Cole: The Demons: Book 2 (A Phoenix Club Serial Thriller)

CH 3: The Lost Boy

"Hi, Max. It's Savannah. Is Maddy there? He was supposed to call me when he got home, but he probably forgot. I called his phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I guess he turned it off."

"Maddy?" Max sat forward in the recliner; his brow knit. "I thought you two were out on a date." He checked the time on his phone. "I wasn't expecting him home for at least another hour."

Brief silence at the other end of the call. "You... you mean, he isn't there?" The depth of concern in the young girl's voice infected Max.

"No, he isn't." Max stood. "When did he head home?"

"Uh... forty-five minutes ago, maybe."

"Why was he coming home so soon?"

Another pause. "I-I'm not sure. He didn't seem himself tonight. I think something was bothering him, but he wouldn't say what it was."

Max sighed and nodded. "He's seemed kind of... distant around here, too. Like you said, not himself." He exhaled slowly. "I'm sure he's fine. He's been going off alone lately. He's probably just taking his time coming home." Max injected confidence into his voice that he didn't feel in his gut, but he didn't want Savannah to worry.

"Yeah... maybe. Will you tell him to call me when he gets there? So, I can know he's okay?"

"Of course, darling," Max said. "In the meantime, don't worry yourself too much. I'm sure he's fine."

"Who's fine?" Horatio returned from the kitchen with two glasses of brandy.

Max ended the call and sank back down in the chair, trying not to look—or feel—worried. "Maddy," he murmured.

Horatio placed the brandy glasses on the coffee table. "Who was worried about Maddy?"

"Savannah."

Horatio frowned. "Why is she worried about Maddy?"

Sighing, Max picked up his glass and sipped the warm drink. "She said he headed home about forty-five minutes ago. He was supposed to call when he got here."

Sinking onto the sofa, Horatio stared at him anxiously. "But he isn't here."

"I know that." Max leaned forward, slowly twisting the glass in his hands.

"Where is he?" Horatio asked with growing concern as his papa bear persona emerged. "Forty-five minutes is more than enough time for him to walk home from their house."

"I know that, too," Max whispered.

"Could he have gone somewhere else?"

Max nodded. "He doesn't seem to want to be around anyone lately."

"I've noticed. And it's got me very worried. I get that teenagers sometimes go through this phase, but..."

"But that isn't what's going on with Maddy."

"Yeah." Horatio rubbed his eyes. "He hasn't been the same since the island." His face strained. "Do you think that... that he was..."

Raped. Neither of them could say the word as if speaking it out loud might make that nightmare a reality. Max released a shaky breath. "He said he wasn't."

"What if he lied?" Horatio looked sick. "If it had happened, he would lie to keep Angel from finding out. Angel let himself be sold and abused to protect Maddy from the same. And after the way Angel reacted when Maddy first came home..." He shook his head. "There's no way he would admit such a thing to Angel—or anyone."

Max hung his head and stared into his brandy. "I... I don't think that happened. At least, not completely. But I think something happened, something bad."