27. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jackson
A smile touches my lips as I walk into Sire’s apartment and take in the full house. I hug Vidia before Isabelle races over to her uncle. I look around the room again and try to keep my smile intact when I notice Lisette is missing.
I haven’t seen her since she came to my house Sunday night. I found her sleeping with Isabelle when I went to check on her in the middle of the night. Her nose was red and puffy, her pillow stained with tears. I felt like shit for not immediately calling her family, but when I woke up, she was gone. She texted me, asking me not to say anything, so that’s what I did and I’m not so sure if that was the right choice. Then, she had a trip to Paris with her siblings this past week and I just want to see her.
“How are you doing, princess? I missed you.” Sire scoops Belle into his arms before blowing a raspberry in the crease of her neck and she fills the apartment with her laugh.
“Hey.” I walk over to August to dap him up before leaning over to hug his girlfriend. “How are you doing, Hazel?”
She hugs me in return before flopping on August’s lap on the couch and telling me she’s good.
Walking over to Sage, I pull her in for a hug. “Congrats on the engagement.” I smile down at her new ring and she smiles brightly at her fiancé before kissing his cheek and thanking me.
I focus on him and I’m shocked they got engaged this past week. Sage is a ray of sunshine, wearing pink from head to toe while Liam is covered in tattoos and wearing all black with a glare that can kill.
“Don’t mind him, he doesn’t know happiness unless it’s concerning Sage’s happiness.” Sire sends him a teasing smile, and when I look over at Liam, he’s watching his fiancé and I notice the way his eyes soften when she smiles.
“Where’s Lissy?” Belle asks the question that was on my tongue the second I walked in.
I glance at Sire for an answer but he only shrugs. “I told her to come over, but she said she was busy.”
I hum in thought. “Ask her what she’s doing,” I say for my own convenience since she’s also ignoring my messages. The only way I knew she was okay was because I kept discreetly checking on her through her siblings. “She canceled Belle’s tutoring yesterday because she was also apparently busy.”
She’s clearly avoiding me. Something I said Sunday wasn’t the right thing, and I wish I could’ve been more help that night.
“Lisette told me she was with you two yesterday.” Sire looks between me and my kid, but I shake my head.
“No, she wasn’t.” I watch him carefully.
Sire glances over at the couch. I follow his gaze to August, who taps Hazel’s hip urgently. She rises, letting him stand.
“I’ll call her.” Sage grabs her phone.
“I’ll call Bay.” August grabs his.
“I’ll go to her house.” Sire grabs his things.
“Woah.” I look around the room. “What’s happening?” I look between the siblings and they glance over at each other but no one answers me.
“Hello?” My voice raises although I don’t mean to but the worried look on their faces puts a sick feeling in my stomach. “ What is happening?”
“Nothing,” Sire quickly answers as he takes something from Vidia’s bag and shoves it into his pocket. “I’m sure she’s fine, I’m just going to go check on her.”
The look on his face tells me it’s not nothing so I say, “I’m going with you.”
“Jackson—”
“You said she’s fine, why not let me tag along? Plus, I want to know why she lied and bailed on my kid.”
He lets out a defeated breath before nodding for the door. “Okay, come on.” He starts walking for the door and I quickly tell Isabelle that I’ll be right back. When the twins confirm with a nod that they’ll watch her, I turn for the door.
Before we can walk out, Vidia catches up to Sire.
“Hey.” She gets on her tippy toes and steals a kiss. “She’s fine. Call me if anything, okay?”
He kisses her forehead before taking her hand. “Come with me?” he asks in a hushed voice.
“Yeah, of course.” They walk out, hand in hand, and I follow close behind.
Sire walks to his car way too fast for this to be nothing.
When he drives off, I glance at him in the rearview mirror. “Tell me what’s happening, Sire. You’re a shit liar and your stress is going to make me break out in hives.”
He shakes his head at me as he zooms past a yellow light. “I just have a bad feeling.”
“Do you think something happened to her?”
He doesn’t answer.
