Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103431 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble, snapping a selfie and sending it to Scarlet.
“I mean it, El.” She’s in her mother hen fussing phase. We usually don’t get here until day four of her visits, but having a baby in the house has definitely sped up her when-are-you-going-to-settle-down guilt -trip timeline.
“Ma.”
She eyes me shrewdly before changing tactics. “Are you and Scarlet serious?”
This, at least, I can give her. “Very serious.”
Her eyes light up as she falls into the overstuffed chair no one except her uses. “Like first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Scarlet with a baby carriage serious?”
I shrug as best I can with the deadweight of a clingy toddler snoozing on my chest.
“I knew it,” she whispers, fist pumping the air.
“Knew what?” I check my phone to see if Scarlet’s replied, but there’s nothing. I know she’s missing me as much as I am her today, because she rarely gets to check her phone at work. So, the constant contact has been pretty nice.
“I knew it was serious the second you told me she was staying here.” She taps her nose with her index finger. “A mother’s intuition.”
“Okay, Ma. Whatever you say.”
“Don’t you whatever, Ma, me.” She springs up from the chair and smacks my feet as she struts into the kitchen. “Now, if I wanted to cook a big, nice dinner for my future daughter-in-law, what would she like? Breakfast for dinner... French toast, perhaps?”
My chest swells as I suck in a deep breath before slowly exhaling it. “I’ve already made it for her.”
James startles she crows so loud. “Shh!” I hiss, trying to comfort him back to sleep. The kid’s gone hard today, and I worry if he gets overly tired, the fun of being here will wear off, and he’ll miss his parents.
“Sorry, sorry.” She has the decency to looks chagrinned. “There’s so much to do. To plan.”
“Plan?” I ask, my eyes widening in alarm. “What exactly are you planning?”
“Your wedding,” she says, like it should be obvious.
“Don’t you think Scarlet would like a say in this?” My phone buzzes, but it’s a call from a number I don’t know. “Or that I should, you know, actually be engaged to her?”
She flicks her hand at me in a dismissive wave. “Just a formality, dear.”
My phone buzzes again. The same number. I send it to voicemail.
“Who’s that?” Mom asks, opening and closing all of the cabinets like she doesn’t already know exactly where everything is.
“Spam call, probably.”
It buzzes again with yet another incoming call, but this one’s from the doctor’s office where Scarlet works. Maybe her phone died?
“Hello.” There’s a slight question in my voice, which only amps up when the person to reply is not Scarlet.
“Ellis, it’s Cara. Have you heard from Scarlet?”
I go from confused to concerned in the blink of any eye. “Not for a little while. Why?”
Cara sucks in a deep breath. “We, um, can’t find her.”
“What do you mean you can’t find her?” I clench my jaw so tight, I worry my molars may crack.
“She went to lunch and never came back.”
A quick glance at my watch, tells me her lunch ended hours ago. “I’ll call you back.”
I end the call without waiting for her reply, immediately pulling up her location. “Why the fuck is it pinging in four places?” I dial her cell, hoping against all odds she answers. But the call rings and rings before going to voicemail. I try again, but it’s no use.
“Is everything okay, El?” Mom asks, her eyebrows knitted with worry.
“Can you take him?” I ask, nodding to James. “I-I’ve gotta go.”
“Go where?” she asks as I pass James to her so I can call Silas.
He answers on the first ring. “Thought you were off this week, man.”
“Scarlet’s gone,” I say, not beating around the bush.
“What do you mean gone? Like y’all had a fight and she left, or—”
“Like she never came back to work after her break and has been missing for hours—”
“What’s her location?” he asks, suddenly all business.
“There are four. Her car is parked at the office, but they’ve already confirmed she’s not there.”
“How long ago was she due back?”
“A couple of hours at least.”
“Last contact?” His no-nonsense tone combats the panic threatening to overtake my logic.
I swipe over to our chat thread, rattling off the timestamp.
“Got it. Send me the locations of her phone and shoes, and we can divide and conquer.”
“Ten-four.” I end the call and turn to my mother, who’s pacing the room while murmuring to a disgruntled James.
“El?” she asks, her voice watery.
“Need you to watch James, Ma.” I retrieve my gun from the safe, checking the mag and the chamber before placing it back in the holster and securing it to my belt. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Baby, what’s going on? Is Scarlet okay?” She glances down to the gun at my hip, her eyes tight with worry.