Vera looked for all the world like she was caught completely off balance and unsure what to say next.
“That’s good,” she finally said.
Talia honestly couldn’t tell if Vera was relieved or confused. She glanced at Lennox to see him give her a little shrug, as if he was thinking the same thing.
Afraid Vera might ask her more questions about Anna that she couldn’t answer, Talia turned the conversation to Maria and how much fun they’d had at Legoland. Soon enough, Vera was laughing at the stories andoohingandaahingover the pictures Talia had taken. It was at moments like this that Talia couldn’t think of Vera as anything more than a loving mother.
Loud giggles from upstairs suddenly echoed through the house, interrupting them, and Vera lifted a brow. “After the day the girls had, I would have thought Maria and Beverly would be exhausted.”
“That might be my fault,” Lennox admitted with a wince. “I might have let them eat a little too much sugar. But only because they promised me it wouldn’t bother them.”
Vera exchanged looks with Talia and they both burst out laughing.
Katrina and Mrs. McDaniel stood, laughing as well.
“We’re going to go check on the girls,” Katrina said.
Vera nodded and smiled, then turned to Talia the moment they’d left the room. “I know you don’t want to talk about what happened to you last night at Anna’s apartment complex, but I want you to know I’m just glad you’re okay. You mean so muchto our family. Which is why I completely understand if you want to stay with someone else for a while.” Vera glanced pointedly at Lennox before looking at Talia again. “The only thing that matters is that you stay safe.”
Once again, Talia found herself questioning whether Vera could have been involved in Anna’s disappearance. She seemed so caring.
“Will you and Mr. Rybak be home tonight?” Talia asked.
“Unfortunately not.” Vera sighed. “Bogdan is busy with meetings across town at some fancy hotel and I want to be there to support him any way I can.”
And just like that, those vague statements put Talia firmly back on the fence when it came to Vera’s involvement in all of this. Why couldn’t people just say what they meant?
“What do you think?” Talia asked as she and Lennox drove back to his apartment a few minutes later. “Parts of me wants to think that Vera wasn’t necessarily shocked about Anna being missing but she also seemed genuinely upset when she heard that someone had tried to attack me. I don’t know what to think.”
“I agree that she knows something,” Lennox said, glancing at her. “Though I’m not sure about her being directly involved in Anna’s disappearance or that guy trying to attack you. And whatever those meetings are that Vera mentioned, I think Bogdan is involved in something that scares her. So much so that she wanted Sofia and Maria safely staying with their friends.”
Talia frowned. “Do you think they’re meeting with the same people Anna mentioned? The ones who threatened the Fredrickson family?”
“That would be my guess. The question is, what are you going to do? Are you still going to keep working for the Rybaks knowing they might be involved in whatever’s going on?”
Since she might very well be in danger if she stayed, the thought of abandoning Maria like that hurt too much to even consider quitting.
“I have to,” she said. “I can’t just leave Maria like that. And I won’t stop working for the Rybaks on nothing more than a suspicion. I owe them too much. Besides, it will give me a chance to snoop around if necessary.”
Beside her, Lennox’s mouth tightened as he exited off the freeway. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea since that might have been what got Anna in trouble.”
“I know. And if I do have to snoop around, I promise I’ll be careful,” Talia assured him. “But if Anna’s alive, this may be our only hope of finding her.”
It was obvious from his scowl that Lennox wasn’t thrilled with that, but he didn’t try to change her mind. Talia relaxed back in her seat, lips curving into a smile. Despite everything going on, spending the day with Lennox had been awesome. She couldn’t remember having so much fun with a guy. And the way he and Maria got along was simply extra.
“Are you sure it’s okay if I stay at your place again?” she asked as they turned down the road that led to his apartment. “I don’t want to be a nuisance.”
“You could never be a nuisance,” Lennox said, flashing her a grin. “And you can stay at my place as long as you want. My door is always open to you.”
They’d just walked into his apartment a few minutes later when Lennox’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen then thumbed the green button and held it to his ear. When he spoke, it was in blunt monosyllables.
“What is it?” she asked the moment he hung up.
“I’ve been called in for a mission.”
Going into the kitchen, he grabbed a key from a drawer and handed it to Talia. “Wheels up in an hour, so I have to get thereASAP. That’s to the apartment. I meant it when I said you can stay here anytime you want. All bills are on auto pay straight from my account, so you don’t have to worry about anyone bothering you for rent.”
Rent?Just how long was Lennox going to be on this mission?
