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“Nothing,” I sighed. “I’m just worried about my sister, Molly. I miss her, and so far, there’s been no trace of her anywhere and now with Mueller gone, my chances of finding her are practically nil.”
I glared at Kat. She didn’t even bat an eyelash at the fact that I was losing my shit and she had answers that she refused to give to me. Big surprise. It pissed me off, of course, but one of the things I’d learned in my time with the Ashby family is to choose your battles.
“So that’s what’s up with me.”
Sadie nodded and slid a look to Kat that made me believe she also knew whatever secret they were all keeping from me. What I couldn’t figure out, was why. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe I held any value to them beyond being another of their worker bees, so what was the point of lying to me?
“And that’s all?”
“What else would it be?”
I knew I was treading on thin ice, but what was the point in asking what was wrong with me if she didn’t actually give a damn.
“That’s why I’m asking.” Sadie said and took a bite.
“Finding Molly would solve my problem, Sadie. That’s my biggest worry, the only concern I have in this world. That’s it.”
I glared at Kat for a long time but she was unaffected, or just plain oblivious. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. I was on my own.
“We’ll find her,” Sadie said, her voice strong and certain. “I promise.”
Yeah, I think she believed that. The problem was, Molly could be alive today, but that could change at any moment.
“She’s not your problem, Sadie. I know there are a lot of other things going on that you all need to address. Molly is my concern.”
“Molly is our concern as well,” Jasper assured me. His voice was full of frustration, though, as if he couldn’t believe I was worried about my sister. Didn’t I know there was a double murder investigation going on, his tone suggested, that would—very likely—bring all kinds of law enforcement agencies to their door?
He merely said, “But right now, we have more immediate concerns.”
“Yeah, I just said I understood that.”
I didn’t need them to explain to me that I wasn’t their priority, but I also didn’t need to burn bridges, so I grabbed a fork full of mashed potatoes and shoved it in my mouth with a smile. “No worries,” I said around the mouthful before turning my focus back to the food.
Eventually the meal was over—finally—and most of the family retired to Sadie’s parlor. Maisie left for work, leaving me with Ava Rose in the empty dining room. Without the familiar warmth of her father, the baby fussed until I rose from the table when the staff came to clear the dishes and bounced her in my arms while I paced the length of the dining room.
“It’s all right, baby girl. Your daddy will be back soon enough. I promise.”
My cooing didn’t help, and she started to fuss with a little more force, squirming as she tried to work up some tears but she couldn’t. Ava Rose didn’t know exactly what was wrong in her world, but she knew something was, and that tore at my heart.
“How about some mashed potatoes? They are one of the seven wonders of the world, and I know you’ll love them.” The bowl with a few scoopfuls remained to be cleared away, and I stuck my finger in before the maid whisked it away. I let Ava Rose taste it, tentatively at first and then she began licking the soft, buttery mash in earnest until she quieted down.
“See? You’re already becoming a woman, soothing your soul with food. Just wait until you find ice cream!”
The food helped, but nothing would soothe her until Cal came to get her. It was a new development over the past few days, this attachment to her father, but not totally unexpected considering she was trying to figure out why the familiar sounds and scents of her mother were no longer a part of her daily life.
Hoping the deep timber of his voice would help, I paced in front of Sadie’s office, working hard to tune out any details I shouldn’t hear, but that, of course, was impossible.
“We need to get that footage before law enforcement does,” Jasper growled. “Our people were crawling all over that hotel, following Bonnie and Mueller, and that will draw questions we don’t need. Not right fucking now, anyway.”
I leaned in closer, eager to hear more, but Ava Rose grunted a familiar song that meant she was filling up her diaper.
“All right, I guess we’ve heard enough.”
We made our way upstairs to Cal’s suite of rooms, where I bathed the little girl, changed her into pajamas and read to her until she fell asleep, between taking appointments for work on my phone.
