“You must be deaf and stupid.” She shakes her head. “Cora is much better off without you.”
“Bullshit. Quit with the act. Tell me where she is. I know she was at your house and then left. Mattconfirmed it.”
Her head whips up in my direction at the mention of his name.Interesting.
“What’d you do to Matt?” she asks, glaring.
“Nothing he didn’t deserve.” I smirk, not caring how crazy I look. “Look, let me make this easy on you. If you don’t tell me where Cora is, I’ll just follow you around until you lead me back to her.”
“You don’t even want her. I heard all about your talk with those asshats you call brothers or whatever.”
Clenching my teeth, I glare at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“So, you didn’t say that you weren’t Noah’s, and I quote, ‘fucking father’?” She quirks a brow, looking at me briefly.
“It wasn’t like that, Mara. I love her.Sofucking much. Her and Noah both. Seth was trying to figure out where my head was at and?—”
“You seriously expect me to believe that?” She scoffs. “You’re a real piece of work, Atlas. I don’t know what she ever saw in you. Her or Noah. You have no idea what she’s been through.”
“But I do.” I move closer to the table, standing in front of her. “I know more than you think, Mara.”
“Doubtful, no one knows her better than us.”
“I know her. You can lock me out, that’s fine, but you need to know I’ll never stop. Her and Noah aremine. They’re myfamily. Don’t stand between me and my family.”
Her hands freeze, and I watch my words sink in as her head tilts up. Her eyes lock on mine, and I don’t know what she’s searching for, but I’m dead serious. I’ll get rid of anyone who stands in my way of getting Cora.
“Look, Atlas, I?—”
“Where is she, you piece of shit?” Matt bursts into the kitchen, shoving me to the side. I almost fall but right myself and glare at him.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” I shove him back.
“Knock it off.” Mara gets between us, then looks to Matt. “What are you talking about? And what the hell happened to your face?”
“Some asshole sucker punched me.”Yeah,I’ll fucking do it again in about thirty seconds too, asshole.“I was driving back toward Cora’s house, and I saw her car on the side of the road. It was empty. I called her, but she didn’t answer, so I came straight here.”
Mara’s face pales. “She’s not here, Matt. Are you sure it was her car?”
“I’m positive. It had that beach sticker on the back.”
Looking from Mara to Matt, I sense the panic rising in me. “I don’t have her, Matt. I came here to ask Mara where she is. I just need to talk to her.” More than that actually but it’ll come later.
Mara pulls out her phone to call Cora, and we listen as it goes straight to voicemail.Shit.Her expression changes to one of concern as she turns back toward Matt. “When did you talk to her last?”
“This morning. I was at the hardware store getting a new lock for her door.” He sends a pointed look in my direction. I don’t even have it in me to admire the black eye he clearly sports now. “And she told me she was headed to grab some things for Noah for Christmas.”
“I don’t get where she’d be. Let me call Mila.” Dialing her sister’s number, we deflate when Mila says she hasn’t heard from her, and neither has their dad.
“We need to call the police.” Mara turns and walks away from us, heading back toward an office doorway. I listen in faintly as she talks to the police to report Cora missing, and I ignore the looks Matt gives me.
My Firefly is missing. “Would Bea do this?” I ask him.
“Who?” He looks at me with a confused expression.
“Her grandmother. She’s an awful woman from what Cora’s told me. They have a bad history,” I explain, waving at Mara to get her attention. Putting her hand over the mouthpiece, she gives me a ‘what is it’ look. “What if it’s Bea?”
The color drains from Mara’s face, and fear quickly replaces the dread I was feeling before.
