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“And I just have to say, thank you.”
“For what?” Chance asks, his brow furrowed. Dottie glances over at me, her smile softening.
“For bringing my girl back to life. I was so worried she’d never let anyone in again but even just sitting across from the two of you, I can tell how much she loves you.”
Chance peeks down at me and I glance up, leaning into his body as he looks back at Dottie. “You don’t have to thank me for that, Dottie. I’m pretty sure I got the better end of the deal here.”
* * * *
I wake to incessant ringing and groan as I roll over, burying my head in the pillow. Chance rolls over and I peel one eye open as he grabs his phone off the bedside table.
“Yeah?” he answers and my breath gets stuck in my throat. I know it’s only been twenty-four hours since I gave Rosie the phone but I’m praying it’s Ivy and we can finally do something to help her. We filled Dottie in on everything last night and after shedding a few tears, she thanked Chance profusely for everything he’s done for our family. I’m pretty sure she’s already planning our wedding. It strikes me that the thought doesn’t cause me any panic like it used to.
“Shit,” Chance hisses into the phone, sitting up and my gaze snaps over to him. Oh, God, what now? “When?”
When he sighs and rubs his hand over his face, my heart sinks. That’s not good. My mind races with the possibilities as fear grips my chest in a tight fist.
“Yeah, okay. Keep me updated.” He hangs up and tosses his phone to the table before turning to me. One look at his expression sends panic clawing at my throat.
Please tell me my sister is still okay…
“What is it?” I whisper, pressing a hand to the hollow of my neck as my heart thunders in my ears.
Tell me she’s okay…
“That was Streak.”
I nod, feeling a bit like a bobble head. “And?”
She has to be okay…
Blowing out a breath, he grabs my hand and pulls me into his lap. I straddle his legs as he wraps his arms around my waist. “Julian hired more security. Your sister now has three guards if she ever leaves the house.”
“Has she been leaving the house?” I ask, sucking in a breath for what feels like the first time in five minutes.
She’s okay.
He shakes his head. “Not as far as Streak can tell but he can’t keep her locked up there forever. A lot of people in this town know your mother and know the two of you. Folks will start asking questions if she disappears.”
“How does that help us? Even if she goes out, she has three guards watching her every move.”
Chance cups my cheek, directing my gaze to his and I sigh, his touch abating some of my panic. “I know it seems bad, baby, but in all his work to keep her prisoner, Julian made one mistake.”
“What?” I ask, too scared to hope.
“He hired only male guards for her. They can’t follow her everywhere.”
My eyes widen and I study him for a second. “A bathroom?”
“Yep.”
“And you think they won’t just storm in when she’s taking a long time? What are the odds that we could get there before they decided to haul her out?”
“It just depends,” he says and my fear starts creeping in again. This all seems impossible. “There could be a window in the bathroom that she could crawl out of or someone might help her get away. Your sister will figure it out.”
I shake my head. “How do you know? God, five weeks ago, I was having lunch with her and she was telling me how happy she was. So much has changed in such a short time.”
“I know,” he murmurs, his hand skating down my thigh in a comforting touch.
