’m relieved. It’s hard when people don’t really want to hear.
“Yeah, of course I was. My feelings were in a constant state of flux for a while. I was sad, hurt, angry with myself, angry with God. I felt hatred toward my ex. But God was there for me through it all. Through his love for me, I was able to forgive my ex. It helped me to be me again. To find hope and love and joy in the world again. To let my heart be open again. It’s still an ongoing process, but I’m getting there.”
“You are an amazing woman, Jemma Jones. I lo– I…I’m in awe of you.
Did Wes almost say that he loves me? He’s under incredible strain at the moment, so I don’t think I can really put too much stock in anything he says right now. Besides, we have more important things to think about. Once we find Sophie, we can worry about sorting out how we feel about each other and what this is between us. The taxi comes to a stop outside the Griffith Park Observatory.
I ask the driver to wait for us. Wes is already walking away and I jog to catch up to him. There are still quite a few people around even though the sun has set. The Observatory is still open. Hopefully no one will look at Wes too closely and recognize him. I’m not sure he’d cope with that right now. But Wes is heading away from the Observatory building.
“You can get a view of the sign from over here.” Wes indicates a concrete viewing platform. Instead of trying to view the distant dark hillside, Wes searches through the few people milling around but it’s pretty obvious that Sophie and Jackson aren’t here.
“Isn’t the sign lit at night?”
“No.” Wes takes a last glance at the few tourists and heads toward a larger parking lot further away from the Observatory building.
“What now?”
“If we check the rest of the parking lot for their car we can tell if they’re here or not.” Wes runs a hand through his hair and frowns. “If they were ever here in the first place.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find them.”
The parking lot isn’t that big, and it’s only half full. Wes remains grimly silent a
s we walk up and down the rows of parked cars. Wes stops suddenly and I almost crash into him in the dim light.
“They’re not here, Jemma. Do you think they might have tried to go up Mt. Lee to get a closer look?”
“Um, I didn’t think tourists were allowed to go up that way.”
“They’re not supposed to. So, knowing Soph, that would be the way she’d want to go.”
I guess we could try. Although it’s pretty dark I really hope they aren’t stumbling around in the dark somewhere trying to impress each other.”
“You think Jackson would want to impress a thirteen-year-old girl?” Wes seems dubious.
“Well, see, I’ve been thinking about it, and I think Sophie has probably told Jackson she’s a few years older than she really is. She’s so tall, with a bit of make-up she could easily pass for sixteen or seventeen.”
“If he touches one hair on her head, he’s a dead man.”
“I’m sure it hasn’t gone that far. Sophie might want to grow up, but at heart I don’t think she really wants anything more than a kiss.”
“What?” Wes yelps. “She’s much too young to be kissing boys. Especially ones four years older.”
“I agree. But think about it from her point of view, how old were you when you had your first kiss?”
“Sixteen.”
“Really?” I try to hide the incredulity in my voice. Somehow I just pictured Wes having girls after him from a young age.
“What’s wrong with being sixteen? How old were you?”
My cheeks heat, and I’m glad for the darkness that hides my face. “Fifteen. But I had to wait until I was eighteen for my next one. My parents found out about it, and I wasn’t allowed to date through the rest of high school.”
Wes grunts. “Smart parents.”
“I resented them for it at the time. I think a part of me still does. If I hadn’t been so desperate for a boyfriend, I might have realized that my ex was a scumbag much sooner.”
