Sugar Daddy Season

Chapter 21 ~ My Hero

          An hour has passed since my mother noticed my father was missing. Family and friends have combed the street, knocking on doors, and now even our neighbors are helping. My dad has a smart watch, and a medical bracelet, but on days like today, when his memory is spotty and he's not himself, he tends to tear them off. 

And now here we are, in an emergency, and we can't track my dad's GPS.

My group doubles back to the house, which consists of Kyle, my nephew Alejandro, Anika, and me. The sun is beginning to set, which means there will be less light for us to search. We walk up the path, my hand in Anika's, and I squeeze it tightly when we spot my mom in the doorway. She's gripping her phone and looks at us with large, desperate eyes.

"Anything?" she asks.

"No." I shake my head. 

"Your brother is still not answering."

"I'm sure he's on his way." I take her elbow and steer her inside. "Maybe his phone died?"

"Mara, I don't want to sit down." My mom bats my hands. "I should be out there, looking for my husband."

"I know, but we need you here in case Dad wanders back."

"Speaking of Lucas." Anika tugs my shirt and nods as he pulls up in the Mini Cooper Enzo gifted me. The broken window good as new.

"It's about time," I huff and sprint down the path to meet him at the sidewalk for a good smacking. "Where have you been? Why haven't you answered our calls!"

"Hey!" He dodges my blows and snatches my wrists. "Stop. I'm here now."

"Dad is missing!" 

"I know. Take a breath and calm down. We're going to find him."

"No, I'm not going to calm down, Lucas. This is nothing to be cavalier about. Dad doesn't have his smartwatch or his medical bracelet. Meanwhile, you haven't bothered to answer your ph—"

The rest of the words catch in my throat and my chest expands with a sharp gasp when I catch sight of a familiar silhouette in my peripheral. Even the breeze senses him and floats the intoxicating woodsy notes of Enzo's cologne over to me. My heart swells with warmth, and I step away from Lucas as if the last few seconds have zapped from my memory.

"You're here," I say, and we rush to each other.

"I came as soon as I heard." He engulfs me in his arms, my head buried in his chest, and his lips against my temple. 

Hugging Enzo is like going home.

"I'm here to help," he says. "I have a few connections at local news stations. If you give me your dad's information and a photo, we can get more people searching for him."

"You would do that?" I pull back just enough to look at his handsome face.

"Of course."

"And I've got my brother on standby," says a woman with an athletic build, and ash blonde hair. I have no idea who she is, but it appears she arrived with Enzo.

"Mara, this is Noelle. She's Carmine's daughter and is here to help, too. Her brother, Mario, is a police officer and can put out an alert for your dad."

A strangled cry of relief crawls up my throat, and my knees sway, but Enzo's arms are still around me, keeping me steady. He wipes my tears of joy and kisses my forehead. 

"Wait." I shake my head. "How did you know my dad is missing?"

"Uh..." Enzo's gaze darts to Noelle.

"Lucas and I are friends," she says. "We ran into each other at the store while he was buying ice, and got distracted with chit-chat. As soon as Lucas learned your dad went missing, I called Enzo, thinking he might want to know, considering the two of you are... dating?"