Chapter 37
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
“What do you mean?” I blurt.
“I mean she’s missing.”
“How long?”
“We think she snuck out sometime in the middle of the night.”
“Snuck out?” I echo and step back, motioning for Antonio to come inside. I can tell that he’s not lying; our little sister really is missing. “Do you have any idea where she was going?”
“Yeah.” Antonio apprehensively steps into the foyer and looks around. This house is fancy and intimidating on its own. When you factor in that it houses five vampires and a witch, it can feel like a house of horrors to some people. “Coming to find you.”
“Me? What?” I ask even though I heard him.
Before he can answer, Devon comes sliding to a stop next to me. “What the hell is he doing here?”
Antonio stiffens. He hasn’t seen Devon since he was human and lying on the ground of the parking lot, bleeding out.
“Gia is missing.”
“Your little sister?” Devon questions, and I nod.
“Tell me what happened,” I say to Antonio, and close the door behind him.
“Mom found a note at some point this morning. Gia misses you and…and doesn’t believe what she’s been told, thinks Xavier is the hero the news is making him out to be, and wants to come live with you.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and shows me a photo of Gia’s note.
“Oh. Wow. Okay…wait, last night? I talked to you this morning and you didn’t say anything.”
“No one knew she was missing until much later.”
“How?”
“Everyone has been really distracted. Ya know. Since Larissa was detained on the suspicion of mass murder.”
“Do not put that on me,” I snap and Antonio and I stare at each other for a few seconds.
“Oh, hello,” Mabel says, striding into the room. She’s pushing a pram full of stuffed animals. “Who is this?”
“This is my brother, Antonio,” I tell her. “Antonio, this is Mabel.”
“Is he here for the tea party?”
“No,” I say. “Our little sister is missing.”
“Gia? Well, you’re gonna go find her, aren’t ya?” She reaches into the pram and digs out Ellen. “She can have her once you do.”
I take the creepy doll. “Thank you, Mabel.” I tuck Ellen under my arm and close my eyes in a long blink. “Do you have anything of hers?” I ask Antonio.
“Yes. In the car,” he replies.
“Get it, and I’ll do a locator spell.
Devon slowly moves his head back and forth. “I will remind you that the last time you went looking for a missing family member, it didn’t end well.”
“I know!” I put my head in my hands. “But she’s just a kid and Antonio isn’t lying. She’s missing.”
“Anytime someone’s in danger, you just run, no questions asked.”
“She’s my sister, what do you want me to do?”
“Find her and then let him go. You don’t have to join.”
“She’s a kid. She ran away from the Order. I know what they’ll do to her.”
She’s a kid,” he repeats, but he’s not stating it. He’s asking if they’ll go easy on her because of it.
“It doesn’t matter. She’s old enough to know right from wrong according to the Order, and she’s going to be punished for defying them. And the Russos will be mad that she came looking for me.”
“So you plan on finding her and what? You bring her back here?”
“No, of course not. I’ll find her and then try to convince Antonio to get the fuck out of town and sort it all out himself.”
Devon just holds my gaze for a moment. “I couldn’t talk you out of it last time so I’m not going to even attempt to talk you out now. You should at least wait until Xavier can come with you.”
“He’s busy and at the TV station anyway.”
“Call him at the very least.”
“I will,” I promise. And I will. But not now, not right before Xavier goes on live TV. “I can tell Antonio is in line and once I do the spell I know exactly where she is.”
“Okay,” Devon relents. “There’s no point trying to talk you out of this.” Emotion crosses his face and he takes a small step closer. “Just be careful, Wren.”
“I will be. I’m going to find my sister, have some strong words with her about the dangers of running away, and then I’m coming home.
There’s no demon this time. No deranged older sister with a whack-a-doo vendetta against me.
Gia is a scared kid who ran away and needs her family to tell her it’s okay.
And by her family. I mean me, Toni and Leo because we’re the only reasonable ones left out of the bunch. ”
“When you’re included in the reasonable lot, that’s scary,” Devon jokes and I smile.
“Terrifying. Wanna help me set up for the locator spell?”
“Yeah. We are basically pros at it by now.”
“You’re telling me.”
Antonio comes back with one of Gia’s stuffed animals, and we all go into the dining room. Devon and I silently set up a map of Charlotte. I mix up the herbs and Devon puts the crystals in the correct positions on the map in front of us. Mabel sits at her normal spot, silently watching us.
I hold Gia’s stuffed cat, close my eyes, and think about her. I see her face, and can hear her voice, remembering the last time we saw her and how sweet Xavier was with her. I do the spell, and watch the herbs move into place.
“She’s at the Hilton?” I ask, marking the spot on the map. “What is she doing there?” My mind goes to her being kidnapped and trafficked. “We’ll find out.”
Grabbing my purse, Antonio and I rush out of the house and get into his car.
“That vampire…is, she, uh, all there in the head?” he asks, gripping the steering wheel tightly. It’s a good twenty-minute drive to the hotel, and I swear time moves backward when you’re stressed like this.
