Read Online Damage by Robin Stevenson - Free Book Online

was a stunned silence. “Did you say LA? As in California? She took Zach to California ?”
    â€œUh, yeah.”
    â€œShe took him out of state. Damn.” He sounded dazed. “I can’t believe she took him out of state.”
    I felt guilty as hell. I’d been the one behind the wheel most of the way. “I had no idea,” I say. “I mean, I thought she was a single mom, you know? I didn’t mean to...well, to...”
    â€œHelp her kidnap my kid?”
    â€œNo. I mean, come on. It’s not kidnapping. I mean, she is his mom.”
    â€œIt’s kidnapping,” Max said. His voice was harsh. “Most kidnappings are committed by the noncustodial parent. Bet you didn’t know that, huh?”
    I could hardly breathe. “But she won’t, you know, go to jail. Or stop being allowed to see Zach. Or...” My eyes were stinging.
    He didn’t reply right away, and when he did, his words didn’t make me feel any better. “Where are you?” Max said. “Give me the address. I’m going to get the first flight I can.”
    Zach leaned his head back against my chest. I put my free hand on the top of his head and stroked his dark curls. His hair was feather-soft. I imagined how Ronnie must have felt, taking him home every Saturday evening and not seeing him all week.
    I didn’t agree with what she’d done, but I could see why she’d done it.
    â€œTheo?” Max said. “I need the address.”
    I moved the phone away from my ear and stared at it. Just an ordinary white phone in a pink case, but I felt like I was holding a hand grenade. I just had to pull the pin and Ronnie’s life would never be the same. I could hear Max’s voice coming from the phone, low and urgent.
    This was his kid sitting on my lap, I reminded myself. His kid. Not just Ronnie’s.
    I looked down at Zach. He had one fat fist clenched around a handful of raisins, as if he’d forgotten he had them. He looked a bit like Ronnie, with his long dark eyelashes and full lips. I took a deep breath, feeling torn. I wanted to do the right thing, but what the hell was that? Keeping Zach away from his father, who obviously adored him? Or letting Max know where Zach was—and getting Ronnie arrested for kidnapping?
    It seemed to me that anything I did would be wrong. I didn’t want to hurt anyone—there had already been enough damage done.
    I guess it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I just needed time to think.
    So I hung up the phone.
    It started to vibrate again immediately. I stood up, hoisted Zach onto my hip and dropped the phone back into Ronnie’s bag. My mouth was dust-dry, but my hands were wet with sweat.
    I had to talk to Ronnie. I had to make her see that she couldn’t just run away from her problems. Maybe, if she called Max herself, she could explain. Make him understand, convince him not to take legal action...
    A phone rang, and I almost jumped out of my skin before I realized that the ringing was coming from Joelle’s room. It wasn’t Ronnie’s phone. I should have known that, since hers was still set on vibrate. Then the ringing stopped and I heard Joelle’s muffled voice. I blew out a long sigh of relief. “Maybe that’s Ronnie, huh? Maybe she’s calling Joelle to say she’s on her way home.” I sat back down in the chair with Zach, perching him on my knees and bouncing him up and down. “How about a horsey ride, kiddo? Bumpity-bump, bumpity-bump.”
    Zach gave a little squeal of delight. “Moh!”
    â€œYou want more? Okay! Bumpity-bump, bumpity-bump...”
    Joelle stumbled out of her bedroom, wearing nothing but a tank top and underwear, bleary-eyed under a tousled mess of blond hair.
    I stopped bumpity-bumping. “What is it? Was that Ronnie?”
    â€œMax,” she said. “That was Max. When you told him you guys were in LA...well, I guess he figured