Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

Chapter 33

Darby

Something is wrong… very, very wrong. I clench and unclench my hands to try and stop the trembling. My mind is buzzing, and my heart is knocking against my ribcage.

Someone should have called me by now. Instead, all of my calls are going straight to voicemail and texts unanswered. Even Lynda and Ray aren’t responding.

Runner picks up on my anxiety, circling my legs a few times before sitting at my feet with his own miserable face.

“I don’t know anything, boy. Everyone is ignoring me, which means this is bad,” I tell him with a quick head pat.

In the six weeks since Pierce visited, things in Charleston have heated up between him and Connie. She didn’t react well when she found out he flew out here, realizing her attempt to ruin his weekend was foiled. That was only the beginning. My mom and Jill were ecstatic about my wedding plans and didn’t hide their excitement. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and our guest list was growing by the day.

Connie didn’t take this news well either, sharing her feelings with anyone who would listen, including pushing her opinions and disgust onto Maya and Cole. Pierce said they started to retreat into shells, and he was pissed and doing everything in his power to keep the air clear and the mood light. According to him, they responded well during their weeks with him but reverted once they went back to Connie’s.

We agreed he needed to stick around for the holidays and be accessible at all times. This meant we didn’t get to have any kind of Christmas or New Year’s celebration, which made him downright savage.

His hatred for Connie was approaching nuclear levels.

Due to my grueling schedule, my parents and Evin flew out to spend a few days before Christmas, and Stephanie and the crew still came for New Years. I missed Pierce fiercely but tried to keep my spirits up. He didn’t need my misery piled on top of his worries.

He stuck to his guns, making plans for Christmas, which included multiple family visits, parties, drop-ins, and a full Kendrick-Graham combined celebration.

This set Connie on a rampage. She wants more than blood; she’s going after his heart. Her plan is to take away his kids.

Today is the day Pierce had to go before a judge and listen to her tear him apart and argue for full custody. She also wanted financial support to cover this, including more absurd demands.

None of us are surprised about her quest to suck money because that’s never stopped. But the mention of him taking full custody rocked through the Kendrick family. John wasn’t concerned with her plight, explaining Pierce had a better chance of being granted full custody in any court. Connie’s seven months of craziness was about to be exposed to a judge.

Even with John’s reassurances, all of them are still on edge. Pierce’s blasé indifference is an act. As hard as I try, he won’t reveal where his headspace is.

I check my phone again, noting it’s now six-thirty in Charleston. At this point, I’m beyond restless.

The phone rings, and I jump five feet off the ground at the shrill sound. My heart plummets at the caller. “We still have nothing,” I tell Stephanie.

“It’s been too damn long.”

“I know that! I’m going insane over here. What the hell did that looney-toon bitch do now?”

“You have nothing?”

“Not a fucking thing. My entire family has ghosted. The only thing I know is that the city of Charleston is not under attack, on fire, or broken off into the ocean. I’ve checked the internet for any kind of news that would explain why no one is communicating with me.”

“I’m going to make some calls. Sit tight. Maybe I can get some intel from my contacts.”

“There is no sitting tight. My nerves are shot. Let me know if you get anything.”

“On it.” She hangs up, and I take the chance of dialing my brother for the tenth time.

“Hold on,” he cuts me off. I open my mouth to scream, but it dies in my throat when the raging roar pierces in his background, followed by the sound of shattering glass.

I know that rage, that roar, and the agonizing source of its pain. My blood turns to ice, sending a bone-chilling pain all the way to my toes. It takes a minute for my brain to kick in, but when it does, I’m on the move. It doesn’t matter what’s happened. Pierce needs me.

“Darby?” The grave and strained voice of my brother sends another round of pain. The twin bond hits me hard.

“Evin, what has happened?”

“We’re trying to piece it all together. Why don’t I call you back?”

“If you think I’m going to let you keep this from me, you’re fucking insane. Tell me.”

“Long story short, Maya and Cole are missing.”