Chapter 36 Evan #2
Dante narrowed his eyes at me for a moment before he stood from behind his desk and came around to us. I thought he was going to come straight for me, but instead, he went to E.
“Luka,” he murmured. “Are you well?”
“I’m fine,” E said, his voice strong.
Dante said nothing for a moment as he stared at him before nodding and gesturing for us to take seats near his fireplace.
“Where’s mein ballerina?” Klaus asked.
“She will be here in a moment,” Dante said, taking a seat across from me. “We have no word on my sister. This is not going to work for me.”
“Do you think it’s working for us?” Anson snapped at him.
“Excuse me, Archangel, but if you were doing your job, she would not have gone missing.”
“Fuck you, Dante,” Anson snapped. “Where the fuck were you? You’ve been up our ass for a month on tour, but in this goddamn city you bailed.”
“You’re right. I let her down and broke my vow,” Dante replied, his voice shaking. “It is killing me to know she’s gone. I-I have been searching. We all have. I know everything about this city, from its sewer drains and hidden tunnels to its high-rises. And nothing. There’s just fucking nothing.”
If Dante Church was telling us he had no leads, then I knew we’d gone from bad to worse. My heart pounded at the fear of what it meant.
“Do you think whoever took her could have left the city?” E asked. “It started outside of Chicago, so maybe whoever did this didn’t plan to stick around.”
Dante nodded, and my stomach dropped.
Fuck.
I was really hoping that wasn’t the case.
“Based on the fucking nothing we have, I’d say that might be a very good possibility.” Dante sighed. “But I will send out more men. We will triple the efforts. She will be brought home, and the ones responsible will be…handled.”
“I want to handle them,” I said in a low voice. “I will pay, if that’s what it takes.”
“Perhaps we could do it together.” Dante smirked at me.
“So be it.”
His smile widened. A soft knock sounded out before his door opened. Sirena walked in with Ellis, clutching her hand tightly. The moment she saw it was us, she broke free and rushed for me.
“Daddy!” She threw herself in my lap. Immediately, I hauled her against me and hugged her tightly.
“Hey, nugget,” I murmured, kissing the top of her head fiercely.
I looked at E to see his eyes wide. He sat forward, his full attention on her.
I released her, and she went to Anson next.
“Dadda.”
“Hey, baby.” Anson smoothed her curls.
“Where’s Mommy?”
“She’s away for a few days. She’ll be here soon to see you,” Anson said, giving her the best smile he could muster.
She accepted that answer before she went to Klaus, who lifted her easily into his arms.
“Unkie Dunkie said you don’t know how to dance. He said he is better than you.”
Klaus scowled at Dante. “I would own you.”
Dante scoffed. “Any time, old man.”
Klaus gave him the finger while Ellis clung to him. She broke away, and Klaus released her. I watched her go to E.
“Hi,” Ellis said shyly.
“Hey,” E replied thickly, his green eyes shining with tears.
She cocked her head at him. “You are my daddies’ friend?”
He nodded. “Your mommy’s too. I’m Ethan.”
“Ethan,” she repeated softly.
I watched with my breath held as she got closer to E, placed her hands on his cheeks, and stared at him.
“You have green eyes like Mommy and Unkie Dunkie,” she whispered.
He smiled. “Yeah.”
“But not eyes like mine. You are not first daddy.”
E visibly swallowed. “No, darlin’, I’m not.”
“Do you know my real daddy?”
E nodded wordlessly.
“Can you tell him I am waiting for him? Mommy said he’s very busy. Please. Tell him to see me.”
E’s bottom lip wobbled. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll tell him.”
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He seemed surprised at that, but he hugged her back gently.
“You look so much like your daddy,” E whispered, a tear snaking down his cheek.
Ellis giggled softly. “Mommy says that.”
“She can be hell like him, too,” Anson said. “When she wants something, she’s unstoppable.”
E chuckled as she released him.
“Do you like to play princesses? Aunt Weena plays princesses with me.”
I glanced at Sirena, who stood at Dante’s side, silent as always. She was breathtaking. Ethereal. Always silent. But she doted on Ellis so much, and Ellis loved her.
Dante reached out and kissed the top of Sirena’s hand before releasing her. She left the room a moment later without a word said.
Ellis quickly signed to Dante, making him chuckle.
We all learned to sign to communicate with Sirena, but she wasn’t always talkative.
“I will tell her that’s what you want,” Dante said. “Macaroni and cheese. Not soup.”
Ellis glanced at me with her big blue eyes.
“Daddy makes macaroni soup. That’s what Mommy calls it.”
E looked from Ellis to me, his forehead crinkled.
Fuck. I never could make mac and cheese. The guys always teased me about it. E shifted closer, his entire attention fixed on me as he seemed to be thinking over Ellis’s words.
“Daddy is good at cooking lots of things. Just not pasta,” Anson piped up. “You like his monster cookies.”
