by Sydney Addae
“No, don’t. We’re almost there,” Silas said.
Damian nodded and took a step to the side, watching. Asia closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. Hawke placed his arm around her, but continued holding her hand.
“Jasmine,” Silas said gently. She’d locked him out when he came to her. “Jasmine, we’re here. Asia wants to help search for Sarita, let us in.” Nothing surprised him more than when the energy surge ripped through the tunnel and school. His mate’s anger touched every part of the campus as she searched for the child she considered one of hers.
Principal Stringer hovered in the classroom door shaking, his fear along with that of every adult in the building registered to Silas’ wolf. As Alpha, he responded to protect them. Goddess help, he couldn’t bring down his mate, she needed to pull it back on her own. “Jasmine, listen to me.”
Her eyes flared, changed to molten gold.
“Someone took her, but she’s still here somewhere, Silas. I have to find her,” Jasmine said, her voice low, throbbing.
“Let me in so I can help.” He rubbed her arm, glad she finally acknowledged him.
“No. you can’t. I don’t know why, but you won’t be able to help with this.” She shook off his hand and gripped Asia’s tighter. “Look for her heart,” she told Asia.
Together the two women stood in the middle of the hall and sent another blast of energy through the school. Silas waited until it eased. “We can’t hurt the children, Jasmine.” He feared that last burst singed some of the upperclassmen.
Jasmine looked at him. “How did they do this? Witches? What kind of person has powers to make a child disappear?”
The bleakness in her eyes and the harsh question shook him. “Magic? Is that what you think?” Wolf clans manipulated various elements, water, fire, air, earth, but it wasn’t magic, just an innate knowledge of the connection between living matter. Could that apply here? He didn’t see how.
“All I know is she was there one minute and gone the next. The walls have no hidden doors, I checked. She’s not hiding in a cupboard or locker, I’ve checked every place she could be stashed or hidden in this building and cannot find her. Tell me what’s left?”
Silas released a breath and took her hand. “Can you do something with your eyes, Jarcee is coming with David. Seems the little one is pissed and refuses to remain in assembly.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my eyes.” She turned to Asia. “I’m so sorry, but I’ll find her.”
“Mistress…my baby…who took my Sarita? Why? I don’t understand.” Jasmine wrapped her arms around Asia and they wept in each other’s arms. Silas stepped away to meet Jarcee and David as Hawke and a teary-eyed Damian surrounded the two women.
“Sorry, Sir. He jumped out of his seat and ran out. The other guards are holding the other pups in their laps, but David got ahead of me.”
Silas nodded with understanding, Jarcee could’ve caught David, but he might have hurt the boy. Since Silas was here, Jarcee allowed him to leave. David’s arms wrapped around Silas’ leg as he looked over his shoulder at Jarcee. Silas waved the security guard away and stooped to meet his son’s gaze.
“Where’s Sarita?” David demanded. His golden brown eyes looked more like Jasmine’s molten gold. “She’s not answering me.”
That surprised Silas. He and Jasmine suspected the children spoke mentally with each other but didn’t realize David and Sarita had that deep of a bond. “When did you talk with her last?”
David stared at him.
Silas said the words out loud.
“In class, she was drawing a picture of her family at the table with Ms. Trant.” He looked around. “Why’s Ms. Trant crying? I hear her.” He turned to go toward his class. “Daddy, something’s wrong, Ms. Trant’s crying and Sarita’s not answering me.”
Silas picked him up and held him close. At first David struggled and then he stopped. “Mama? Asia?”
Jasmine separated from Asia and walked toward them with her arms outstretched. David stared at her for a long second and then looked behind her at Sarita’s family. He leaned back, looked at Silas and shook his head slowly. “No. Where’s Sarita, Daddy?”
“Son,”
“NO!” David yelled, his voice a loud shriek. “No, no, no!” David covered his ears, closed his eyes, kicking, and yelled repeatedly. “Sarita! Sarita!”
