Page 62 of The Fix

Rex had gone by Cami’s apartment, but her car wasn’t there, and no lights appeared from inside. He hadn’t really expected her to be home, especially since she wasn’t answering his calls, but he’d needed to check anyway.

Then he’d called her business, but the shop’s voicemail informed him it had closed at five.

It was still possible she was there, outside on the grounds somewhere, involved in a butterfly emergency—if such a type of emergency existed—and had set her phone down while she attended to it.

But the fact that he still hadn’t heard back from her bothered him, and he had this increasing feeling that something was off.

He got to the restaurant where they had arranged to meet fifteen minutes early, and for a moment, when he turned the corner onto the block, he thought he saw her standing out front, and the burst of hope almost made him miss a step.

But his heart dropped when the woman turned, and it wasn’t her.

And he should have known because there was no little boy anywhere in sight.

He paced the street, the seconds ticking by until she was officially five minutes late. And dammit, it was only five minutes, but Cami wouldn’t leave him waiting like this unless something was wrong.

Rex walked toward his truck as people strolled by on the sidewalk, some laughing, most caught up in conversation, oblivious to the alarm bells that were ringing inside him. He tried Cami’s number for the twentieth time and swore when her voicemail picked up again.

She was with Cyrus now ... and Cyrus had a phone too. He’d almost forgotten.

He scrolled through his phone for Cyrus’s number, holding his breath as it rang. And then swearing when that number went to voicemail too. The sound of his innocent, childish voice made his heart nearly beat out of his chest.

Rex wasn’t used to feeling helpless, not like this, and he realized now why it was discouraged for men in the field to have families, personal involvements that affected decisions and gave choices emotional weight.

Made a man wonder if he was overreacting because his heart was involved.

But picturing Cami’s and Cyrus’s faces now also made him understand why so many disregarded that discouragement.

Where are you, Cami? And Cyrus?

He considered something, scrolling quickly back through his text messages with Cami and soon finding what he was looking for.

She’d sent him her father’s and Gigi’s cell numbers just in case when she’d left Cyrus with them to go and visit Hollis.

And if they weren’t together right now, that was the only other place Cyrus would be.

He felt a little awkward calling, especially since he hadn’t met her father or stepmother in person, but he set that aside and dialed Mr. Cortlandt’s number.

The man picked up on the second ring with a casual hello.

“Hello, sir, my name is Rex Lowe. We haven’t met but—”

“Rex Lowe?” There was some minor scuffling as if Mr. Cortlandt had stood or moved and was now walking into a quieter room, where the background noise became more distant.

“Son, I owe you a debt of gratitude, one I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay.

It’s a true pleasure to meet you, even over the phone.

Cami speaks of you like the hero you are. ”

Despite the current state of his nervous system, Rex felt honored by his words, and relieved by this particular man’s kind reaction to Rex’s call. And maybe, deep down, he experienced a heartbeat of healing that he hadn’t even known he craved and was too preoccupied to think about now.

“Thank you, sir. I’m glad I was able to help. And I’m sorry to interrupt you like this, but I’m looking for Cami and Cyrus. We were supposed to meet for dinner, and they didn’t show, and neither is answering their phones.”

“Ah, well, Cyrus is in the other room. We’re watching a movie.” His voice became muted, and Rex heard him call for Cyrus. “I think he said Cam had a meeting. I assumed it was work related. Hold on, here he is.”

“Rex!”

“Hey, buddy.” God, it’s good to hear your voice. “Do you know where your mom is?”

“She dropped me off with Pops and Gigi because some lady wanted to meet her.”

Rex felt a twinge of discomfort under his ribs. “Some lady? Do you know who?”

“No. But she’s picking me up soon so we can meet you for dinner. Are we late?”

Dammit. What the hell is going on, Cami?

At least Cyrus was safe, and he felt a hell of a lot better knowing that.

Some lady. He also knew Cami would not have met anyone she didn’t feel comfortable meeting.

“I think your mom’s running a little behind, but hopefully not by much.

Oh, hey, I tried to call you. Where’s your phone? ”

“Oh. I put it in the front pocket of my mom’s purse and then forgot about it.”

My mom. God, Cami would love to hear him refer to her that way. “Okay. You’re good?”

“Yeah, I’m good. See you soon.”

“See ya.”

“Rex?” Mr. Cortlandt said when he got back on the line. “I just had my wife dial Cam’s number and she’s still not answering, like you said. And she is late picking Cyrus up, which isn’t like her at all. I’m getting a bad feeling.”

“I don’t want to worry you unnecessarily,” Rex said. “But I have the same feeling and I don’t like that none of us know who this woman is she’s meeting. And after ...”

“After everything ...” Mr. Cortlandt finished. There was no need to finish that sentence. Everything was a lot, and they both knew it.

“I’m going to call the police, Rex. They might not do anything yet, considering she’s only been missing for less than an hour. But with what she and Cyrus have been through ...”

“Agreed. Thank you. While you make that call, I’m going to head to Flutterfly Gardens right now,” Rex said. “Just to cover all the bases. Will you call me right away if you hear from her? You have my number now.”

“Of course. Yes,” Mr. Cortlandt said. “We’ll find her.”

“Yes, we will. Thank you, sir.”

Rex hung up, and despite his words of encouragement to Cami’s father, his unease was growing by the moment.

Rex did a U-turn in the middle of the street and began heading to Cami’s work, trusting that Mr. Cortlandt was currently dialing the police.

The authorities would take Cami’s father’s call seriously, considering their current, ongoing involvement in Cyrus’s kidnapping case.

They’d likely go to her apartment again, and maybe even put out an APB right away, despite the fact that the protocol was to wait longer than an hour. But what more could they do than that?

Especially when she’d willingly gone to meet someone.

A woman.

Could it be Seraphina Arnoult? The woman he’d just been researching?

The woman who’d experienced a crime similar to the one Cami’s family survived, who might have a motive to want to hurt Cami?

The one now inexplicably engaged to Hollis Barclay?

There was too much crossover happening here for any of it to be a coincidence.

He’d considered asking Mr. Cortlandt about Louis Swift, but decided against it in the interest of time. Rex knew what he needed to know about that situation, and so the retired judge’s memory or lack thereof wasn’t really pertinent.

Cami speaks of you like the hero you are.

He pressed on the gas, ever more desperate to find Cami, to be there if she needed him.

A few minutes later a text came through from Rand Cortlandt saying the police had put out an APB on Cami’s car.

That was good, and what he’d expected, but not enough.

He responded to Mr. Cortlandt’s message and then dialed Erik’s number.

“Hey, man, I’m sorry to do this. I know you’re headed out, and I wouldn’t be calling if it wasn’t an emergency, but I need two unlisted cell numbers. ”

“Is that all? Hell, I can get you that while I’m driving to the base.”

Rex managed a chuckle, even if it came out choked.

“Text me the info, and I’ll get right back to you. I hope it helps because then I’ve gotta go dark.”

“Thank you. I mean it.”

He hung up and texted Erik and then continued on to the address on his GPS where Cami had built her business. When he arrived at Flutterfly twenty minutes later, however, the front gate was locked. There were a few hazy lights coming from the butterfly garden in the distance, but the shop was dark.

Rex considered climbing the fence and checking the property—Flutterfly’s security was obviously lax. But there was no indication anyone was there, and he had this sick feeling that—especially now—running all over town was only going to waste time.