“I’m n-not sure,” she stuttered.
“Do kids go missing from your school often?” Noah questioned.
“Of course not.”
“We’re wasting time.” I moved, only to be yanked back into Duncan’s hard chest. “Rogan and Reagan know better than to wander off by themselves, Jillian. They weretaken.”
The walls of the principal’s office were closing in on me. It was suffocating, restricting. Duncan wasn’t faring any better. He’d been pacing the floors ever since Waverly sidelined us. Finn took his place holding my hand. He and Joel arrived minutes after we did. With Joel’s background, he and Shayne were checking with the neighboring businesses to see if anyone saw something. We should be out there with them, combing the streets, not stuck in this godforsaken room waiting for answers. Rogan and Reagan had been gone for over an hour. Sixty-seven minutes where I didn’t know if they were hungry or scared.
“We’ve got something.” Nelson burst into the room, then left as quickly as he’d entered.
My legs trembled when I stood, whether from fear or exhaustion, I didn’t know. Duncan was at my side immediately, wrapping his arm around my waist to steady me. Finn was there too, right behind us as we quickly moved the short distance to the gymnasium, where the team had a similar setup to the one they had in my house the afternoon when the kids discovered the private investigator in the woods. Waverly was bent over Noah’s shoulder, staring at the screen of his laptop.
“Sloane.” She glanced back as we entered. “I need you to look at something.”
“What is it?” I rushed forward.
“Do you recognize this person?”
Noah clicked the mouse a few times before an image appeared. It was grainy at first, but when it cleared, the blood in my veins turned to ice. There was no mistaking whose face I was looking at.
Temporarily suspending my moratorium on cursing, I spat, “That bitch.”
“So yes, then,” Keaton deadpanned.
“That’s my mom, Maeve Buckington.”
Various curses flew from the mouths of the agents and my brother. I would’ve blushed if I wasn’t so infuriated.
“You’re positive?” Noah asked, then held up his hand. “Nevermind. Stupid question.”
“Call her, Sunshine.”
“Duncan, are you sure about this?”
“If there was another option, I’d be all over it, Way.”
“I can do it. Just tell me what to say.”
She sighed. “Nelson, how quickly can you set up a trace on Maeve’s number?”
“It’ll take me two minutes.”
“Do it.”
Duncan hauled me into his side, kissing my temple, while Waverly and Shayne prompted me on what questions to ask. The most important thing was to remain calm. None of us thought she’d willingly tell me where she was, so keeping her on the phone long enough for Nelson to be able to triangulate her location was key.
“I’m all set, RAC Mitchell,” Nelson announced.
Duncan held the phone in front of me, since my hands were too shaky. Sweat dripped down my spine as he touched her contact information. It rang once, twice, and then on the third ring the call connected. I didn’t say hello. I also didn’t follow instructions.
“Where are my kids?” I growled.
“Momma, it’s me.”
“Rogan.”
My head snapped to Duncan at the same time my knees gave out, slamming into the floor. He cursed, but I didn’t feel an ounce of pain. Never losing hold of the phone, he lowered himself beside me, pulling me between thick thighs. Everything else around us faded into the background.