All three of them disappeared into the maze. The children’s laughter trilled through the monitor.
“Where’d they go?” Vero chuckled, adjusting the focus on the binoculars.
“I’m sure he’s wrangling them. They’ll probably turn up in a second.”
We listened as Zach’s laughter faded, lost in the scuffle of Delia’s backpack. Steven’s shouts grew more and more distant. I reached for the monitor and turned up the volume. A moment later, their voices went silent.
“Why can’t we hear them?” Vero asked.
I moved the receiver closer to the windshield. All I could make out was the rustling of the monitor. My neck prickled, and the hair on my arms stood on end. I stretched up to see deeper into the maze, but the farm beyond the lights was a labyrinth of trees, acres of them stretching into the blackness. I couldn’t begin to guess where a thousand feet ended in the dark.
Delia’s voice broke through the static. “Daddy, where are you?”
I gripped the receiver, my chest growing tight. “They can’t have gone that far. He’ll find her any minute.”
“Daddy? Daddy?” Delia’s voice wobbled. “I’m scared!”
Vero and I threw open our doors, our dropped cups splashing coffee over the pavement as we took off running through the parking lot. We tore through the crowd, muttering excuse mes and pardon mes as we raced around couples and families. An attendant in an elf hat jumped in front of me, motioning for me to slow down. Heart pounding, I shoved him aside. Vero raced after me into the maze of trees beyond the lit area. We split off in opposite directions, shouting the children’s names. The path darkened and narrowed around me. Branches slapped my face as I ran.
“I’ve got Zach!” Vero called out.
“Delia!” I paused, turning in circles, ears straining for her answer.
“Mommy!” Her frantic shout came to me in stereo, through the monitor in my hand and somewhere to my right. I took off in a sprint, searching the rows as they blurred past until I spotted a flash of her bright, pink coat.
“I’ve got Delia!” I cried out, dropping to my knees in front of her and scooping her into my arms. Vero appeared a moment later with Zach pressed to her chest.
“Where’s Steven?” she asked, her breath coming in steaming pants.
“Steven?” I called out. A low groan answered from the darkness. Vero and I carried the children toward the sound, checking each row until we spotted a figure facedown in the dirt. “Steven!” Delia bounced on my hip as I rushed to his side.
He sat up slowly, gingerly rubbing the back of his head. Vero took out her phone and aimed it toward him, washing his face in bright white light. A long stream of red flowed down his temple. “Get that out of my face! What the hell is she doing here? And what are you doing here?”
“What happened?” I asked.
He rose stiffly, swatting my hand away when I tried to help him to his feet. He winced as he pressed his fingers to the wound. “I don’t know. It was dark. I was running after the kids. Someone hit me from behind and knocked me down. I must have cut my head when I fell.”
He reached into his pocket, relief washing over him when he dug out his wallet. He patted his jeans, his shirt, his jacket pockets and frowned. “That asshole took my phone!”
Delia’s wet cheeks burrowed into my neck. “I want to go home, Mommy.”
Zach sniffled against Vero and sucked harder on his pacifier. Vero rubbed soothing circles on his back. “I’ll take Zach and Delia to the car.” Vero held out a hand as I set Delia on the ground. Steven gritted his teeth as he watched the three of them walk to the loaner car.
“Whose car is that?”
“It’s not important.”
“You can’t drive the kids home. You don’t have their car seats.”
“I brought them with me, just in case.”
“Just in case what? What’s that supposed to mean?” I switched off the monitor and he snatched it from my hand. “What the hell is this? Were you spying on me?”
There was no point in answering that. “Vero can take the kids home. Give me your keys. I’ll drive you to the ER. You might need stitches.”
“I don’t need stitches,” he snapped.
“At least let me call Georgia. You should file a police report.”
“Some punk kid mugged me, Finlay. It’s not a big deal. He didn’t get my wallet.”
“It is a big deal! You’re hurt. The kids could have been hurt. If Vero and I hadn’t been here—”