Sebastian thought he detected a note of uncertainty in her voice.

Ava said, “Charles got Grace into this new company that surgically implanted this rice-sized GPS chip in the webbing of her hand. It was broadcasting perfectly. The bloodnappers somehow found out about it, where it was, and . . .” Ava didn’t finish her thought.

Sebastian finished it for her: “They cut it out.”

Ava wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the pool—at the same spot, coincidentally, where Sebastian had stood when he was shot.

“The police aren’t telling us much,” Ava said. “Same with the FBI.”

“And focusing their attention on you, I imagine.”

She turned her head to him, startled. “They are,” she said flatly. “How did you know?”

“Standard procedure, from what I’ve heard. They have to rule you out. Some families of carriers—not a lot, but some—they stage these fake kidnappings, hoping to make a big score.”

“We are not one of those families.”

“Wasn’t suggesting you were. I just wanted to—”

“They’re just going through the motions, collecting information, doing paperwork. To them, Grace is just another case, another statistic, and they can’t— These cases—there’s too many of them, these kids being snatched—”

“Slow down, Ava. I’m going to—”

“They took her by force. At gunpoint. Dragged her out of the car by her hair.”

The day the judge sentenced him, Sebastian felt as though his entire midsection had disappeared. Then he was floating, no longer in his body. He was free, running away from his nightmare, and then cruelly he was snapped back inside his skin, the reality of what had happened crashing down on him like every awful thing, making him feel trapped. Powerless. He felt that way now as he watched Ava break into fresh tears.

Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder and gently tried to move her closer to him. She resisted, so he slid his hand to her back, felt the muscle constricting in fear.

“Listen to me,” he said gently, but with some force, too.

Her gaze skittered around the ground, the pool, looking for a soft place to land.

“Ava, look at me.” Then, when she did: “You’re not alone in this. I’ll help you. I’m here to help, okay? I’m glad you came to me.”

She searched his eyes, as though his choice of words contained some hidden meaning. And maybe they did, with all the stupid and crazy things he’d done for love. For her.

“We,” Sebastian said, “are going to find your daughter.”

Sebastian saw something in her eyes that for some reason brought to mind an image of a speeding train heading his way.

“Our,” she said. “Grace is our daughter.”

CHAPTER 34

SEBASTIAN’S THROAT CLOSED up, and his insides . . . he didn’t know what was happening inside. His body had left but his mind was still active, and for some reason it was playing a clip from an old Bugs Bunny cartoon he’d seen as a kid—Bugs needing to make a quick escape and, when he did, speeding away like a bullet, a ghost version of himself remaining behind, hovering, before starting to waver, then drifting away, like smoke. That was exactly how he felt right now, this ghost version of himself sitting in his chair while his real self—his soul—had already departed.