Layne clenched her fists. “My dad isn’t hitting me, okay?”
Trevor tilted his head.
“He’s not!”
“You’d better be telling the truth.”
“I am.”
They stared each other down before he finished his food and reached for what was left of her cold fries. She didn’t stop him.
“Was it Topaz?” Layne asked.
“Was what Topaz?” He dumped the rest of the fries into his mouth.
“Did she tell you about Emmett and me? She’s always been close with the twins.”
Trevor shook his head but didn’t respond because his mouth was full.
Layne wanted to reach across the table and shake him. “Who was it?”
“If you want me to drop the subject about your dad, then you need to drop this one.”
“Why?”
“Because if you give me reason to think he’s hitting you again, I will beat the crap out of him. I’m bigger than him now. Back then, I wasn’t. I could be intimidated. Now, not so much. He’ll regret everything.”
She shook her head. Trevor wasn’t her only resource. There were plenty of other people who could help her figure out who told him about the breakup. Although, it would be tricky to find out without telling anyone that she and Emmett were on a break. The last thing she needed was for people to think she could be behind Emmett and Atlas’s disappearance. Trevor was right—it made her look suspicious.
“Does Emmett know about your dad?”
Layne gave him a double-take. “What?”
“Does he?”
“No, because there’s nothing for him to know. Do you see any bruises?” She pulled up her sleeves as far as they would go and twisted her arms around. “I’m not wearing long sleeves to cover anything.”
“Not today.” His eyes roved over the rest of her shirt.
“I’m not hiding any other bruises, either. Would you just drop it?”
“We’ve been friends forever, Layne. You can’t blame me for being worried, especially given the past.”
She straightened her back. “While I appreciate that you care, I’m stronger than I used to be. Once I started fighting back, he stopped.”
“Who’s he hitting now?”
“Nobody.”
“If that’s true, then I was born yesterday.”
Layne flipped back her hair. “He’s going to the gym. Working out his frustrations there.”
“The gym isn’t going to fix someone with that kind of temper.”
Heat crept into her cheeks. “He’s in AA. Has a sponsor and goes to the meetings. Now you know all my family’s dirty secrets. Happy?”
Trevor leaned back in the chair. “Your old man’s actually getting help?”
Layne nodded.
“And it’s working?”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you. Why all the questions all of a sudden? You haven’t asked about any of this in a long time.”
“You haven’t said anything and I haven’t seen any marks for a long time. I guess seeing you with bags under your eyes—”
“Thanks.”
“—it reminds me of before.”
“Yeah, well, I can take care of myself now.”
He frowned.
“I can.”
“Let me take you home. I know you didn’t drive here. Your car isn’t in the lot.”
She sighed. He was right. She’d taken the bus to school, then caught a ride to the diner with friends who’d left earlier. “The walk will help me clear my head.”
“It’s dark out, and you want to walk home alone?”
“I can handle myself.”
“Just let me drive. Unless you have a reason to not want to be home.”
Exhaustion swept through her. She packed her school books into her bag. “Let’s go.”
9
Rowena Powell
* * *
Rowena sat up in bed, gasping for air. Every time she fell asleep, she had a nightmare about her only son. Each time she woke, for just a moment she thought his disappearance was nothing more than a dream.
Then came the crushing reality that it was actually happening. Emmett was missing, and nobody had seen or heard from him in more than a day.
The heaviness in her heart was unbearable. How would she live if anything happened to her boy? She’d be left childless and heartbroken. Nothing else would matter. Nothing.
Zion rolled over and put his hand on her arm. “You okay?”
“No, and I won’t be until Emmett comes home.”
He opened his eyes. “I know, hon. I won’t be, either.”
Tears blurred her vision. “What are we going to do?”
Zion sat up and wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll keep looking, and we won’t stop until we find him.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
He kissed her cheek. “Tell you what. I’ll call and see if the police have found anything new overnight. Maybe there’s good news.”
“Wouldn’t they have called us if there was?”
“Not necessarily.”
Rowena frowned. “Don’t get my hopes up unless there’s reason.”
Zion tightened his embrace. “Emmett will come back safely. He will.”
“We don’t know that!”
“He needs us to believe.”
“That’s not going to help anything.” She shook her head.
“Positivity always helps.”
“You know, usually I like your attitude, but right now it’s grating on my last nerve.”
Zion kissed her again. “I apologize, but I won’t stop believing the best.”
“I want to hope, but I won’t be able to live with the disappointment if we’re wrong.”
“We won’t be.” He slid off the bed, pulled on some sweats, then grabbed his phone from the nightstand. “I’ll call them right now, and watch. There’ll be news.”
“Okay.” She wanted him to be right, but couldn’t bring herself to hope.
He plodded out of the room, sliding his finger around the screen.
