Read Gone (Gone #1) for Free Online

chatted with him. She could still remember his photo: an adorable selfie taken at one of his baseball games.
    He was so sweet and had wanted to know what Macy liked. Jared had been so excited about their upcoming date, and had had a million questions. He didn't want to mess anything up, and Zoey had been more than happy to help him out. Macy had never had a boyfriend or gone on a date or anything. Her dad was so over-protective; he wouldn't let her do anything.
    He wouldn't even let her watch PG-13 movies until she turned thirteen. Zoey always made sure they watched the good ones at her house so Macy could see what everyone else was seeing. Kids were always making fun of her, and Zoey didn't want to give them another reason.
    The door opened, and her mom came in. "Has anyone heard from Macy yet?"
    "No." Zoey frowned, fighting tears. "She's going to be okay, isn't she?"
    Her mom walked over and wrapped her in a hug. "I sure hope so."
    "But she would have called me. Why hasn't she texted or anything?"
    "Well, her wall post sounds pretty upset. If she really wants to get to her parents, she would stay away from contacting you because she'd know they would call you first."
    "Still, she should let me know if she's okay. She should know I can keep a secret."
    "You know in a case like this, it's more important to break secrets, right?" Her mom raised an eyebrow.
    Zoey rolled her eyes. "Of course. But she should tell me, you know?"
    The landline rang.
    Her mom gave her another hug. "I'd better get that. Maybe it's news about Macy."
    Twirling a strand of jet-black hair, Zoey looked around her room. There had to be something she was forgetting. Something that would give an important clue. There was no way Macy had run away. If anyone would have seen it coming, it would have been Zoey. They told each other everything. Well, almost everything. There was that one thing she hadn't told Macy.
    Macy had been looking forward to that date so bad. It was all she had talked about for the last week. She spent more time planning what to wear than she did on anything else. She was as excited about sneaking out as she was about going on a date with Jared. She had been tired of being a goody two-shoes, and couldn't wait to prove she wasn't anymore.
    She spun around in her chair, looking at all the things that reminded her of Macy. Would Macy have run away with Jared? To spite her parents?
    Had the thrill of sneaking out with Jared been enough to unlock her wild, crazy side? Was that why she took off with him? A smile tugged at Zoey's mouth. Maybe that was it. This could have been a loud, defining moment for Macy. Think of the fun times they could have when she came back, assuming her parents got the message and finally gave her some permission to have fun. They were probably going crazy right now not knowing where Macy was.
    Zoey's mom came back into the room. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but we have to go down to the police station."
    "What? Why?" Zoey felt like she had been punched in the gut.
    "The police want to question anyone who could know anything about Macy's disappearance."
    Zoey ran her hands through the length of her hair. "Isn't there a twenty-four hour wait or something? She ran away, didn't she?"
    "The police aren't assuming anything. She met with someone online that nobody can even locate. They want to eliminate all possibilities."
    "Wait. You mean they think she might have been kidnapped?"
    "Nobody knows. There are a lot of child predators out there. That's why I'm always telling you not to give out any personal information."
    Zoey took a deep breath. "But I talked with Jared. He was nice. I saw his picture."
    "Did you ever meet him?"
    She shook her head.
    "If you want to help Macy, we need to go downtown."
    "Can I have a few minutes to get ready?"
    "Sure, sweetie." Her mom squeezed her shoulder and left the room.
    Zoey closed her door, then put her ear to it to make sure her mom really had walked away. She grabbed her jacket and