“Yeah, I need to see it.” I realized that I had to stay calm because no one else was. It’s the same reason dad was sticking close to the women. Mom was at her breaking point, and I didn’t trust Zandi’s calm ass.
“I’ll go see what they want to eat.” I was pretty sure she wasn’t hungry because I sure the hell couldn’t eat a thing. The three of them were on the living room floor with the kids. Dad looked up when I walked in and shit if he wasn’t pissed too.
Moms’ face looked like she expected me to blame her for this shit but the thought never crossed my mind. No one brought up Mindy. Their sole focus was on the babies who had yet to cry.
In fact, they were too busy playing with the million and one toys Zandi and I had bought them that someone had dragged down from the nursery.
“Mike’s making a food run, anyone want anything? Zandi shook her head and carried on playing with the ball she was rolling between her and the children.
Mom got up and gestured towards the kitchen with her head and I followed. “Dad, tell Mike to get her some kind of seafood.” When she opened her mouth to argue I shut her down.
“You have to eat babe.” I thrust my chin towards the kids in an unspoken reminder that she needed her strength to take care of them and she let it go.
“What is it mom?”
“I think something’s wrong with Zandi, she’s not talking. I don’t think it’s good for her to bottle all this stuff up inside like that.”
I looked back towards the living room where she was now alone with the kids. “I know. She’s going to be okay though don’t worry.” Leave the worrying to me. I’m the one who’d fucked up.
“About Mindy…”
“You don’t have to say anything mom. None of this is your fault.”
“Her mom tried calling me but I don’t know what to say to her right now. How could she do this?”
Fuck if I know. I had no idea what was going on after they took her in. Gavin was on the job seeing to that end of things. Dad came back in and threw me a look before coming to join us.
He talked mom into going back to Zandi and waited until the coast was clear before turning back to me. “I don’t want you and your brother to do anything stupid. Let the cops handle this.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Who’re all those men walking around out there? That doesn’t look like his usual work crew.” No they weren’t. They were the members of his special Ops team from the military.
When I was busy taking care of Zandi and asked him to see to security that’s who he’d chosen. At the time I hadn’t paid it too much mind, but if they had dad rattled he must’ve caught a scent.
“There’s nothing for you to worry about pops, they’re just security.” Never try to bullshit a bull-shitter. His look said he didn’t believe shit, but he was willing to leave it for now.
“Let me know when you want us out of your hair. Your mom doesn’t have any plans on leaving any time soon, but I’m sure you want to be alone with your family….”
“No, stay here for now. I have to go somewhere later and I’m not leaving them here alone.”
“Where’re you going?” I looked at him then.
“To the cabin where she was held.” There was a knock at the door and Mac the P.I. came in behind Mike. We shook hands and he turned to look at the scene on the living room floor.
“You don’t owe me for this one brother.”
“Nah, you did your job, of course I’m gonna pay you.”
“But your brother is the one who found the place.”
“Doesn’t matter, you came when I called.” I clapped him on the shoulder and went to find my checkbook.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to get away without letting her know where I was going, but as it turned out, she was still stuck in her head and barely noticed.
The kids had been asleep for a half an hour but she still refused to put them down. She sat on the couch with one on each arm, their legs entwined. Mom on one side and dad on the other.
I lifted her chin and looked down at her. Mom was right, there was something going on behind those eyes. “I’ll be right back baby, Mike and I have to go take care of something.”
“Are you going into the woods?” Well damn! I wasn’t about to lie to her so I just said yes. She pondered for a second before nodding her head and that was her okay.
My brother was acting kind of squirrely the closer we got to the location, almost like he was having second thoughts about taking me there and that shit only made my blood hotter.