Chapter 6 - The Runaway
Donovan stepped forward, but Mave took a step back.
"Mave, listen to me," Donovan started, holding his hands up.
"He called you a monster," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"He said you will get in trouble because of me."
"That man is a liar," Donovan said firmly.
"I am not going to let anyone hurt you, and I am not giving you up."
Mave didn't say anything else.
She turned and ran back to her bedroom, shutting the door quietly.
Donovan sighed, running a hand over his tired face.
He told Greer to stay with her while he and Pax went to prepare their legal defense.
He needed to prove Victor Vance committed the fraud before the custody hearing on Monday.
At 8:00 PM, Donovan returned to the penthouse.
The lights were dim.
"Greer?" he called out.
Greer walked out of the kitchen, looking confused.
"I thought she was asleep in her room," Greer said.
Panic, cold and sharp, pierced Donovan’s chest.
He sprinted to Mave’s bedroom and threw the door open.
The bed was empty.
The mismatched shoes were gone.
Gerald Too was left sitting on the pillow, holding a small note drawn in crayon.
Donovan snatched it up.
It read: "I am a mess. I don't want you to be a monster. Thank you for the cheese."
"Lock down the building!" Donovan roared at Pax.
"Nobody gets in or out!"
"She couldn't have gotten past the lobby," Pax said, already speaking into his radio.
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But Donovan knew this little girl was used to being invisible.
She knew how to slip through the cracks.