I go still. “Do you think she did something to herself ?”
He doesn’t answer again and I notice Vidia takes hold of his free hand.
“Sire—”
“Yeah, Jackson. I think she relapsed, okay? She doesn’t lie to me unless she’s on drugs. Can you please stop?” Desperation seeps into his voice. “I can’t answer your twenty questions and keep myself calm at the same time,” he snaps, but I hear the fear in his voice.
I open my mouth to tell him about Sunday, but it falls shut, knowing that information does no one good right now. I sit back in my seat and my knee bounces in anticipation.
A minute barely passes before he’s calling her, but it rings and rings and rings until we get her voicemail. He calls again and doesn’t let it go to voicemail as he calls back more times than I can count. With every call she doesn’t answer, the quicker he drives.
When he gets her voicemail again, he grabs his phone and brings it to his mouth. “Lisette Grace Allen,” he bites out. “I swear to fucking God, if you don’t call me back before I get to your house, I am going to hurt you and your nasty ass turtle. Answer. The. Phone. ”
He hangs up before immediately calling back and my fear starts to set in. I prepare myself for us to walk in on the worst and I play every scenario in my head. Her bleeding out. Her overdosed. Her dead . I think of what I’ll tell Isabelle, how the funeral will go. I think of all of that twice before we even make it to her place.
We race up the steps and Sire doesn’t even bother knocking as he unlocks the door with his keys. I rush in after him, searching her living room, which is cluttered with dark red paintings.
“Lisette!” I call out to her as Sire and Vidia go straight for what I’m assuming is her room.
I walk in after them, but my steps falter as my eyes land on a half-naked man standing over her, shaking her frantically. He turns to us, fear in his eyes as he steps away from her. “I swear she was just fine.” He puts a hand up in surrender before Sire pushes past him and kneels on the bed in front of her.
Vidia and I are close behind him as we examine her limp body.
“Is she breathing?” The guy behind us questions and I nearly pass out when I notice her concerningly shallow breaths and blue lips. I glance around at her nightstand and my eyes land on the powder, spoon, lighter, and a shit ton of a mess .
“Vidia, call 911.” Sire sprays what I’m assuming is naloxone in her nose. I know it’s supposed to take a few minutes, but it feels like an hour goes by before she takes a gasp of air.
She quickly sits up, frantically shoving Sire away from her as she tries to make sense of what’s happening.
When I hear him start thanking God, I turn on my heels. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Ben.” His scared eyes meet mine and I realize he’s just as high. I let out a scoff as I turn back to Lisette.
I watch her carefully as she takes in her surroundings and slowly calms down.
She looks disoriented as she tries to get out of bed. Sire pushes her back down, but when she pulls the blanket off of herself, my eyes land on her tiny underwear.
Vidia’s eyes land on my heated gaze before looking over at Sire who looks just as pissed. She turns to Ben as she pulls the phone away from her ear. “You should go,” she warns him off before turning back to Lisette and checking her pupils for the operator.
“The pills…” Ben voices. “Can I get them before I go? They’re kinda mine.”
We all turn to him slowly and I let out a scoff before punching him in the face.
I’ve never been a violent person and I know that sounds like an oxymoron as I’m beating this guy’s face in, but his words made me see red and I don’t mean the blood on my hands.
“Jackson, enough.” Vidia pulls my shirt, but I hit him one more time before grabbing his face.
“I swear on my daughter’s life , if you come near her again, I am going to break every bone in your body.” I shove him away before he collects his clothes and hurries out in less than ten seconds.
Leaning against the wall in front of the bed, I focus on Lisette and she still looks out of it as she looks around the room. When her eyes meet mine, she squints as if she can’t understand me being here.
Before either of us can say anything, Sire holds her face in his hands. They just stare at each other and I can see Lisette’s regret from across the room as she faces her brother’s teary eyes.
“Don’t,” Sire cuts her off from whatever she’s about to say and hugs her again. “It’s fine. You’re fine.”
She’s not though, and I can’t tell who between the four of us is more scared to admit that.