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Denny’s voice brought me back from wherever I’d gone. I blinked up at him, tracing his scar with my gaze before meeting his eyes.
“Do we know where Ryder is?” I asked. My own voice still sounded so far away to me, like it was coming from the other side of the room. “Where he might be?”
“No.” He took a knee in front of me and hung his head. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not what you want to hear right now.”
No, it wasn’t, but it was the truth. I’d have to face it sooner or later. Might as well deal with it now.
“Does that woman know where he is?” I asked. That woman. Not even Melony. If Melony thought my babies were truly hers, she was doing a shitty job of being a mother. Maybe she’d had second thoughts about having twins. Too much for her to handle, so she’d abandoned Rylan the first chance she got.
If true, it was a thing I’d never be able to understand. How could a mother choose which of her children to keep, which to throw away? I would have rather died first.
“It’s hard to say,” Dennis admitted. “Xander lost his temper at Sarah. Bad.”
“Did he hurt her?”
A sour taste filled my mouth as I realized that part of me hoped the answer would be yes. Whatever this Sarah person’s role was in all of this, she was part of it. She’d played a role in keeping my babies away from me. She deserved whatever she got.
But Dennis shook his head. “He didn’t hurt her, no. Not for lack of wanting to, mind you. Just scared her something fierce. Beauty is trying to talk him down now. I want to get the three of you out of here. That sound good to you?”
I nodded, and Dennis helped me up out of the chair. My legs were shaking, the product of adrenaline. I swayed slightly when I found my feet, and Dennis put an arm around me, keeping me steady as he guided me into the kitchen, where Xander and Beauty were. Rab and the woman, Sarah, were elsewhere.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Xander insisted. It seemed like part of a longer argument. “Not until I get some answers.”
“Yeah? With that temper?” Dennis scoffed as he led me to Xander’s side. “Not conducive to getting answers right now. You’re gonna call it a night and come back with better manners in the morning, and not a second before then.”
“Like hell I am. I have two sons. Until I know where the other one is—”
“You’re going to go to a nice, cozy hotel room to cool down for the night,” Dennis finished for him. “You’re right, Miller. You have two sons. And a mate.” He nodded to me. “None of them will be any better for it if you rip that girl’s head off and end up next to dear old grandad on the FBI’s most wanted list. You wanna be of help to your family right now? Then, you need to take care of what you’ve got.”
“We need to know where Ryder is. What you’re suggesting—just abandoning him—”
“You’re not abandoning anyone. C’mere. Look.” Dennis sighed, then motioned for us to follow. He opened the door to the pantry. Inside, Rab shifted awkwardly from foot to foot while Sarah crouched near the wall, ensconced by canned goods, still crying, and hiding her face.
“She look like she’s answering questions right now?” Dennis asked Xander. “She’s scared shitless. The next time she opens her mouth, all she’s gonna do is start pleading for her life again. You wanna question her, you come back in the morning with a better fucking attitude. You both should be simmered down by then.”
Xander clenched his fists and pulled himself to his full height. “You remember who’s working for who here, Denny? Because last I checked—”
“Xander. Come on.” I shifted Rylan in my arms so I could reach out and touch Xander’s hip. “You heard him. Other people might come back here tonight. Like Melony. Or Quincy, or Samuel, or Lizbeth. Sarah might not know where Ryder is, but they will. And if they show up here, only to find her in shambles like this, they’re going to bolt on sight.” I looked to Denny, who gave me an approving nod. It was the right thing to say. “Denny and his team are professionals. Let them handle this.”
Xander stared at me with a look of absolute betrayal. But as I held his gaze, his expression softened.
“Fine,” he rasped. “Fine. We’ll break for the day.” He shot Denny a glare of warning. “First thing tomorrow, we get answers.”
Denny looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. “You got it, slick.”
* * *
Denny drove us back through Sharpe City, then onto the interstate. Xander and I sat in the backseat of the truck, with Rylan strapped in right between us. Some half-remembered safety article I’d read had claimed it was the safest place in the vehicle for a car seat.
I wished I could build a fortress around his car seat instead so he’d never be in danger again.
About ten miles north, Denny pulled off under the glow of a Holiday Inn sign. We went inside. He chatted for a while with the woman behind the front desk, flirting innocuously, making her laugh. It was strange, seeing him so relaxed and good-natured when, less than half an hour before, it had looked like he and Xander might come to blows.
Denny booked two rooms under his name. He paid for them with his own American Express.
“Best rooms in the hotel,” he informed us. “Miss Renee here cut us a good deal.”
“That’s an awfully cute baby you’ve got there,” the woman behind the desk called out. She winked at Denny. “Pretty cute grandpa, too.”