Rowena drew in a deep breath and used what little energy she had to stand and pull on a robe. She went to the bathroom and studied her reflection. Her hair stuck out in every direction and the makeup she’d forgotten to wash off was smeared all over.
Normally, she’d have been horrified, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She was a popular fashion designer, and almost never had a hair out of place, even when home.
It was surprising how quickly that could change.
Maybe what she needed was to focus on those things. Get her mind off her worries. She would feel better if she looked better, and if she felt better, she could probably do what was needed to help bring Emmett home.
Rowena got into the shower, then got ready as if she were going into work for the day. By the time she marched down the stairs, she had nearly convinced herself that Zion would have good news from his conversation with the police.
But when she found him in the kitchen, he was staring at his phone with a frown.
“What?” She raced over to him. “What’s wrong?”
He looked up at her but didn’t say anything.
“What is it?” Fear ripped through her. Had something happened to Emmett? “Talk to me!”
Zion motioned for her to sit. Once she did, he spoke. “I don’t know if this has anything to do with the boys, but the police found something at the abandoned mental hospital—one of the places Emmett and Atlas might’ve gone.”
“What did they find?” Her heart felt like a jackhammer.
He took her hand and drew in a deep breath. “They found some drug paraphernalia and signs of a struggle.”
“Emmett doesn’t use drugs!”
“Not that we know of.”
“He doesn’t!”
Zion frowned. “Kids experiment.”
“Not all of them. Not Emmett.”
“I’m just letting you know what the police foun
d.”
Rowena tried to calm herself. “Okay. What did they find exactly?”
“I don’t know what the paraphernalia is, but they did say evidence of pot and meth.”
“Emmett would never use meth! We’ve talked about how dangerous that is. He just wants to be famous. To get a viral video. That’s it!”
He squeezed her hand. “Even if they were there, it doesn’t mean they used it. That’s just what was found. Some of it was scattered around.”
“And that’s why they think there was a struggle?”
“No. There were things upstairs recently disturbed. Things to make them sure there was a struggle.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t have those details. The detective just wanted to let us know what they found, but he can’t give details yet.”
“Why tell us anything? Do they think Emmett’s there?” She swallowed a sob.
“They didn’t find anyone.”
“So, basically, we know nothing?” She struggled to keep her voice calm. “Maybe Emmett was there, and maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he was doing drugs, and maybe he wasn’t. How does that help anything?”
“They’re doing the best they can. Looking for any sign of the boys they can find.”
“It isn’t enough! We have to do something ourselves. What can we do?” Rowena fought the growing lump in her throat, but couldn’t. She gave into the sobs.
Zion pulled her into his embrace. “It’s all going to be okay.”
“How do you know that? Our boy is missing! This isn’t like the time we couldn’t find him in the mall when he was six, you know.”
“I know, but I have a good feeling about this.”
“A feeling? You’re basing this off a feeling?”
“No. It’s more than that. He and Atlas are good kids. They have smarts. I don’t know what mess they got themselves into, but they’re going to make it home just fine.”
“There’s no way to know that!”
“We just have to trust.”
She wanted to smack him. “Trust in what?”
“Just trust.”
“You’re impossible. I’m going to talk to the neighbors and find out if anyone knows anything. Maybe one of them saw something.”
“The police have already questioned them.”
Rowena rose to her feet. “They’ve had all night to sleep on it. Somebody could remember something they didn’t think of yesterday. I can’t just sit around while my son is in danger.”
“We don’t know the boys are in trouble.”
She looked at him as if he was crazy. “Are you joking with me? Nobody’s seen them in over twenty-four hours! Emmett has never done anything like this in his life. I’m going to talk to our neighbors.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“You can just stay here and trust in the air.” Rowena stormed out of the room, hoping he would follow her.
He didn’t.
Hopelessness nearly crushed her. She leaned against the wall, struggling to breathe. How was she supposed to go on like this? With her son missing and without her husband’s support?
Rowena had never felt more alone than in that moment. There was a whole world of people out there, but there may as well not be anyone. She slid to the floor and rested her head on her knees. The tears fell silently, and she shook uncontrollably as she sobbed alone on the floor.
Footsteps sounded after what felt like forever. She didn’t glance up or stop crying.
“You’ve been sitting here crying this whole time?” Zion asked.
Rowena just nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to move or look at him.
“Stand up.”
She shook her head, tears still streaming.
He knelt and wrapped an arm around her. “Let’s get something to eat. It’ll help you feel better.”
“The only thing that’ll help me is having Emmett back.”
“Do you want to be a mess when he returns?”
“I’m sure he’d understand.”
Zion put his hands under her arms and pulled. “Come on. I’ll make you something to eat.”
“I don’t want to eat.”
“You need to.”
“Not until Emmett’s back.”
