Free Finding Zoe (Atlantic Divide) by Diane Saxon Page A

back at him. The little blond looked terrified; round, blue eyes wide. Ryan stood, hip shot forward, fists clenched down by his sides, chin up. Yeah, he recognized the look; it was definitely hereditary.
    Narrowing his eyes, angling his head, Mac gave them his renowned long, hard, Cormack Blunt stare, held it long enough for the blond to look as though he was going to pee himself and for Ryan to fidget uncertainly. Yeah, that should do it.
    “I guess you’re hungry. It must have taken you some time to get here. Take a load off and pull up a chair.” His mouth twitched as the two boys glanced at each other furtively and then grabbed a deck chair each and sat, backs straight, hands on knees.
    Flynn pulled out his phone and ordered food. He waggled the phone at Mac. “You might want to call Ryan’s mother and let her know where they are.”
    Mac pulled out his own phone with a heavy sigh and dialed Zoe’s number. They were all going to be in the shit, whichever way you looked at it.
    “I was staying with Jason. He’s my best friend.” Ryan nodded at the little blond. “We were camping out in the garden. His mum won’t know yet, we could just sneak back in. It’s not far, not as far as my place.” His voice wheedled. “Mum doesn’t need to know.”
    “Mac? What don’t I need to know?”
    “Too late, bud. Mama’s on the line. You want to talk to her?” Mac offered the phone to the kid and watched his eyes almost bug out of his head; his mouth went slack and his head shook from side to side. Laughter rumbled up inside Mac’s chest. Not so brave once he was faced with the wrath of his mother.
    “Zoe, the kid’s here with his best friend.”
    “What? Why are they there? You have no right—”
    “Zoe.” No way was he taking the blame. “They walked here, by themselves. Well, they’ve got Coke and Ice with them too.”
    “You’re kidding. They’re ten years old! It’s probably a good mile. Oh my God, anything could have happened—I’m on my way. Just wait till I get there!”
    The phone went dead.
    “You’re in a shitload of trouble, kid.”
    The boys stared at him, and he couldn’t stop his lips from twitching.
    “Bollocks,” Ryan said, and made him laugh.
    *
    She held the steering wheel a little tighter to disguise the tremor in her hands. Anything could have happened to the boys. Six thirty on a Saturday morning, she could picture them both running across the fields. At least they’d had the dogs with them, but she shuddered to think.
    Jason’s mother had been mortified. Not so mortified she hadn’t offered to go and get them. Zoe had to smile to herself. No, Jason’s mother had offered to race to the boys’ rescue. She was the only one, so far, to believe Ryan about his father, and she was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if it meant meeting Cormack Blunt. Zoe had declined, said she was already dressed and on her way. Then she’d thrown on some clothes, smoothed her rampant hair, and slipped out the door without waking her father.
    Security waved her through the compound gates, and as she approached Mac’s trailer toward the far end of the compound, she spotted them all and had the overwhelming urge to run at least two of them over. The fully grown two—she hesitated to class them as adults—who stood next to a table laden with sugar-filled doughnuts, pastries and cans of cola.
    “Mum, Mum, Flynn said he’ll teach me how to rappel down the side of a building.” Ryan’s mouth was filled to overflowing so he could hardly get the words out past the food.
    Lifting one eyebrow, she turned her head slowly in Flynn’s direction and pinned him with a mother’s eye.
    “Oh, did he?”
    She almost spoiled it by laughing as the fully grown stuntman rubbed his hands nervously on the backside of his jeans and stepped away from her at the same time as he sucked air in through his teeth.
    “Only if your mother says so, kid.”
    “So.” Casting her eyes around to