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“She is a lot of fun, though,” Corey said.
Marc grinned. He had to agree with that. “We’ll have to find her work where she’ll be happy. Maybe that’ll be the answer. Something crazy on her level. She’ll stay in town. Maybe we’ll work together outside the Academy. Who knows?”
Kevin nodded. “I could live with that. Look guys, I don’t want to cut you off from a new friend. She’s certainly got the spark. She’s got a whole lot of talent. I just don’t want you all setting your heart on her joining the team when it’s likely not possible, or is never going to happen.”
Marc sighed and then sank down beside Axel. “Too many what ifs,” he said.
Axel rocked his head back. “But she will come back.”
“We should adopt her,” Corey said. He perked up with that goofy smile that made Marc chuckle every time. “Her and Wil. Let’s adopt her and then we’ll get her a cool job. Like a bounty hunter. Or private investigator. She’d like that.”
Kevin shrugged. “Sure. We can do that.”
“Make it a closed adoption,” Raven said.
“That may cost us a few favors,” Axel said.
“We found her first,” Raven said. “We’d be team lead. We could monitor if anyone is interested and warn them about her craziness. They may back off.”
“You don’t want to hurt her potential Academy career,” Kevin warned.
“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Axel said. “Let’s adopt her, and go for the closed adoption. We can spare a few favors for her. I’d like to monitor her progress anyway. Chances are, we’ll urge her into a challenging career and we can still work with her if we want. I think private investigation may be right up her alley. Or forensic science.”
“Once she learns to follow the law,” Kevin said.
Axel shrugged. “Or bend it once in a while.”
The boys continued their discussion for a bit, and Marc fell quiet. He didn’t have a problem guiding Kayli into what sounded like a great career. Although he wondered if Kayli could settle into anything like that. Even as a private investigator or bounty hunter, and with the full support of an Academy backing, she was a pretty wild girl. Marc thought if she ever discovered the true and full meaning of the Academy, she’d probably want in.
But even that was uncertain. And at the thought of Kayli entering the Academy, he wasn’t so sure he’d want her working for a girl team so he wouldn’t see her. Other Academy guys would show interest in her, too. Some who may have the opportunity to treat her better than they’d been able to. Kidnapping her and practically holding her captive hadn’t been the best sort of introduction.
But his lips burned with the memory of her kiss from before she’d left. It had the underlying promise that she’d be back, and when she did, she’d be coming back for him. At least that’s what he hoped. He’d never felt so out of himself before with a girl. Before he’d met Kayli, he’d wanted to take a break from dating, especially with the recent disaster with the crazy girl who hurt herself for attention. He didn’t want to deal with another crazy girl like that.
But Kayli was a different kind of crazy. Those emerald green eyes. That dark hair that contrasted with her fair skin and made her eyes nearly glow in sunlight.
He felt a zap at his butt and the buzz of vibration before the ringing started.
It was an emergency signal. Kayli.
He launched himself up off the coffee table, and started heading away to answer it down the hall.
Ideas floated through his mind. She walked into that hotel room and changed her mind. Maybe she took one look at that drunk father and realized quickly she didn’t have anything to stay for. Maybe she told Wil to pack a bag. Maybe she was calling to let him know they were going to another hotel room together. He’d tell them to come back. They’d keep them here until they could figure out another solution. And he knew he’d do whatever possible, cook her a hundred different breakfasts, and even put on his best manners. He’d do what Axel taught him. He’d try to convince her to stay this time.
But even as he thought all this, something nagged the back of his mind. This was Kayli. If she was anything like him, she wouldn’t have called so soon. Something was wrong.
He sensed the others quieting as he answered. They’d known him too long. They knew something was up.
“Kayli?” he asked into the phone.
“He’s gone,” her voice quivered on the line like she was trying to hold herself together.
“Who’s gone? What are you talking about?”
“Wil. He’s gone. He left the morning I did. The day that old man caught me and you ... I mean since that day. He hasn’t been back.”