Jasmine took a shaking, fighting David from his arms and walked at a fast pace to the tunnel. Within seconds, Adam, Jackie and Renee outran their guards, following Jasmine. All three were crying and yelling for David as their guards followed behind them.
Red-eyed, Jarcee returned and remained near Silas with his head down. His sorrow and guilt buffeted Silas like a swinging bat. Hawke lifted Asia in his arms. Her sobs muffled against his chest as he turned and headed toward the tunnel. Damian stood nearby, watching with his fists balled. Anger seeped from his pores as he walked in the opposite direction.
Silas tamped down the pain from seeing his family and friends torn, and dealt with pack matters. The full-bloods and half-breeds in the school were scared and didn’t know what to do. All the extra security had failed to keep a child safe and no one had answers for this mystery.
Their Alpha, Cameron, would arrive soon to make sure the children and parents left safely. Silas expected Lilly at any moment since six of their seven pups attended the school.
Fortunately, tomorrow was Saturday, there’d be no school. He would alert Mr. Stringer on Sunday if school would resume on Monday. Much would depend on their investigations.
“Tyrese and I have an idea,” Angus said.
Silas watched as a few teachers entered the hall from assembly and talked with Mr. Stringer regarding dismissal. Everything would be handled as normal, with the exception of the staff remaining to be questioned.
“What?”
“We’ve separated the trainees into groups. Part of their training will be to find Sarita. The group who finds her will win something from you.”
“They’ll find her because it’s their damn job,” Silas snapped even though he liked the idea of not pulling security from the compound for the search, which could create a vacuum.
“True, but these are all Alpha trained candidates without packs to lead, they should receive something that shows how well they’ve excelled. From what Hawke says, there are very little clues. Asia went through the teacher’s memories and agrees the woman loved Sarita, even favored her in class. I’ve got them looking at all the tapes. Within the hour they’ll come to the school, talk to the staff, search the building and start the hunt.”
Silas grunted at Angus’ excitement. His brother hadn’t seen Jasmine or Asia, or David for that matter. If he had, excitement would be the last thing Angus would feel. Silas wanted to destroy something, preferably someone, for David’s anguish alone. He’d never seen his son that animated before and didn’t want to again. David’s pain hurt him to the core.
The school children walked in straight lines toward their classrooms in silence. They glanced at him and then turned away quickly. Silas sighed at the fear permeating the air and on the faces of the staff. He hated that this happened and wondered again if he’d made the right choice sending his pups to school. Worse, he wondered if the parents of these pups would resent his children for the extra security and Sarita’s disappearance. Nothing like this ever happened before, ever. He nodded to Mr. Stringer as the man walked by. Children would be leaving, but not the staff. The trainees questioning everyone would expedite matters.
“Make sure those questioning the staff have tablets and everything anyone finds is uploaded into one main case file so Asia, Hawke and I have access at all times to everything.”
“Will do.” Angus paused. “This is a good group, we’ll find out what happened, I promise.”
Chapter 15
Renee lay in her room re-reading all the texts from Mélange. Smiling, she went from one to the next, and couldn’t help but think they read like a racy romance novel.
After the long talk with Jasmine the other night, over several bottles of wine, she realized she still had feelings for Mélange. When she returned home she planned to invite her lover to dinner.
Glancing out the window at the sunlit morning sky, she sighed. Mom and Jacques were with their kids, and Jasmine had taken her brood to school. They planned to have an early lunch in another hour and she hoped to talk her sister into going into town tomorrow for some shopping. It had been a long time since they’d done that.
Finished reading the texts, she thought of Mandy and her new family. Disgusted by thoughts that took her backward; her finger hovered over the keypad of her phone.
What if she keeps doing the back and forth stuff? She hasn’t in a long time. She’s too pretty to be faithful, lots of women are interested in her. But she picked you. What if she hurts me? What if she doesn’t…her thoughts volleyed back and forth until she wanted to scream. Rolling onto her stomach, she lay with her hand beneath her head and breathed deeply. “I’m grown; I don’t need to make excuses.” She placed a call to Mélange, who answered on the first ring.
