Chapter Two

Adam Pierce sighed as he walked to his office. The thought that Katie Lloyd – that amazingly difficult personality – was on the other end of the phone line was not a welcome one.

OK, admittedly he and Katie had managed to call a semi-truce in light of Mia. Katie had come to him, hat-in-hand, begging for his help to get Nick to talk to Mia. But that was a few weeks ago now, and all that he and Katie had done since then was fight about his photos. He wanted Katie to reshoot in better light, she refused.

Why is she calling me? Another fight about the fucking pictures? OK. Be nice now… at least until she gives you reason not to be.

He picked up the phone and spoke in what he hoped was a friendly tone. “Hi, Katie.”

“Hi, Adam.” She sounded harassed and pissed off, and he almost threw the phone across the room. “Listen, have you got any way to get a hold of Nick?”

‘Well, hello Adam. How are you? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine too. So, listen – can I ask you something please?’ This woman’s self-importance is always dialled up to ‘high’, isn’t it? Jesus.

With great effort, he kept his tone now merely neutral. “No, I don’t. As you know, he left his cell with me here, and I don’t know where he took Mia.”

“Damn.”

The silence on the other end went on for long enough that he had the urge to say, “Well! So nice talking to you!” and then hang up. But he hung on for a few seconds longer.

“Would – would anyone else know where they are, maybe?” she asked.

“No, for sure not. I mean, if you don’t and I don’t, then who’s left, really?”

“True.”

More silence. Only then did it occur to him that something might be wrong.

“Katie, is everything OK?”

“Ummm. No. Not really.”

He sat down. She sounded uncertain and tentative and something else.

Scared?

“What’s wrong?" he asked. "Can I help?”

Katie blinked at the phone in her hand. What – Mr. So-Important is deigning to offer assistance?

“Uh, well.” She hesitated. "I’m not sure.”

“Tell me what’s happened.”

“Someone in my family is sick,” she said reluctantly. “I need to get back there in a hurry, and I wanted to call Nick and Mia and collect my car from them.”

“Where do you have to go? Where’s home?”

“Nevada. From a small town just outside Tonopah.”

“So – why don’t you fly?”

“I don’t fly… I hate it.”

He rolled his eyes. Princess.

“Yeah, OK,” he said. “I get that having to take your shoes off at the airport is a hassle and flights are all tense, but this is an emergency. I mean, drink some wine and do some deep breathing and you’ll be there in no time at all.”

She was silent again.

“Katie? Hello?”

“No. I really can’t. I – I was in a plane crash as a kid. I just can’t fly. I'm – I'm terrified of it."

He felt like an absolute asshole. “God, Katie. I’m sorry. Maybe… the train? Bus?”

“No, it’ll take too long. My brother Ryan says that he probably won’t last more than two or three days. I have to get in the car and just drive, Adam.”

“Who’s ‘he’? Your Dad?”

Katie pretended not to hear him. “So that’s why I need my car back.”

“So rent a car.”

“I already tried that. Nothing’s available.” She now sounded panicked and desperate and teary.

Adam scratched his chin. Something about this whole thing feels very weird. Aloud, he said, “Well, I don’t know what to do to help you – if I knew where Nick and Mia were, I’d tell you. But I really don’t.”

“Right.” She took a shaky breath. “OK, well. Thanks anyway… I’ll let you…”

Her voice broke, and suddenly Adam was on high alert. “OK, hold on. This is really important to you, huh?”

“Yes. Adam, yes. You have no idea.”

She sounded so completely broken and vulnerable, so unlike the usual hard-as-nails Katie, that something in Adam just responded.

“OK, Katie. Listen, I am suggesting this against my better judgment, but maybe… maybe I can take you.”

“What? You?”

“Yes. Me. I have a car, I can take a few days off, Gavin is more than capable of running things here with me and Nick away. I can take you, if you want.”

Katie almost fell off her chair in shock.

That is the worst fucking idea I have ever heard… trapped in a car with Adam Pierce for hours and hours on end! I bet he’ll talk about nothing but reshooting his goddamned pictures. I’d have to throw myself in front of the wheels just to make the torture end, I swear to Christ.

Then again, it was the best offer – the only offer – on the table. She didn’t see that she had much of a choice.

“Really?” she said.

“Yes. Really.”

“I’d – I’d be very grateful, Adam. Thank you.”

“So… yes?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes. Yes, please.”

“You have Nick’s cell number?”

“I do.”

“OK, text me your address on his phone. I’ll be there in two hours.”

“Thank you, Adam.”

“You’re welcome.”

They both hung up the phone, already regretting it, already dreading the next few days.