“What do you mean?” Marc asked, his brain flew to find an answer for her, to help her. He had to be around. He must be with a friend or maybe stepped out at the wrong time. She was just on edge because of the past couple of days. “He had to have been there. Axel asked around.”
“He’s not been back,” she said. “There’s... I don’t know how to explain it but I know. He’s missing.”
“Could he be with a friend? Could he have...”
“I don’t think so. I don’t ... I...“ Her voice broke, and he was sure he heard her sob. “I don’t...”
His spine stiffened. “Where are you now?”
“I’m at the hotel.”
“Stay there,” he said. “Just stay where you are. You hear me? Hang on a second.” He glanced at his friends and then he went back to say to her, “I’m going to pass the phone to Corey. I’m on the way but he’s going to get some information from you about Wil. We’re on it, okay? Just hang on until we get there.”
At this, everyone stood up at once. Corey turned to Marc expectantly, his hands out. Marc tossed the phone to him and Corey took over, heading out the door, talking to Kayli and asking pertinent questions.
“What’s going on?” Brandon asked. His fists clenched and knocking impatiently against his thighs. Raven mimicked him, the same determined look.
“Wil’s missing,” Marc said. He dashed for his bedroom, grabbing a pair of boots, and then tossed them aside for a pair of sandals since those would be quicker. He grabbed for his keys and another phone. “We need to go. Brandon, come with me. Raven, you should...”
“I’ll head toward the school district,” Axel said. “If he’s checked in there, I’ll see if I can’t find any of his classmates that might know where he’s at. Brandon, come with me and we’ll scope out the neighborhood and ask around. Raven, you should go with Marc and help Kayli. She may try to panic and run all over the place. Keep her calm. Bring her back here if you have to.”
Kevin looked like he was going to say something and stopped. He plucked out his own phone from his pocket and answered it. “Hi, baby,” he said. “Hang on, it’s not a good... What? Oh. Yeah, uh...” He grimaced. “Hang on.” He covered the phone with his hand. “Guys, it’s Mindy.”
“We’re a bit busy,” Axel said.
“Sh
e’s ... look, I have to go.”
Marc reeled back a step. “Kevin, her brother is missing.”
“Yeah, I know, but,” he said, looking conflicted. “She needs me right now.”
Marc wanted to punch him but he didn’t have the time. He knew it was panic talking and he tried to calm himself. This wasn’t Kevin’s fault and it wasn’t Mindy’s. The Academy had warned them that as they grew older and got girlfriends, sometimes they needed to plan accordingly. Family first, and Mindy was part of Kevin’s family now. He had to respect that. “Okay.”
“If you need me,” Kevin said, looking pained by this. “Really, I mean I’ll come if you need me. I don’t know how else I could help you guys.”
“No,” Axel said. “We’ve got it covered.” He clapped a hand on Kevin’s shoulder and held it firmly. “You’ve been away for a while. Go to Mindy. We’ve got this.”
Kevin didn’t look too happy about the decision. “Call me with updates?”
Marc nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“We’ll call you,” Axel said, confirming.
Kevin sighed. Marc turned from him, heading out the door, with Raven, Brandon and Axel in tow. Kevin lingered back in the apartment, talking to Mindy and assuring her he’d be there soon.
Marc waited until the elevator doors were closed and he was alone with Raven, Brandon and Axel. “I can’t believe he’d do this now.
“Let’s not think like that,” Axel said. “After all, we didn’t even ask what was wrong with Mindy, or ask if there was something we could do to help.”
Marc frowned. He was right.
“Probably nothing we could do,” Brandon said. “She’s getting more clingy. She’s asking more questions.”
“They’re in love,” Axel said. “She’s naturally curious about where he spends all his time. And when he’s gone overnight on assignment, it’s going to keep getting harder. We don’t have parents, or school work, for the Academy to hide behind any more. Now that he’s telling her he’s working at the Academy full time, she’s going to look for some consistency. We all knew it would happen someday. Kevin wanted her in the dark as much as possible so she wouldn’t worry, and this is the price you pay for it. We can’t all date Academy girls. We’re lucky if we get a girl that can know about the Academy at all.”