“Morning, I had the best dream,” Mélange said in a throaty voice that sent tingles down Renee’s spine.
“Did you?”
“Yes. Do you like strawberries?” Mélange asked.
“Yes, it’s one of my favorite fruits.” Curious where this was going, Renee flipped on her back and looked up at the ceiling. Someone had drawn an interesting scene of angels and demons lounging in the clouds.
“With whipped cream?”
Renee held back a laugh. “Um, not together, no.”
“You would like the way I mixed them…and ate them.”
Renee’s nipples hardened at the idea. “I’m sure I would. What are your plans today?” She asked to change directions. No way would she masturbate in her sister’s house, there could be cameras or something. She didn’t put it past Silas, the man went overboard over security.
“Today?”
“Yeah. Everybody’s doing morning stuff right now. When mom’s husband goes to work, I’ll spend some time with her and the babies, and then lunch with my sister. What’re you doing? I heard it’s supposed to rain all weekend.”
“Rain?”
Renee frowned. She always kept up with the weather back home in case something happened on campus or near her home. “I checked the forecast, it’s supposed to rain there today, didn’t you check?”
“No, I didn’t. I’ll be lying around thinking of you today.”
“That’s not real productive.” Renee hoped she didn’t sound insensitive, but she didn’t like lazy people, not in relationships anyway.
Mélange laughed, the sound invited Renee to share her happiness. “Productive? I’ve spent the last 10 years slaving so I could afford to take this time to spend with the woman of my dreams. Everybody deserves to take breaks; I’m taking mine while you take yours.”
There wasn’t much Renee could say to that and left it alone. “When I –” her phone beeped with a call from her mother. “One sec, it’s mama.”
“Of course.”
Renee clicked over. “Hey, I didn’t think you’d be up and about already, I planned to swing by to see you before Jazz and I had lunch.”
“That may be canceled. Jacques just left here in a hurry, there’s a problem at the school.”
Renee’s heart dropped. She squeezed the phone. “The kids? Are they okay?”
“He didn’t know, so I don’t know, just that it’s bad and Jasmine had a meltdown. See if she needs you. Check the nursery, I think she’s back from the school, and then let me know what’s going on. Jacques doesn’t want me to leave…I’ve never seen him like this before. He’s scared. Whatever happened is bad. Find your sister, help her.”
“Right.” Renee threw the phone down on the bed and scrambled into a pair of jogging pants and a tee-shirt. She slid her feet into her sandals and headed toward the door. Remembering she’d need to contact her mother, she snatched her phone from the bed and stuffed it in her pocket. “Please let them be alright, please.” The entire walk to the elevator and the ride down, her thoughts weighed heavy on her heart. Her mind shied from the idea that anything could’ve happened to her babies. Each was precious. With constant prayers leaving her mouth and her mind in turmoil, she ran inside the nursery. Jasmine lay on the floor, holding all four, Renee counted to be sure, in her arms.
Jasmine looked at her when she entered.
Renee stumbled, shook her head and then looked again. She would swear her sisters eyes glowed, but it must be the overhead lights. “Jazz?” She moved closer and stopped when none of the children moved. Each child’s forehead rested on a part of Jasmine’s side. Inexplicably Renee thought of breastfeeding and then kicked the fanciful thought to the side. They were napping after whatever ordeal had happened at the school.
She frowned. “Jasmine, mama told me to come check on you, she’s worried. Something happened at school?”
Little Renee peeled away first and looked at her aunt. Renee flinched from the sadness in her namesake’s eyes and lifted her from the floor without thought. “Baby, it’s okay,” she murmured, rubbing little Renee’s back.
Tyrone and Danielle entered the room, sniffling. Renee continued to stroke her bundle as they picked up Jackie and Adam. David clung to Jasmine and didn’t lift his head. No one spoke. Instead, comfort was offered and received with love. Renee had no idea what happened and didn’t care, seeing her sister, nieces and nephews in this condition rubbed her heart raw.
“Mom,” Tyrone said softly. “Silas wants you to let him in, please.”