He pulled her up to standing, despite her struggling against him. “When he comes back, he’ll need us to take care of him. That means we have to take care of ourselves now. If we don’t do that, we won’t be able to help him when he gets back.”
“I’ll take care of myself when he’s here.”
“Doesn’t work that way.” He guided her to the kitchen table, then he went over to the fridge.
Rowena could barely move. Her eyelids fought to close, and the whole world felt like it was falling on top of her.
“Do you want eggs?” Zion asked.
She shook her head, too tired to respond.
“Pancakes?”
Rowena shook her head again.
“Cold cereal?”
She didn’t bother responding.
He asked about bagels, toast, and a few more items. Rowena didn’t want any of it.
“Then you leave me no other choice other than to surprise you.”
She closed her eyes and leaned on the table, hating herself for being so weak. Emmett needed her to be strong. Heck, Zion probably needed her to be strong. But that was the problem. Everyone needed something from her, and she had nothing to give. Not that it mattered. She was still a wife, a mother, a businesswoman, a daughter, a neighbor, and so much more. No matter what her needs were, the needs of everyone else were always more important. She had nothing to offer anyone, but she would still have to find a way to do it.
It was enough to make her want to climb into bed and never get out. Not that hiding from the world would help her son. He was the only reason she was going to keep going. Fight past the fatigue and hopelessness. She would keep going for him and for nothing else.
The smells of eggs, bacon, and coffee distracted her from her thoughts. She forced herself to sit up.
Zion brought over a plate and a mug, and set them in front of her. “Let’s eat, then we’ll question the neighbors.”
She barely found the strength to thank him, then she just picked at the food. The thought of eating it made her want to run.
He sat next to her with his own food. “You know, it’ll help you a lot more if you actually eat it.”
Rowena tried to glare at him, but her heavy eyelids didn’t cooperate. She managed a few small bites before her stomach admitted defeat—that it needed food.
“I knew you were hungry.” Zion glanced down at her empty plate.
She shrugged. No words would come.
“Where do you want to start? Next door, and go house to house until we circle back home?”
“Sure.”
“Or we could start across the street. Maybe Morgan and Lila have heard something.”
“Don’t you think they’d have let us know?” she asked.
“Not necessarily. We haven’t told them about the mental hospital yet. They’re struggling as much as we are to stay afloat.”
“Worse, it would seem.” Rowena thought back to the James’s argument at the end of the vigil.
“Everyone handles stress differently. I see it all the time in my line of work.”
“Like that nut with the gun yesterday?”
He nodded. “That’s the most extreme I’ve seen. I’ve had people break things in my office. Yell, scream, name call. Others get quiet.”
“Why would Lila and Morgan let themselves fight publicly like that? They have to know people will be talking about them. It doesn’t look good.”
“Like I said, everyone handles it differently. If they’re arguing like that in front of everyone, imagine how much worse it has to be behind closed doors.”
Rowena frowned. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.” She tried to remember if Atlas mentioned them having problems at home, but nothing came to mind. “Maybe we shou
ld stop by. See if they need anything.”
Even though they really had nothing left to give.
“Let me just run upstairs really quick.” Zion got up, squeezed her shoulders, then headed for the stairs.
She took a deep breath and rubbed her temples, where a dull headache had made its home. Eating hadn’t helped. It probably wouldn’t go away until her son came home.
It felt like it was taking Zion forever upstairs. Or maybe time just wasn’t passing the same now. Every moment felt like an eternity not knowing where Emmett was. Not knowing if he was okay or lying somewhere hurt, wanting her to help.
Rowena couldn’t sit still, so she picked up the dishes and put it all in the sink. Then she wiped off the table, cleaned the stove, and finally loaded everything into the dishwasher.
Zion still hadn’t returned. What was he doing up there?
She waited a few minutes before heading upstairs. His voice drifted in from the direction of the bedrooms. She followed it until she stopped in front of his home office.
He was talking, but something didn’t sound right. Was he on the phone with that crazy client? Should be an ex-client after yesterday. What kind of heartless lunatic pulled that while a man’s son was missing?
Rowena started to walk toward their bedroom when she noticed something odd about Zion’s tone. Something that didn’t sit right with her.
It didn’t sound like he was talking so much as chanting.
Chanting.
Her heart pounded. Zion wasn’t back to voodoo again, was he? He couldn’t be. He’d promised her he’d given it up.
She pressed her ear to the door and listened.
Zion was chanting. He was back to his old games. Was he doing that because of the stress of everything, or had he never stopped? Had he been lying to her all this time?
10
Dr. Morgan James
* * *
Morgan turned the knob on his bedroom door. Still locked. Lila had locked him out the night before after their fight. He’d slept in the guest room. That mattress really needed to be replaced. He rubbed his aching side.
He knocked on the door. “I need in, Lila!”
“Too bad!”
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