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Mandy glanced around curiously, confusion setting in. She couldn't remember her Mommy telling her he was going to pick her up. She didn't understand that.
"Where are we going?" she asked in her small voice.
Matt had brought her to his car, buckled her in the passenger's seat, and had started to drive.
"We're just going on a little trip, Amanda," he replied. "And call me 'Daddy.'"
Mandy wrinkled her nose in confusion. She'd been told to call her other daddy that - her *real* daddy. It was difficult for her to comprehend the sudden switch and now yet another.
"But you're not my Daddy."
Matt shot a dark look her way, his eyes wide, face full of anger.
The little girl cowered and cringed at what she saw in his face.
"Don't you ever say that to me, Amanda Dumas!" he snapped.
Mandy felt tears burning behind her eyelids. She felt her lower lip quivering as she dared to speak again.
"That's not even my name anymore!" she cried. "My last name is Copeland!" She let out a little sob, as, at nearly only seven years old, she could no longer hold back. She was scared of this man named Matt whom she and her mother had lived for most of her life.
Matt's face reddened in extreme anger at the child's words and crying alike. So, they'd had her name legally changed to that bastard's surname? It sickened him. He couldn't help but wonder... Had he and Amy gotten married, would they have had the girl's last name legally changed to Hardy? Probably not was his guess. Amy had never loved him. She'd never cared so much as one iota for him. All along, she'd only given a crap about that miserable sperm donor and *only* him!
"Stop crying!" he ordered, casting another quick, angry glance at Mandy. The more he looked at her now, the more he saw the resemblance between her and Adam. It made him even more angry.
The little girl didn't seem capable of obeying his demand. Her sobs were growing harsh, wracking her little body, the tears streaming down her misery-filled little face in droves.
"I want my Mommy and Daddy!" she wailed.
The dark-haired man grew even more annoyed as her cries grew louder. She was beginning to hurt his ears, and it was pissing him off. He had half a mind to pull the car off to the shoulder of the highway and just leave her there on the side of the road.
"Stop it!" he growled, the heel of his right hand bashing the steering wheel. "Shut up... If you want to see them again, you will stop your crying *now*!"
The little girl was filled with terror as she eyed him with tearful orbs. Her vision was blurred by the tears. She was starting to develop those choking, uncontrollable sobs one would get when they were unable to calm down and were crying hysterically. In spite of her very young age, however, she swallowed and tried to stifle herself. The scariest thing in the whole wide world besides Matt was not ever seeing her Mommy and Daddy ever again.
*
"Mandy!" Adam called loudly as he ran through the arena hallway. He was getting frantic. He and Trish had checked other locker room, catering, and the restrooms with no luck. His daughter was gone - missing.
He dreaded the moment when Amy returned. She was going to have a *fit*! And in her condition, it would only be bad. And what was he thinking? This entire situation was bad! It was horrible!
"That's it... She's not in this arena," Adam told Trish, surprised himself at the eerie calmness of his voice. "I'm calling 911."
The little blonde's face was full of defeat as she eyed him and nodded. She felt so horrible and guilty.
They raced back to the blond man's locker room, where he instantly retrieved his cell phone and made the frantic call. He spent a few minutes explaining the situation and describing Mandy and their whereabouts before ending the call.
Adam looked down at the floor, thoughtful for long moments. The silence between himself and Trish was nearly maddening. And then, his heart leapt up into his throat as Amy suddenly returned, her knuckles rapping lightly on the open door.
"Hi, I'm back." She smiled, but the merriment swiftly faded away at the grave expressions on both her husband's and friend's faces. "Oh, God... What... What's wrong?"
Trish instantly burst into tears as she approached the other woman.
"Amy, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.
The redhead couldn't speak. Whatever had happened, it had everything to do with Mandy... That much, she knew. Dear God...
"Ames... I don't know how to tell you this," Adam said, anguish and terror in his green eyes. He glanced down for a beat, swallowing hard as he anticipated the absolute worst in her reaction. "Mandy is missing."
The redhead didn't even blink and merely stared at him, as though not comprehending.
"We searched all over," he continued when she didn't speak, "and we can't find her."
Finally, Amy blinked, still silent as she absorbed everything they'd said. Then, after a long moment, her hazel eyes widened, and she finally spoke.
"Oh, God... My baby?" She raised a hand to her mouth to quiet a sob. "My baby is gone?" Her
head turned, eyes shifting around frantically, as though searching for the little girl. Then, as
she turned back to focus her gaze on her husband's green eyes, she spoke again. "Matt... Matt
took her - I *know* it."