“It’s not the same. Our grandpa died, Mom,” she reminds me like I could forget. “You can take me.”
“No, not today. Dad wants us to stay here, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“Fine,” she huffs and climbs off the bed. “Can I go see Grandma Alannah or am I trapped here forever?”
Rolling my eyes, I tell her, “Sure.”
I leave before any more attitude leaves her mouth, and I go to check on the boys. Gunner is making silly faces at Roman and Harper has Wolf in her arms.
“Everything sorted?”
I nod. “It turns out the prospect was one of Hopper’s men and King killed him before he could kill me. That was the shot you heard.”
There’s no reaction from her, only to tell me, “There’s blood on the landing. I’ll keep watch over these two while you go clean it, if you want.”
“Thanks,” I mumble.
I grab the mincemeat and tomato sauce from the fridge and dump them on the counter. Reaching for my phone, I call Alannah.
“Hey, I was about to come over. Leo called and told me what happened.”
“It’s okay, I'm about to make a start on dinner. I just wanted to know if Ray is eating over at yours or if she’s coming home. She was upset with me earlier because I wouldn’t take her to see Kristen.”
“Holly, I haven’t seen her today. She isn’t here.”
“She told me she was coming over to see you.”
“I wouldn’t lie, and I would know if my granddaughter was in my house.”
“Can you please check?” I ask as I run up the stairs and throw open Rayna’s door.
Her room is empty and her backpack she takes everywhere is gone, her phone and her headphones are gone too.
I run back downstairs and knowing Harper is watching TV with Gunner and the babies in their bouncy chairs, I run outside and over to Alannah’s house.
She is already stood on her porch, and we both drop the phones from our ears.
“She isn’t in her room,” I tell her.
“And she isn’t here.”
“Where is she, Lana?”
“You said she wanted to go to Kris’s right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then maybe she took herself off there.”
“She wouldn’t have left, especially without telling someone! She knows the rules. Leo and I have made them very clear.”
“Let me call Kris.”
Every second drags as I stand by aimlessly, waiting for her to give me the news I need to hear. She's not on the phone long when the fear in her eyes grow stronger.
“She isn’t at Kristen’s.”
“Where is she?” I cry, angrily wiping at my eyes. Getting my shit together, I think what would Leo do? He would go looking.
