“He needs to go and find Harley right now. You can hug him when he gets back with your sister.”
I swallow and cringe as Portia’s cries pitch to a high, aggravated howl.
Oh fuck. She really doesn’t get it. All her little four-year-old eyes can see is her daddy walking away from her.
But we know.
We know how harrowing this situation really is, and when Nylah looks at me with bright, glassy eyes, I feel it like a punch to the gut.
If we don’t find those girls soon, this will be the worst weekend of our lives.
CHAPTER 27
NYLAH
“Portia, calm down,” I instruct, my voice soft but firm.
“But I want Daddy!” She stomps her little foot, and it’s taking everything in me not to completely lose it with her.
Does she not get that this is her fault!
She was the one who said all those horrible things to Harley, and now her sister has taken off.
Okay, so it’s not entirely Portia’s fault, but she definitely had a part to play.
Trying to get a handle on this swell of anger and worry is an effort. As if sensing my distress, the baby gives a firm kick to my abdomen, stretching out one of his little limbs. I rub the spot and gently push him back while keeping a hold on my petulant daughter who can only seem to think about herself and what she wants.
She’s four. Of course she can only think about herself!
Carson strides back down the stairs, his face tight with tension as he zips up his winter coat. Harley’s blue jacket and beanie are bunched in his fist, and when I catch his eye, all I can see is a sheen of outright fear.
What if we don’t get to her in time?
What if she’s hurt?
Freezing?
I grip his arm as a wave of panic washes through me.
I want him to tell me that everything’s going to be okay, but he can’t seem to say anything.
Instead, he plants a kiss on my forehead, then spins and heads for the door.
“Daddy!” Portia rushes after him.
“No, Portia. Wait,” I call to her, but she ignores me, grabbing Carson’s leg and trying to stop him.
“Not now,” he clips. “I have to go and find your sister.”
“No, stay with me!” She starts to cry.
“Portia, let go,” I tell her, struggling to remove her grip from Carson’s leg.
He shakes her free, gives me one more pained frown, then heads for the door.
“Daddy!”
He keeps walking, not looking back as he disappears down the hallway.
