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“Maureen told me you sent her on a training mission and she would be back later.”
He shook his head, and worry filled her. If he didn’t know where Harper was, then where was she? What if something happened to her? Oh God, what if she was hurt? What if someone took her and hurt her?
He thought Lexie told him Maureen sent Harper for training. She didn’t mention it was supposedly his idea. Now he was even more confused and concerned. He continued. “No, I didn’t send her anywhere. I haven’t seen her around. I figured you knew where she was.”
That worried her even more. Neither of them knew where Harper was, and Maureen did. Her stomach clenched, and her mind seemed to glitch. Dread gripped her.
“What does that mean?” she asked, pushing away and looking at him. “Where is Harper?”
“I don’t know,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “But we have to remain calm and collect information. It could be that she simply is off doing something, and I don’t know about it.”
She didn’t think that was the answer. It didn’t sit well with her. Xander would know if she was doing something important, which made another thought form in her head.
What if Maureen hurt her friend? What if she was locked away somewhere? Or being tortured?
She swung out of bed and grabbed her clothes. Xander pulled himself out of bed, reaching for his own clothes.
Why would Maureen want to hurt Harper? Harper was new. Harper didn’t know anything.
Questions filled her mind, and they grew more violent. She feared her friend was dead somewhere. Maybe she was shot, or someone snapped her neck.
She felt Xander’s hands land on her shoulders, and he held her. “Remain calm. We will go through her room and see what we can find. Maybe she has food poisoning as well.”
She could only hope. She wanted that to be the answer, but she knew it wasn’t.
After getting dressed, they started their investigation in Harper’s room. Lexi walked right inside, taking everything in. She had a simple room with a bed, nightstand, and vanity.
Her window was open, and her bags were still on her bed, half unpacked. She frowned when she noticed Harper’s mother’s lucky coin on the bed. Harper never left it anywhere.
“Well, she’s not sick, and she’s not here,” Xander said, looking around her room. “Maybe she’s just been busy?”
“This isn’t good,” she whispered, grabbing the coin off the bed. “Harper would never leave this behind. She always has it in her pocket when she goes anywhere. It’s her lucky charm.”
Harper’s mom had died when she was little, and Harper kept the coin with her at all times. Even when they were in a rush, Harper made sure to have it with her.
She looked at Xander, panic sneaking into her head. Something happened to Harper. She knew it.
Xander placed his hand on her back, rubbing it. “I’ll call Stephen. Maybe he knows something.”
She watched him dial, then her eyes went around the room once more. She was searching for any clues to tell her where Harper was. There was nothing.
Xander spoke on the phone while she dug through Harper’s bag. All of her items were there, including her phone and favorite necklace.
“Stephen is looking into it and is going to find out where she is,” Xander said, stopping a few feet from her.
Tears welled in her eyes. This was her fault. If she had paid closer attention, maybe she would have noticed something.
She was just so excited to see Harper, and they had so much to catch up on. She didn’t focus on what was going on around her because she hadn’t cared.
And she now was wishing she had. She wished she had paid attention because her friend would still be there. They would be enjoying breakfast instead of her worrying about where she was.
Lexi ran her hands through her hair, squeezing her eyes shut. She was trying to fight the tears, not wanting them to break free.
Xander’s arms wrapped around her, and a few drops slipped down her face. “Hey.” He held her closer. “We’re going to find her. I promise.”
“This is my fault,” she said.
He shook his head, wiping at her eyes. “It’s not. The only person at fault is the person responsible for taking her.”
