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I turned to her. “Want to grab one of those as well?” I said, dipping my chin toward another duffel bag on the floor. “You can just stack it on top of the suitcase so you don’t have to carry it.”
“Sure.” Her lips tightened in a grim line. “The sooner poor Anna is out of here, the better.”
We stepped outside, luggage in tow. Anna was standing by the trunk of the car, lifting a case into it. I hurried over to help her.
Maeve headed over to us a moment later, wheeling a large black suitcase behind her. “I had a feeling you’d choose to leave with Anna tonight,” she said, looking at me. “So I took the liberty of packing some of your things for you. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
“I packed some clothes, shoes, spare school uniforms, toothbrush, shaving stuff, your laptop, and your phone charger. Anything else you need, just call and let me know. I can drop it off wherever you end up staying.” Maeve gave me a tight smile. Then she turned her attention to Anna. “I want you to know I support you and Kinsey. I’m going to give my two week notice to George in the morning.”
Anna’s face fell. “Oh, Maeve. I appreciate it, but you really don’t have to do that. I know this place is your home.”
“Not anymore,” Maeve replied. She looked toward the house. “I won’t work for a man like him. The only reason I’ve stayed since his arrest is to help you and Kinsey. And Jax, of course. But you’re all leaving now.”
“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “Don’t quit. Not yet, anyway.”
Maeve turned to look at me, brows rising. “Why?”
“You should stay here and act like you support Dad,” I said. “Then you can keep an eye on him and let us know what’s going on.”
“That’s a good idea,” Erin interjected. “You might see or overhear something that ends up helping Kinsey’s case against him.”
Maeve nodded slowly. “All right. I think I can manage that,” she said. “For now, let’s go and get the rest of the cases.”
“When we’re done, you should slam the door in my face and say something nasty,” I said, arching a brow. “That’ll help to convince Dad you’re choosing his side.”
“All right.” Maeve offered me a small smile. “I’ll try my best.”
We headed back inside and cleared the rest of the suitcases out of the foyer, putting half in Anna’s car and half in mine. When we were finished, Maeve affected a stony expression and looked at me. “Is that it?”
“I think so.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You really should be ashamed of yourself,” she said, loud enough for Dad to hear. “Your father deserves a son who believes in him.”
With that, she slammed the door in my face. I smiled thinly and strode over to Anna’s car. She was standing by the back passenger door, face lined with worry. “Where did you say Kinsey is?” she asked, fingers anxiously twining together. “I just realized it’s past midnight. She’s missed her curfew.”
I took a deep breath and haltingly explained what happened at the school earlier tonight.
Anna’s face paled. “So you really don’t know where she is?” she asked, panic-stricken gaze flickering between me and Erin.
“No.” I shook my head. “All we know is what the police told us—that she didn’t miss her curfew. Her ankle monitor data said she arrived here just after eleven o’clock. But she’s definitely not here now.”
“Could she have come home earlier and then left again? That would explain the ankle bracelet readings.”
“Wouldn’t you have noticed if she came home?”
A guilty expression stole across Anna’s face. “Not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?”
She swallowed audibly. “When your father showed up here earlier, I was beyond shocked,” she said, voice cracking with emotion. “I just couldn’t believe it. We ended up arguing for a while. Loudly. Kinsey might’ve come home and overheard us, and when she realized George was staying, she might’ve decided to run away.”
“You wouldn’t have heard her coming through the front door because the argument with George was distracting you,” Erin said, nodding slowly. “You wouldn’t have heard her leave, either.”
“That’s right.” Anna looked at me again. “Do you think that could’ve happened?”
“It’s possible,” I said, scratching at my jaw.
