“This is new.” I pointed at Jace’s when he got close to me with the others bringing up the rear.
“This cesspool has a lot of cases. I’m not taking any chances.” He passed me the bag he was carrying, and inside were two more masks that looked like we were going into combat. I could only shake my head and accept since there was no use arguing.
The guy had made his parents, in-laws, and their household staff self-quarantine for the past two weeks because he knew we were coming home. Of course, they wanted to see their grandkids, so they’d agreed. “Where the hell did you get these things?”
“I ordered them a while ago, but they came after you left. So, what did you find out?”
“How did you know I found anything?” His answer was a stare, and I was tempted to remind him that we were the same age and that that shit wasn’t going to work on me, but who the hell am I kidding? “I downloaded the security footage from the hallway with the lockers, but I haven’t looked at it yet; I was waiting for you guys to get here, I suppose, more eyes.”
The others had reached us by now, leaving the girls to chat. “Jace, where are your dad’s people? I haven’t seen them since I left the house this morning.”
“They’re here somewhere because he’s the one who told us where you were. You can thank me for him not making you ride around in the backseat while you’re here; the guy’s a pain in the ass.”
“How did you call him off” Uncle Chad isn’t known for giving in on anything when it comes to us kids.
“I sidetracked him with the twins. Okay, so I’m pretty sure someone is going to be here with her; let’s go home and sift through some shit. You have everything ready for her birthday, right?”
“Yes, dad!” I teased and got a slap behind the head from Track for my trouble.
“Hey, who’s handling Mancini’s thing? Did you tell him…?”
“He knows, and they’re handling something else right now. Our last job seems to have sent our people into hiding, for the time being, at least that’s what he thinks since there hasn’t been a shipment in a while.”
“That probably means they found somewhere else to do their shit.”
“Doesn’t matter because Track’s in their computers anyway. So, until they find his bug, we’ll have eyes on their every move.”
“Sweet!” That means I can enjoy my downtime without any guilt because as much as I want to be here, the job is never far from my mind.
“By the way, the women are up to something. You might wanna watch your girl.”
“Up to what? What do you mean?” He just sighed and pushed his hands in his pockets.
“Here they come, tell you later.”
Damn, am I going to have to look beneath the surface with her now too? It’s a given that the sisters-in-law are way more than they seem, but I always thought that was because of what Sian had endured at Mandy’s hands. For some reason, thinking about that made me realize how serious this shit really was. It was about more than notes being left in lockers. If Mandy was behind this, then the shit smacks of desperation.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jace asked just as the girls reached us. I could only shake my head in answer as a fear I had not felt until now overcame me. How could I have been so stupid? I can blame being caught up in the fog surrounding her birthday and what her being a year older meant to our relationship. But nothing excuses the fact that I’ve been blind.
I looked at Jace as reality began to sink in. His coming here early has nothing to do with her birthday celebration. “What do you know?” I whispered the words, but all I got was a shake of his head for an answer. Looking around at the others, I got a pain in my gut and had to swallow around the lump in my throat when I saw the looks on their faces. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done when I watched Cassie walk into the building minutes later after saying goodbye.
Alex
I followed the others back to Jace’s childhood home, but with each mile, I was tempted to go back and get her. Why the hell was Jace here hours before he was due, and why hadn’t he called me with whatever it is that he’d found? Hopefully, the reality isn’t as bad as what my imagination is coming up with, but I’m not holding out much hope.
There was another half an hour spent with hellos and playing catch up with the adults once we reached the Saunders estate, then Jace gave his dad a look, and next thing I know, the guys were heading up to the media room while the women were left by the pool already in their bikinis and ready for some fun in the sun. I guess the heated indoor pool at our place off-campus doesn’t hold a candle to this one.