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“Come on,” Leandro said, gently, bringing her towards the table. Max was standing there, watching like a hawk, giving commands, asking questions, moving towards the police to check their progress. Leandro was glad he was there, even if just for moral support, and so that Leandro would know nothing had been overlooked.
At the table, Skye began to dial, the phone on speaker. It rang and rang and went to voicemail. She hung up.
One of the detectives spoke next. “Okay. Next time I want you to leave a message. Don’t say we’re all here. Just tell him you got home from work and can’t see Harper. Ask if she’s with him. Make it seem like a casual thing.”
“But it’s not,” Skye practically screeched.
“I know that, honey,” the detective agreed. “But we’re trying to get him to call back.”
“Okay,” Skye squeezed her eyes shut, sucking in a deep breath. Her fingers trembled as she dialled his number again. Her whole body shook.
After six rings, when they were expecting it to go to message bank, Jay answered. “Oh, hey, Skye.”
Her eyes looked panicked. She glanced from Leandro to the detective then down at her phone. Leandro ran his hand over her shoulders, gently, encouragingly, needing to reassure her, somehow. Meanwhile, the machine to her right, attached to a laptop, was flashing with green lights.
“Jay, I just got home from work. I can’t see Harper. Do you – have you got her?”
“Have I got her? Our daughter?”
Skye’s face paled. “Jay, please don’t be like this.”
“Like what, Skye? What do you care? You’ve moved on. You’ve got a new life now. A new guy. You can have another kid.”
Skye’s lips parted. She could hardly speak.
“I could never have another Harper.”
“No, you couldn’t. Because she’s ours, and in order to have her, you’d need me. But you don’t want me anymore, do you, Skye?”
She looked at the detective who was doing a finger winding motion, encouraging her to keep the conversation going. Skye’s face dropped. She nodded though and spoke softly. “But I do, Jay. I do want you.”
“Liar,” he whispered, in a voice that sounded truly deranged.
But Skye was desperate now, and having uttered the lie, she clung to it, as if instinctively understanding that this was the only way she could save her daughter. Of course she would understand—she’d had years with this guy, years of knowing how to defend herself in the face of his cruelty and control.
“No, it’s true, but I was scared that after the whole lawyer thing you wouldn’t want to see me again. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to forgive me for—for cheating on you. For fooling around. I’m so sorry, Jay. You know you’re the only man I’ve ever loved.”
Silence. The detective gave Skye two thumbs up. Skye looked as though she was going to vomit. Leandro kept stroking her shoulders.
“I don’t believe you.” But Jay sounded as though he wanted to believe her. He was softening. Hopeful.
“It’s true,” she rushed. “You know how much I love you. I want you back. I want us to be a family again. You, me and Harper. I want to have another baby with you. I’ll leave here, I’ll come to you. I’ll move anywhere, do anything. Please, just don’t hurt her.”
“This is about her? Not me?”
Skye squeezed her eyes shut. Beside her, the computer made a soft pinging noise. Leandro’s gaze shifted to it. The technician was frowning, staring at the screen, where a map of New York was gradually shifting.
“It’s about all of us,” Skye said, realizing her mistake. “It’s about our future.”
“You didn’t seem to want a future with me a month ago.”
“I was wrong. I’ve been so wrong. You know how I can be, how I make mistakes. You know I’m not smart like you.”
He knew she was just trying to manipulate Jay but hearing her speak like that gave Leandro some idea of what their relationship had been like, and he wanted to punch a hole into the nearest wall.
“I know that, baby. You need me, don’t you? You need me to help you make good choices.”
“I need you,” she responded by rote, but her voice was cold. Dead.
