Page 36 of Twisted Trust

“I–I’m calling the cops,” I gasp when Chip comes back, holstering his gun and shaking his head. “I have to call the cops.”

Just as I try to type out the number, Levi’s warm hand suddenly closes over mine and squeezes firmly enough that I can’t type out the numbers. “No cops.”

“What?” Turning my tear-filled gaze up to him, I blink but barely feel the tears sliding down my cheeks. “I need?—”

“No cops,” Levi repeats firmly and he lifts his phone to his ear. “I can do better than cops.”

Chip is suddenly next to me and he takes my phone out of my trembling fingers, taking my attention away from Levi who starts talking quietly and rapidly to whoever answered his call.

“We don’t need cops,” Chip says gently. “But what I do need to know is if there are any other neighbors that Cameron might have dropped Scott off with?”

“Why would he do that?” I gasp. “He wouldn’t do that!”

Chip looks over my head and then he steps away as Levi takes back over and his warm fingers enclose my wrist.

“Chip will check with the rest of your neighbors and I have teams out looking for your son, but Maeve, I need to know everything and anything about Cameron.”

“What?”

“Where does he work? Does he have any family? Any criminal background? What car does he drive? How long has he driven it? Does he have any other properties I need to know about?”

He barks questions at me like rapid gunfire, but he might as well have been speaking in a different language because none of them make sense to me.

I shake my head over and over again.

My chest feels like my ribs have broken and the shards are trying to tear their way out of my chest with every breath.

Tears pour on a constant and the trembling throughout my body is growing more and more violent.

I was supposed to protect him.

My son.

Mybaby.

“I need to go,” I gasp, trying to pull my wrist from Levi’s grip. “I need to find him! I need to go out and look for him before it gets dark because he hates the dark and I don’t want him to be out there all alone!”

“Maeve!” Levi suddenly grabs me firmly by both hands and shoves me backward until my back hits the wall.

I struggle, but he holds me there with a firm but painless grip.

“Let me go!”

“Maeve! Listen to me. I need to know about Cameron. Why would you leave your child with this man?”

“What?” Those words cut through the dizzy fog like a blade and anger stokes in my belly. “Because he’s my friend! I trust him! He’s a good man, he’s been my friend for as long as we’ve been neighbors and?—”

My throat closes around the rest of my rant as realization hits me like a sharp slap of cold air on a brisk winter’s morning.

All my hatred surges upward and I spit directly in Levi’s face.

“This is your fault!”

Levi doesn’t even flinch. “What?”

“I was fine! I was safe and hidden, we were safe, but ever since you appeared my life has spiraled into shit! And this!”Gesturing behind Levi to the blood on the wall, I try to use the movement to break free. “This screams your world, not mine! What have you done?”

“This wasn’t me,” Levi growls. “I wouldneverhurt a kid. Why do you think you’re still alive, huh? You think I would go through all of this arguing and shit with you if it wasn’t for the fact that you have a child? This wasn’t me, Maeve. Iswear.”