“Can we make them?” Ellis lit up at the mention of her favorite cookie.
“Mommy gave Sirena and Shadow the recipe. I’m sure they will make them with you tonight. Uncle Kai likes them too,” Dante said.
“Do you know my Unkie Kai?” Ellis looked to E. “He has the rope. Sometimes he lets me play jump rope with it, but Aunt Weena said he wasn’t allowed to anymore because he got it dirty.”
“Uh, yes. I know Unkie Kai,” E murmured, finally looking away from me.
Thank fuck.
“Do you know Unkie Sin and Unkie Crazy Butt?”
Anson chuckled, and E looked confused.
“Unkie Crazy Butt is Asylum,” Anson said.
Klaus let out a little laugh, and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.
Ellis started calling Asylum that last year when she caught him talking to a seagull on the beach.
It sort of stuck, especially after a seagull shit on him and on his ice cream.
He’d had a meltdown and dropped it. It ended in a barrage of seagulls swooping in for the cone and him swearing as he kicked at them like a madman.
“Ah.” E nodded knowingly.
“Mr. Ethan, do you know ballet?” Ellis asked.
“Uh, no, darlin’, I don’t,” he said.
“I can teach you.” She reached out her hand for E, and he wordlessly took it and let her lead him in front of us all.
My heart clenched at the sight of the two together.
I missed Ro. I missed her so much. She would cry if she saw this.
Fuck. I needed to bring her home to us. E may not have been interested in joining us, but I wasn’t too proud to admit I missed him, too, and wanted him back in my life. I would be really good if he only wanted friendship with us.
“Now do this,” Ellis instructed E as she did a plié.
E mimicked her, and she clapped excitedly.
“Mr. Ethan, you are doing great!” Ellis squealed. “Do you want to meet Mr. Rufus?”
“Yes,” E said, his voice shaking.
Maybe this was too much for him. I imagined it was a shock.
“Ellis, baby, why don’t you see what Aunt Sirena is doing and ask her about the cookies?” Anson said gently, catching what I was noticing.
“Mr. Ethan, do you like my mommy’s cookies?”
“Love them,” E whispered.
“I will go tell Aunt Weena! We will make you some! Then I will tell Mommy that you ate them!”
“I would love that,” E said as she danced around. “I could take some home to my son.”
“You have a son?” Ellis widened her eyes at him.
He nodded. “I do. His name is Lazarus. He is about your age.”
“Like a lizard?” She crinkled her brows.
He laughed loudly at that. “We call him Riot for short.”
“I will make extra for Lizard,” she said, her tone serious. It looked like she’d nicknamed the poor kid.
“I’ll take you,” Klaus said, getting to his feet.
“She’s likely already in the kitchen. It’s almost time for lunch,” Dante said. “Will you all be staying?”
“We really need to be out looking for Rosalie,” Anson said.
Dante nodded. “Yes. I will be headed out soon as well, but I have Asylum with me today, and he’s a pain in the ass if he doesn’t eat. He brings a fucking roast chicken with us, and I’m so tired of my car smelling like that.”
“Does he have any idea on any of this?” I asked as Klaus gave Ellis a piggyback ride out of the room.
Dante shook his head. “He’s in a dry spell, according to him. It happens sometimes. He’s been trying a new med, and I think it’s fucked with him. He’s been struggling lately with a few things, so we’re letting him ride this one out. He did say he can feel her alive.”
I breathed out. That was good. Asylum was never wrong.
“Trent is out with Shadow and Ashes right now,” Dante continued. “Figured I’d put him to work.”
Anson nodded. “He told me he was going out again today.”
“He’s been out quite a lot,” Dante said. “Almost as much as I have been.”
I loved that Ro had so many people who cared. I feared we’d have to tell her father soon, though. He would lose it if she were missing. They’d done a lot to rebuild their relationship, and she and her mom, or stepmom, often came out to visit when Ro wasn’t touring.
My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out to see a message from Jamie. I’d been keeping in contact with her over everything going on, and she was sick with worry.
It was the same messages I’d been getting. Her checking in to see if we had any news.
Jamie: Anything? Please, tell me anything good.
Evan: Nothing yet. We’re still looking.
Jamie: Damnit! I can come out there. We’re moving there in a month anyway, so I can just leave early.
Evan: No, I don’t want something happening to you, too. Keep your schedule. If anything changes, I will reach out. Promise.
Jamie: OK. I’m just worried.
Evan: Me too.
Jamie: *hugs* Call me if you just want to talk, OK?
Evan: I will.
I breathed out and caught E staring at me again.
I needed some air. All these feelings were starting to take their toll on me.
I got to my feet. Anson could read me like a book. He gave me a nod as I walked to the door.
“I’ll, uh, join you,” E said, following me.
I sighed. Of course he would, the intuitive bastard.