Wanting by Calle J. Brookes Read Free Book Online Page B

every
day or so, and has for the last four. I think she’s homeless, but
she doesn’t cause any trouble and always buys something—even if
it’s just an order of fries.”
    “ Are you sure it’s this
girl?”
    “ Yeah. The blue eyes are
pretty distinctive. And I always work the early shift—except today
‘cause we had somebody call in sick—and I see her every day. It
took a few days to realize she was a girl, though.” The restaurant
manager was extremely helpful. They’d approached her during an
obvious lull in the business crowd. Once they’d explained their
purpose she’d been doubly willing to help. She’d mentioned she had
children of her own Ashleigh’s age.
    “ We’re not from here. Do
you know where the runaways tend to hang out? Near
here?”
    “ Try the intersection four
blocks from here. There seems to be a big group of them down there.
I saw her down by the river once. It’s about a mile from here.
There’s a bunch of construction going on. That jacket she wears,
the blue one with the orange stripe down the middle? It’s pretty
recognizable. You might try there.”
    ***
    The area nearest the river
was dirty and filled with the sights of construction. Sebastian
estimated they’d spend hours searching each site—the ones that
weren’t fenced. That was only if the rains let off enough for them
to be able to see ten feet in front of them. Was Ashleigh being
drawn to construction sites? Her father’s, perhaps? A subconscious
way of seeking his protection and safety? It sickened him to think
of that little girl out there frightened and alone. How must her
own father feel?
    “ So how do you want to do
this?” Carrie appeared unfazed by the rain, but he’d noticed
earlier that the sound of distant thunder had her tensing. “Search
each building site together or you take one side of the street and
I take the other?”
    “ We stay together. Period.
I’m not explaining to Hellbrook that I lost you in the river.”
Sebastian felt her shoulder bump his as they started around the
first site. “If it starts storming, we’ll call it for the
day.”
    “ I’m good to go on, if we
need to.”
    “ Well, I won’t be. It’s
stupid to be outside in a Midwestern thunderstorm. We won’t do
anyone any good that way. We’ll head back to the hotel and go over
the details.”
    “ Should we announce our
presence? Call for her? Or are you wanting to catch her
unaware?”
    “ Unaware. Chances are good
she’ll recognize me. If the reason she ran has something to do with
her mother, she’ll probably run from me as well. If we can corner
her, we may be able to find out what happened without her getting
away. I’m not stopping until I find her and help her. If that means
taking her somewhere other than to one of her parents, that’s what
I’ll do.”
    “ Do you think it has
something to do with her parents?”
    “ Nine times out of ten,
doesn’t it? Or a potential love interest.”
    “ For the majority, yes. The
main reason kids runaway is abuse, followed by arguments with
parents, friends, and finally romantic interest. Very rarely is it
something else.” Carrie stepped over a small pile of lumber that
blocked the muddy path to the back of the site. “So do you have any
theories?”
    “ I’m not sure if Sherry has
been completely upfront with me.”
    “ We’ll need to talk to her
again. Find out—” The sound of running feet cut off the rest of
what Carrie had to say. “Sebastian! There!”
    “ I see her! Go around!”
Sebastian took off after the runner. He couldn’t tell the exact
color but the jacket the runner wore was dark, with a stripe
running around its middle. The height was right, too. “Ashleigh?
Ashleigh! Wait!”
    He followed the runner
around the back of the building, but the kid knew the place better.
He—she—darted beneath a half-hung sheet of metal fencing, using the
mud beneath to increase speed. Sebastian had to stop, his frame
much too large to follow. He’d