Chapter Twenty-Six
Alex
The cottage remains one of the few places to offer a sense of tranquility, even when the world outside is in utter chaos. Soren’s grandmother sits in the den in front of the television, her eyes glued to the screen as her hand clutches a toy soldier. I’m watching her from the doorway of the kitchen when Soren calls for me.
He holds up a clear teapot with daisies suspended in the glass, the contents resembling liquid gold. “Want to help me serve Nana?”
I nod. “Of course.”
I attend to the teacups as the security system beeps and says, “Front door—open.”
Soren and I frown simultaneously until we hear his mother’s voice call for him.
“Who’s there?” Nana calls from the den. “Is that my brother?”
Soren rushes to the den with the teapot. I trail after him, balancing a tray of teacups and other items in my hands as Soren’s mother wanders into the room.
I study her carefully as she greets me with a nod. “Alex.”
I hum and nod. “Mrs. Pershing.”
“Please just call me Helen.”
“All right.”
Honestly, I’ve never been a fan of the mothers around here. Most of them have selfish or nefarious plans, the sort that would save their asses if their families were ever wiped out. Shit, look what happened with Parker and Tomas—both their mothers left as soon as it was safe. Would Helen do the same thing to her son?
“Hi, Maryanne,” Helen says to Nana. In a louder voice, she asks, “How are you feeling?”
Soren groans while setting a teacup in a saucer next to his grandmother. “You don’t have to yell at her. She isn’t deaf.”
“Soren,” Helen says while touching her son’s arm. “I need to speak with you.”
“Go ahead.”
Her eyes cut to me and then to Nana before settling on her son. “It’s about your father. I haven’t seen him lately. He hasn’t come home for at least forty-eight hours.”
“And?”
“And with everything going on lately, don’t you think that’s alarming?”
An expression that could be described as none other than pure amusement infects Soren’s features, causing his mother to take a step back. “You must be kidding.”
“Your father is missing and you think I’m kidding?”
“I don’t see much of a problem if I’m being honest.”
Her face reddens like a shiny balloon getting filled with helium. “If we don’t find him, then my security—I mean, our security gets compromised. Don’t you get that?”
“I’m the heir, remember?” He pauses for a second, critically studying his mother’s look of concern. “Or do you not trust me?”
She drifts back another step, wringing her wrists. “Well, I…”
“Oh, that’s something,” Nana states from her chair. She uses the toy soldier to stir her tea, inviting Soren to try to correct her. But the woman is too stubborn, stabbing her bony elbow into her grandson’s ribs while saying, “Look at the screen, you buffoon.”
My eyes flit to the television, where a news reporter announces a wreck on the highway. Soren lifts the remote and turns up the volume, staring blankly at the screen as the reporter states, “…fatal collision on the highway involving three cars that are mangled. We would like to warn our more sensitive viewers to look away before we show you this exclusive footage.”
Three cars mangled together appear on the screen, causing Nana to gasp loudly. Helen covers her mouth, and Soren continues to stare blankly as various colors from the television flash across his face.