Renee frowned at the strange request, even looked around the room to see how Silas was locked out, but didn’t comment.
“I’m going to put David to bed,” Jasmine said, her voice hoarse. “They all need naps.” She looked at Renee. “Tell mama I’ll call her later or come by to see her.”
“Do you want me to bring Renee?”
“Yes, they need to be together. Thanks, Sis,” Jasmine said, and walked out holding David.
As they walked into the rooms converted into sleeping areas for the kids, Renee sensed she’d missed something. Normally, she’d ask questions, but Jasmine’s entire demeanor kept her quiet. She couldn’t put her finger on why she deferred to her younger sister, but it seemed proper. Renee placed her namesake on the bed, took off her shoes and put them away without lingering. She’d learned early on little Renee didn’t like things out of place.
“Shh…shh…” Jasmine said to David, who lay a few beds away. All the other children sat up and watched.
“Mommy,” David said.
“Shh…Aunt Renee, Danielle and Tyrone are here. We’re all here, son.”
Pleased to hear her name, Renee moved forward to see David. Smiling down at him, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead, and then stepped behind Jasmine.
“Your mama’s right, David, she normally is, we’re here.” She had no idea why David needed reassurance with his family standing nearby. She placed her hand on Jasmine’s shoulder as she had done countless times through the years.
Jasmine covered her hand with one of her own. “Rest easy, the answers will come.”
David’s eyes flicked to Renee and then back at his mother. “Okay, Mommy.” She ran her fingers over his forehead and he settled down.
Renee squeezed Jasmine’s shoulder and smiled at David before returning to little Renee, who lay on her side curled in a ball, staring at David. She pulled the sheet over her and then kissed her forehead. “You heard what your mom said, rest now.”
Large, cerulean blue eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes peered up at her for a long moment. Renee expected the little diva to contradict her. Instead, the little tyke nodded.
“Okay, Aunty.”
Jasmine rose. All the children lay on their sides, turned in the same direction toward David’s bed, except David. He stared at the ceiling with his arms by his side. Strange.
No
ne of the other adults said anything, so Renee didn’t either. Rone took a seat in a chair and crossed his legs. Danielle did the same across the room as Jasmine threaded her arm through Renee’s and they left the room.
“What’s wrong?” Renee asked as they walked down the hall toward Jasmine’s home. “Can I help?”
Jasmine didn’t speak until they entered her living room and sat down. Renee went into the kitchen and poured them both large glasses of tea. She handed Jasmine a glass.
“Thank you.” Jasmine took a sip and then sat back on the sofa with her feet beneath her.
Neither spoke. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable, per se, they had done it before when the boys were sick or the time Davian hadn’t returned home for an event. But Renee and Jasmine had sat quiet in the living room until Jasmine wanted to talk. Sometimes she never mentioned what bothered her and that was okay, too.
When Jasmine emptied her glass, Renee took it to the kitchen for a refill, and then fixed them something to eat from the leftovers in the refrigerator. Renee smiled. Her sister had an excellent chef, a houseful of servants, but she still cooked and kept a well-stocked refrigerator. She placed the platter of sandwiches and home-made pastries on the table and turned on soft jazz, dialing it down so low it was just a buzz.
Since she’d skipped breakfast, she had quickly eaten two sandwiches before Jasmine spoke. “Sarita is missing.”
“What?” Renee frowned, trying to place the name and then it hit her. “Asia’s daughter?”
Jasmine nodded.
A thousand questions flew through Renee’s mind, she started to ask, but Jasmine’s closed eyes and tight fists stopped her. Instead of speaking, she sat next to her sister and pulled her close. When Jasmine started crying, tears filled Renee’s eyes.
How had she missed Sarita not being in the room? God forgive her, but she was so happy her nieces and nephews were okay, her tears were of joy. She and Jasmine were close enough that she wouldn’t utter useless platitudes, or make fake promises that everything would be okay. Curiosity raced through her, but she never uttered a question. Whatever happened, Silas would make sure his kids were never caught in that trap and do his best to find the child. Lord help whoever was involved.