“Sometimes. Sometimes not. But, that’s just Mabel for you. She’s probably one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. And obviously not a threat.”
“That’s the one Larissa kidnapped?”
“Yep. The most dangerous Malus vampire.”
Antonio just lets out a breath. “Do you think she’s okay?”
He’s talking about Gia. “Yeah, of course,” I lie, but I actually have no idea and I can’t get a read on it, good or bad. “My spell wouldn’t have worked if she wasn’t.” Another lie.
We drive the rest of the way in relative silence, and we drive right up to the hotel, and I go in while Antonio parks.
This hotel is big, and I didn’t narrow down Gia’s location beyond the building.
I run to the front desk, ready to pull out the “Xavier is my husband so you better fucking listen to me” card, but then someone calls my name.
I turn, and Gia waves. “Wren!” She’s sitting in the lobby, reading a Warrior Cats book. She puts it down and runs to me.
“What the hell, Gia?” I throw my arms around her. “You ran away?”
“You call it running away, I call it vacation. I was coming to see you.”
“You could have called!”
“They blocked your number. I couldn’t.” She looks up, brows furrowing. “Mom said you’re bad. But you’re not.”
I just hug her again. “Don’t worry about it.”
Antonio joins us, letting out the biggest sigh of relief. “Are you okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine,” she tells him and then looks at someone coming in the door. “My DoorDash is here.” She walks over to the delivery driver, takes a bag of food, and tips him in cash. Antonio and I look at each other, both slow blinking.
“So you’re like, staying here?” I ask her. “At the hotel?”
“What? If the kid in Home Alone can do it, so can I.” She shrugs and reaches into her bag. “And I got ice cream for dinner.”
I laugh. “Let’s get your stuff and get out of here.”
“I’m only leaving if I come with you,” she says.
“Everyone is looking for you,” I try to reason.
“It won’t be long until someone catches on to the fact that a kid is here without an adult and then Mom and Dad will show up.
” I slowly inhale and look at Antonio. “Let’s get some real food and talk, but I’m going to strongly suggest that you, Toni, and Leo take a little road trip. ”
“I’m not opposed to that idea,” Antonio says and Gia nods.
“Fine. I haven’t unpacked yet, at least.”
All I can do is laugh. We go with her to her room and grab all her stuff.
The kid was prepared. Even though she’s only nine, the girl has more survival skills than a lot of adults, thanks to how she was raised.
Still, there’s an innocence about her and I’m sure Vivian has been given shit for it.
By eleven, I was already killing demons—and really fucking good at it.
I get Gia all checked out and then we hit the road, heading back toward my house so Antonio can drop me off. We stop at a Chinese restaurant on the way.
“What I don’t get,” Antonio starts once we’re seated and are waiting for our food. “Is how the hell you snuck out at night. That place is locked and armed like Fort Knox.”
Gia shrugs. “I guess they forgot to set the alarm that night. And the code hasn’t been changed in a few weeks. I know it.”
Antonio looks at me and I give him an unspoken nod of agreement. It doesn’t make sense for Vivian or Marco to be that careless, even when they’re distracted and worried about their precious Larissa.
I grew up in that compound. It was damn near impossible to sneak away unnoticed even as a teenager who had magical powers.
“Why the Hilton hotel?” I ask.
“The VC hosts events there,” she goes on. “I saw it on Mom’s iPad.”
I can feel Antonio’s eyes on me and I know he’s thinking the same thing. This goes beyond careless and feels almost intentional. Whatever. Vivian isn’t going to win a mother of the year award anytime soon.
“Just don’t run away again.” I grab a fortune cookie from the middle of the table and open it. “It’s not worth the risk. Take it from us. There are bad things out there just waiting to snatch little kids off the street.”
Gia raises an eyebrow and looks at me with so much sass I can’t help but laugh. “That line might work on a regular kid, but not me. I’m armed.”
“Being armed and actually applying your skills in a high-stress situation are very different things,” I tell her, hating how much I sound like an Order higher up right now. But it’s true.
“Then teach me,” she says and looks from me to Antonio and back again. “You two are really good hunters. Why haven’t I gone out and started training yet? Gabby Mendez already killed three demons and she’s ten.”
“Her kill was like shooting a fish in a barrel, if you ask me,” Antonio mutters. “But don’t compare yourself to anybody else. Listen to what Wren is saying and do not run away. Come to me or Leo next time and we can figure this out together.”
“Fine,” she huffs and leans back, looking annoyed. Then she perks up and leans on the table. “How’s married life?”
I laugh and we spend the rest of the time talking as if things are more or less normal. I get up to use the bathroom before we leave and text Devon, letting him know that Gia is safe and sound, and I will be back soon.
I come out of the little, one-stall bathroom to find a woman standing close to the door. “
“Oh, sorry,” I say, assuming she is waiting to get in.
“It’s okay,” she replies, flashing a big smile. “Your Wren Malus, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I say apprehensively.
“I’m a big fan!”
“Of me?” I question, but before I even think about it further, someone grabs me from behind, covering my face with a damp cloth.
Oh shit. The chemical smell hits me and only seconds later I black out.