“How recent?” Cody asked.
Reece chewed his lip and tried to remember what Aria told him about Rowena. “I might be wrong. ’bout a month or two, maybe less.”
Samantha’s eyes widened. “The time frame coincides with Jay’s release, don’t you think?”
“Have you seen Rowena since Aria went missing?” his eldest brother asked.
“She works at the coffee shop, but I haven’t been out since Aria...” Reece’s heartbeat spiked at the thought of what Aria must be going through.
“Hey, bro, it’s all right. We’ll find her.” Jace punched Reece’s arm lightly. “We should question Rowena.”
“Call the Sheriff and ask him to meet us at the coffee shop,” Cody said.
Reece nodded. “I need to call Kelly and check on Prisha, then I’ll call the Sher...” he broke off as the sound of a car speeding up the driveway caught his attention. He raced to the door. Kelly’s vehicle barely stopped before the door swung open, and she jumped out. Her actions told Reece something was wrong.
“What’s up?” he asked the second she ran up the stairs and stopped in front of him, breathing erratic.
“God, Reece. It’s Prisha.”
Panic gripped his heart. “What about Prisha?”
“I’m sorry. She’s missing.”
Cody, Jace, and Samantha stepped out onto the porch at the same time Reece tried not to shout. “Missing? How?”
“Prisha became agitated and asked for Aria. To console her, I took the girls into town for ice-cream. Rowena joined us, and then Prisha needed the bathroom—”
“Rowena?” Reece almost hollered but controlled his rising panic in time.
Kelly nodded. “She offered to take Prisha to the bathroom. Five minutes seemed too long, and I went to look for them. Oh, God, Reece, I’m sorry.” Her eyes welled with tears. She put her hand to her mouth.
“Hey, Kelly. It’s okay.” Samantha stepped forward and gave her a one-armed hug. “Looks like we were right. Rowena was involved,” his sister-in-law whispered.
“Wait. You guys suspected Rowena.” Kelly hiccupped between tears. “Oh, God.”
“We decided that a moment ago,” Reece said. “It’s not your fault, Kelly, you had no idea. We need to get the Sheriff—”
“I went straight to Banes before I came here.” Kelly wiped at her tears. “He’s started a search.”
“C’ mon, we should join them. I’ll get the keys.” Cody turned to go back inside.
“My car’s already warmed up,” Kelly offered.
“Okay. Sam, grab our jackets.” Cody said. Samantha nodded and went inside.
“Fuck. It’s my fault.” Reece fisted his palm in anger. Damn, this whole fucked-up situation was killing him.
“Reece, it’s not yours, Kelly, or Aria’s fault but the mind of a sick bastard.” Cody grasped his shoulder. “Beating yourself up ain’t gonna help. The best thing you could do right now for both your girls is to stay strong.”
Jace nodded. “Yeah, man, losin’ your shit now just makes this situation worse.”
Reece heaved a sigh and looked at his brothers. His family’s presence gave him strength. God, he needed to calm the fuck down, if not for himself, then for the love of his life and her beautiful daughter. When Samantha stepped back outside and locked the door behind her, Reece took the keys from Kelly’s hand and ran down the stairs, followed by the others.
