I was moving before she’d finished her sentence, dropping the nails in my hand to the floor without another thought. “Are they okay? He didn’t get them, did he?”

“They’re safe. I don’t know much more. Will you hurry?”

My ribs constricted in a brutal squeeze. “I’m on my way. I’m gonna get there as fast as I can.” Caelyn never asked for anything. Not a damn thing. Probably wouldn’t even ask for a life jacket if a ship were sinking. She’d simply try to swim to shore all on her own. But she was asking me this. “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Hang up the phone and drive safe.”

“Okay.” She stayed on the line for a moment longer, silent as if she couldn’t let the connection lapse.

“I’ll be there soon. Promise.”

“See you in a few minutes.”

She disconnected the call just as I climbed into my truck. I tore through town, doing my best to at least pause at the stop signs. Hopefully, the sheriff’s deputies were all at the school already. Images flashed in my mind as I drove. A brutal mix of my sister then Mia then Ava. They were all calling out to me for help, but I wasn’t there.

I gave my head a vicious shake, gripping the wheel harder. Now wasn’t the time to lose it. Will would already be freaked. I had to lock it down for him. For Caelyn. For the girls.

I pulled up in front of the school and came to a screeching halt. I was stopped in a fire lane, but it didn’t matter. I would be in and out of there in seconds. I pulled open the door and jogged down the hall to the office. As soon as I entered, Will jumped to his feet. “What’s going on? They won’t tell me anything. Where’s Caelyn?”

I gripped Will’s shoulder as I looked at the secretary. “I’m Griffin Lockwood. I’m taking Will. I’m on the list.”

“I know who you are, Mr. Lockwood. You just give my best to Caelyn. Tell her if she needs anything to call me.”

“I will.” I steered Will out of the office and down the hall. We weren’t jogging, but our pace wasn’t exactly slow either.

“Tell me,” Will growled.

“Your dad showed. Tried to take the girls out of school. They’re fine. But we need to go be with your sisters.”

Will missed a step and stumbled but caught himself. “They’re sure it was him?”

I glanced Will’s way as we climbed into the truck. I hadn’t thought about the possibility of it being someone else, someone pretending to be Ava and Mia’s father. But for what purpose? “I don’t know. Let’s just get over there and see what’s what.”