Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67975 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
"Come on, let's go and sit down. I'll get you a soda," I tell her.
We join the group, and the guys smile at Merleigh as she nervously sits down. Bohdi comes over, and my heart does a little flutter when I look back and see him talking to her. Together, they're like blond angels. Their hair is so beautiful, their skin so perfect. They'd make a hell of a match, and I can only hope Merleigh keeps bonding with him. I think they've both got dark pasts, and might just very well help each other heal.
I reach the grill where Alarick is flipping some burgers.
"How's Merleigh going?" he asks me.
"She's doing okay. She's super nervous, but okay. I think she's settling in, little by little."
"And Cova?"
"She can come out at any time. I don't think she will, but at least she has the option to. I think she's slowly getting better."
"Yeah, it'll take a little longer with her, but you're doin' a great job."
I smile and lean up, kissing him, before moving to the drinks fridge and getting two sodas out. I'm not going to drink because Merleigh can't, and I'm supporting her as much as I possibly can right now. She deserves that.
I take a seat beside her and hand her the soda just as Karen walks in. I wave her over, and she joins us with a smile. I introduce her to Merleigh, and the two of them hit it off right away.
I can't wipe the smile from my face.
It feels like Christmas has come all at once here.
Like things are finally falling into place.
Finally.
"I CAN'T GET HOLD OF Waverly," Zariah says, standing in front of Alarick, the fire flickering over her pretty face and making her look even more beautiful.
"What do you mean you can't get hold of her?" Alarick asks, his eyes narrowing.
Zariah shakes her head. "It means exactly that, Alarick. I can't get hold of her. I've been trying for the last twenty-four hours. She had a 'date' with Dax, and since then, I've not been able to contact her."
Oh god.
This is not happening.
No.
"Are you sure she's still there and not just sleepin'?"
"I'm sure," Zariah nods. "She's not been home, I've checked. I'm worried something bad has happened to her."
"Listen, take it easy. Unless Dax has found out, which I highly doubt, she's probably just spent the night there or is meeting a potential buyer. Now isn't a time to overreact."
"How can I not overreact?" Zariah snaps. "She's my sister! I told her to find a way to call me, no matter what, and she hasn’t done that."
"Yeah, she is, but goin' off ain't goin' to fix anything," Alarick growls.
"We'll go for a drive past, scour around," Kendric says, standing. "Do the best we can to see if we can find her."
"Driving around isn't going to find her!" Zariah mutters to him. "She's not going to be just walking down the street."
"Listen, lady," Kendric growls. "I'm tryin' to help you out here."
"I don't want your damned help."
They're practically nose to nose now, glaring at each other. For the love of God, why are they bringing their little drama fest when we need to be worrying about Waverly right now?
She's the most important thing.
The most important.
"Calm down, you two," I say, standing and putting my hand on Kendric's chest to push him back. "This isn't about either of you, this is about Waverly. She's likely with Dax and hasn't been able to check-in. It can't hurt to do a drive around, and Zariah, I think you need to talk to Bennett. Not to ask questions, just to get a general idea if he's seen or heard from her."
"He won't tell me anything, I've already tried," Zariah exhales and runs her hand down her face. "I knew this would go bad. I knew he'd figure it out."
"Before anyone panics, we don't know if he's figured out anything. There are a million reasons why Waverly hasn't shown up, and not all of them are dark," Alarick throws in. "We'll get a team out to look for her now, and we'll do what we can to find her."
"There's somewhere else Dax goes," Merleigh says, her voice soft. "I went there a few times, stayed overnight. It's usually right before he sells you, or introduces you to the person he's selling you to..."
Everyone turns and looks to Merleigh.
"You remember where that is?" Alarick asks.
"Yes, I do. But you won't get in. It's fully secured. However, I did do overnight stays with Dax, and during them, our phones would be somewhere else, intentionally, no doubt. So, please don't panic about Waverly. If it’s what happened to me, it’s part of the plan. If Waverly is acting, she’s not going to demand her phone. None of us did, we were so excited."
Zariah looks to Merleigh, and her eyes fill with a little relief. "Thank you, that helps."