“Maybe they’re in bed,” Tommy said with a disgusted scowl.
“No,” Will said, shaking his head. “No way Mack lets the phone ring when Kara’s not with him.”
“What?” my dad asked when he saw the look on my face.
“Something’s not right, Pop,” I said quietly. “I can feel it.”
“Will,” Grease barked. “Head over to Rose’s. I’ll go to Mack’s.”
“You keep tryin’ to call,” my dad ordered, wrapping his hand around the back of my head. He leaned forward and kissed my brow. “Let us know if you get either of them.”
“I will.”
As the men strode quickly to the front door, I pulled out my phone and dialed Rose again.
* * *
“Where the fuck is my daughter?” Grease barked, slamming his hand down on the table.
We’d been searching for hours, but we hadn’t found anything good. After the men had no luck at Rose and Mack’s houses, they’d met up at Rose’s work and found Mack’s bike in the parking lot. Rose’s boss had met them at the front door, holding her purse and mad as fuck that she’d bailed on him during the middle of her shift.
The couple had vanished and we had no fucking clue where they could’ve gone.
“She wouldn’t just leave her purse,” Callie said, her fingers shaking as she picked at her lips nervously.
“Mack wouldn’t leave Kara, either,” I said, a knot in my throat. God, I wished that Cam was here instead of down in San Diego, bailing his pain in the ass sister out of whatever jam she’d gotten herself in. “Not without asking me at least four times if it was okay and letting his daughter know.”
“What do we know?” my dad asked, looking around.
“Mack showed up around ten last night,” my little brother Leo said, going over what we already knew. “Rose went on break and they left through the front door. They never came back in. Rose left her shit in the back, and they didn’t take the bike. No cameras at the bar because Rose’s boss is a cheap piece of shit.”
“Poet,” Dad said, turning to my gramps. “You got anything?”
“Nothin’,” Gramps replied in disgust. “No one knows shit.”
“Everyone’s reachin’ out,” Will said, his jaw tight. “We’re hittin’ dead end after dead end.”
“Someone’s gotta know somethin’,” Grease replied.
“If they do, no one’s talkin’,” Leo said. His arm was wrapped around Lily, who looked like she was going to lose it at any second.
“Fuck,” Tommy yelled, throwing a chair across the room. Hawk didn’t even try to calm him down as he paced, his hands gripping his skull.
“Find her, Asa,” Callie said quietly, staring at her husband.
Grease’s nostrils flared as he looked back at his wife. He swallowed hard and nodded.
My eyes stung as I looked away.
* * *
I crept into my house late that night, tired to my bones. We’d searched all day, and we hadn’t found a single thing that pointed us in the direction of Mack and Rose. Tempers were high and nerves were completely frayed.
It didn’t help the situation that Casper, Farrah and Cam were all out of town. Casper was the one with all the connections. He had his little spies everywhere.
“Trix?” Kara said quietly from the dark living room, making me jump. “Do you know where my dad is?”
“Hey, kiddo,” I whispered back. “What are you doing awake?”
“Something’s wrong,” she said tightly, stepping over Charlie’s sleeping form. “I can tell. My dad’s not answering his phone, and he hasn’t called me back all day.”
“I’m not sure where he is,” I replied carefully as she stopped a couple feet from me. “We haven’t been able to get ahold of him or Rose all day.”
“He’s with Rose?” she asked in surprise. Her shoulders slumped in relief. “That’s okay, then. They’re probably just making up.”
“Yeah,” I said, giving her a small smile. “I bet that’s exactly what they’re doing.”
I watched her as she rubbed her eyes tiredly, my chest aching. Sometimes when I looked at my boys, or Kara and Charlie, I was surprised at how mature they seemed. Things were so different from when I was a kid. Children grow up faster and know so much more. Then, out of nowhere, I caught a glimpse of the naiveté that they worked so hard to hide.
“Go back to sleep, honey,” I said. “Or you’re going to be wiped tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
I waited until she’d climbed into her spot on the floor between Charlie and the couch, then quietly made my way upstairs. The boys were passed out when I checked on them, and I took a minute to throw Draco’s blanket back onto his bed, even though I knew he’d kick it off before morning.
“Mom?” Curtis called as I turned to leave the room. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine, bud,” I lied.
“Something happened, didn’t it?” he asked, his voice solemn. “That’s why Nan stayed with us today.”