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“Wassup Sol?” I answered her call, putting it on speaker.
“Are you coming to dinner?”
“Not tonight.”
“You’re turning down food?” she chuckled, seemingly in a better mood than our last conversation.
“It’s been a day.”
“Maybe being around family is what you need. Everybody’s going to be there,” Solana informed me, hoping I would change my mind. Typically I would’ve but not tonight. I wasn’t in the mood for a bunch of people.
“I’m cool on that tonight. Y’all have fun, though.”
Solana sucked her teeth, irritated that, for once, she wasn’t getting her way. It was a perk of being the only girl. None of us could tell Solana no, except Tyson, but that was just him fulfilling his annoying brother’s duty. She sighed deeply when she couldn’t come up with anything good enough to sway my decision.
“I know I was kind of hard on you last night, but you can talk to me about things you don’t want to tell everybody else,” Solana revealed, offering me the safe place I often was for her.
“I know, Sol, but I’m good.”
“Okay.”
Hanging up the phone, I hopped in the shower to release the tension pooling in my flesh. I poured up a drink and strode outside on the balcony taking in the city’s skyline. DuPont Falls is known for its contemporary sightseeing attractions surrounded by beautiful blue waters. It was beautiful, especially at night. Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I expected Solana to let me know she was bringing me a plate as a diversion to check on me. Instead, it was Kyerra, but I didn’t have the energy or patience for anything she wanted to talk about.
* * *
Day three, and there was still no sign of Hailo. I knew every inch of the city. I mulled over it in my brain, and I couldn’t think of one place Hailo would be, especially since she was carrying my child. Ross Meraux wouldn’t put her just anywhere. Just in case, I had a private investigator check her apartment and her job. Hailo hadn’t been to either, and the hotel cameras were wiped clean.
“Wassup?” I answered Mack’s call.
“I’m on my way.”
“For what?”
“To drag your ass out of the house if I have to,” Mack informed me, trying his hand because Tyson had been unsuccessful yesterday.
“Save yourself the trip.”
“Gi, come on. You gotta shake back and let the people who handle this kind of shit handle it,” Mack coaxed.
“If it was yours and I told you that shit, what would you do?” I posed, already aware of the answer.
“Curse your stupid ass out,” he chuckled. Mack was calm until he wasn’t, and in a situation like this, he would already have half the city turned upside down. “I feel it, but consider this. Maybe the baby wasn’t yours, so she dipped.”
“That ain’t it.”
“Aite, I’ll let you rock, but Sunday, you’re bringing your ass out of the house for dinner.”
It depended on how I felt when Sunday rolled around, but I didn’t argue that point today. If I felt up to it, I would go. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t. Mack and I chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.
“Fuck!” I groaned for not realizing it sooner. Scooping my keys off the table, I hopped in the car.
Boiling with fury, I drove my car, clenching my jaw so tight it hurt. Our family owned a farm along with a house sitting on the property. To the untrained eye, it looked like a typical home in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by chickens, horses, and other animals. Inside, a lot of shit went down that I never wanted Hailo to be a part of.
Pulling into the driveway, I noticed Tyson’s car parked outside. Racing inside, there was no sign of Hailo downstairs, but I didn’t necessarily expect it to be. Walking to the back of the house so I could head downstairs, footsteps neared.
“Goddamn Gi, I almost shot your ass,” Ace breathed a sigh of relief, lowering his gun when he saw my face. “I didn’t know you were sliding through today.”
Walking around Ace, I jogged downstairs, where Tyson was standing in the hidden hallway with Bud. “Where is Hailo?”
