Page 62 of Read With Your Heart

“What are you doing?” Tricia’s voice rises in concern as she stands in the doorway.

“I’m going after her. Lys, get up,” I demand as my sister stares at me, still in her bed. Her hair stands up. Her face remains dazed.

“Leon, let her sleep. I’ll go with you.”

“I can’t leave Lys.” My voice roughens while it cracks. My parents never asked a thing of me, yet I’d disappointed them over and over again. The gang. The prison time. I just wanted to avenge my brother’s death. I wanted blood for what was taken from me, from them. I promised to protect my sisters when they came to me, and I can’t believe I’ve lost one. What was I doing that I didn’t see she was planning this escape? She warned me when she arrived that as soon as she turned eighteen, she’d be gone. That day has arrived. As it’s after midnight, today is her birthday.

“Lys, hurry up!” I shout after stepping out of her room and tramping rapidly down the stairs. Tricia follows me.

“Leon, take a breath. We should call the police. Maybe she isn’t far. Maybe she didn’t go all the way home.”

It’s a six-hour trip. Lena had plenty of time once I arrived at that damn party.

“I need to go.” I turn on Tricia and call out again for Lys.

“Let her stay. You’ll be back once you find her.”

My eyes drop to the beautiful, frightened woman before me. She has no idea who I am or what I’ve come from. I have no idea what will happen when I find my sister. This is the fight Lena and I have been building toward. And if I don’t find her . . . I don’t want to say it, but the truth hits me. I won’t be back.

If I don’t find Lena, I’ll be right back where I was over eighteen years ago—out for vengeance. Only this time, I’ll only have myself to blame. I’ve lost my sister. I don’t want to divide my siblings. I can’t leave one behind while I search for the other, but Lys will be safer here. I’ll move faster without her.

“Fine,” I grumble. “I’ll send for Lys later.”

“I can go with you,” Tricia repeats, her voice dropping. I should kiss her goodbye. I should pull her to me and hold her one more time. But I know if I tug her to me, I’ll never want to let her go, and I must.

Why can’t my life ever be easy? Why can’t I live without trouble just once?

“No,” I snap, steeling myself against the plea in those damn green-brown eyes. I’m not going to blame her. This is not her fault. It’s mine. I’ve been distracted and self-involved, and I didn’t pay attention. “I don’t need your help.”

Tricia flinches at my tone and the sharpness of my words. I don’t have time to soothe her sensitive spirit.

Hours later, as I’m driving down the road, I remind myself that I’m the last person Tricia needs to heal her wounded heart. Too bad she was starting to heal mine.

Lesson 21

Truth is a hard lesson.

[Tricia]

It’s forty-eight hours before Lys gets a call. Not me. It’s the end of the school day, and Lys and I are just walking into the house. It’s been a rough day of trying to concentrate when my thoughts are on the other side of Lake Michigan.

“Lena!” Lys cries into the phone with excitement, recognizing the number, and then she listens while someone speaks. Her shoulders fall, and she starts to cry. I want to believe this is the good news we’ve been waiting for, but Lys’s sobs don’t reassure me.

Yesterday, I told Jess and Emily everything, hating to admit Leon ran off to Chicago. My brother tried to call Leon to offer his help. The situation is so similar to what happened with Jess’s ex-wife and I know it hit too close to home for him, but I had to tell someone. I’m ready to explode. Of course, Leon never answered Jess.

I don’t need your help. His sharp tone rips through me again as does the memory of how those gray eyes glared at me like it was my fault his sister was missing. I’d really thought we were going somewhere, moving forward. How could I have been so wrong about him? Was I falling down the same rabbit hole again?

As Lys falls forward, crying too hard to speak, I reach for the phone and hold it up to my ear.

“Hello,” I whisper, almost afraid of who I’ll hear on the line.

“Tricia.” Lena sobs through the line, and I can’t hear a thing she’s saying.

“Lena, where are you? What happened?”

All I catch through the hysterical cries is something about him not wanting her and how she’s all alone. I don’t know what any of this means.

“Lena, did you know Leon is there? He’s in Chicago trying to find you. He’s worried about you.”