CA 50.7 Little Girl Lost Read Free Page A

help.
    Jenna braced her forehead on her knees and tried to slow the tears and the shaking. Admittedly, she couldn't be sure about anything. Her baby had been missing for seven long years. A lot changed between the ages of three and ten. The hair color and eye color were right; as were the curve of the cheek, the nose, the complexion.
    But Jenna could be wrong. She'd been wrong before. Her body shook harder as memories filled her head with painful images and devastating words. The last time she'd thought she found her daughter she had taken a risk that had almost gotten her killed.
    And she hadn't cared. The only thing that had mattered was the idea that she'd failed.
    In light of that harsh reality, on some level Jenna had wanted to die.
    A pounding on the door jerked her from the expanding agony. What if it were someone from the institute? She swiped her eyes and nose as she pushed to her feet. No one else knew she was here. She stared at the door. If Dr. Hancock wanted to talk to her he would call. A man like him wouldn't be caught dead in a neighborhood like this. Her mother sure as hell didn't know where Jenna was. It was probably some vagrant wanting to borrow a couple dollars or a smoke. It wouldn't be the first time someone had approached her to bum cash to get a cheap bottle of wine, though it usually happened on the street.
    Or maybe someone at the Wallace Institute had figured her out and sent security to detain and interrogate her.
    Her need for nicotine forgotten, Jenna tossed the cigarette on the counter and turned off the burner on the stove. She walked toward the door, anxiety building like gathering storm clouds. Another round of pounding startled her. There was no peephole to check and the window was too far to one side to get a look at anyone standing directly in front of the door. Besides, the glass was so old and layered with grime that seeing anything more than a nonspecific form would be impossible.
    The date elbowed its way into her brain. Crap. Her rent was due two days ago. The landlord was likely here to collect. Perfect. She had totally forgotten. He was already suspicious of her. God only knew why, considering everyone on the block looked like an escapee from rehab or prison.
    She scrubbed at her eyes again, and after shoving her hair behind her ears, she opened the door.
    Six feet of frustrated and worried male glared down at her.
    Paul Thompson.
    Her soon-to-be ex-husband.
    Before she could stop it, need, familiar and fierce, roared through her veins. But he was the enemy.
    "What do you want?" Jenna crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look strong and furious. She could not allow him to see how fragile she was. Or her surprise at him showing up here. She'd made it pretty clear last year that she never wanted to see him again and, after a while, he'd abided by her wishes.
    Until now.
    The better question was how did he find her? No one knew she was here. Not even her mother. Least of all her mother.
    "We should talk about this in private," he suggested.
    The sound of his voice made her shiver. She wanted to beat her head against the wall. How could he still have that effect on her? Remembered betrayal stung through her. Beyond him, a couple of her neighbors sat in their car, windows down, music thumping. On the other side of her duplex an old man swayed back and forth in an ancient-looking rocking chair.
    "Say what you have to say and go." Jenna lifted her chin and dared him to argue. He had no right to tell her what to do anymore. Had no rights to her at all since he'd signed those divorce papers.
    Funny, some part of her had felt even more betrayed that he hadn't fought the issue, even though she'd been the one to file for divorce. After what he'd done, why wouldn't she? Shaking off the past, she intensified her defiant glare. "What the hell do you want?"
    He barged across the threshold, forcing her to step back. As he kicked the door shut behind him he planted his hands on his hips and