“Violet,” Elden said, hand on my stomach. “You’re going to tell me what’s goin’ on right now.”
Shit.
“Javier’s not here,” I blurted.
His expression moved from concern to confusion.
“What?”
“Javier.” I was struggling to speak clearly. “He’s not here, and he hasn’t been here since we found out Sariah disappeared.
There was a beat of silence over the whole room.
“Holy fuck,” Colby muttered.
“He brands women,” Elden said slowly.
I wrinkled my nose, thinking of the way that he’d come on to me countless times. He’d always given me the creeps, but I’d thought he was just strange.
“Fuck,” Hansen grumbled, putting his phone to his ear. “Wire, I need you to do a deeper dive on Javier right now. Check into every fucking corner.”
“He was right under our fucking nose,” Lucas seethed.
There was a bunch of manly rage and mutterings after that. Even Elden jumped in, saying what, I didn’t know. But it did not give me enough grace to fight my way through another contraction unnoticed.
I really fucking hoped they found him soon because I knew I didn’t have time.Wedidn’t have time.
“We still don’t have shit on him,” Hansen sighed, hanging up the phone and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Doesn’t have any alternate property rented or owned, his fucking cellphone isn’t pinging, and…”
He stopped speaking, staring at the door. Everyone else did too.
Javier waved at the group. “What’d I miss?”
“Where the fuck have you been?” Elden recovered first, standing from where he’d been sitting on the sofa next to me.
I had been forced to sit, even though it was uncomfortable, and walking made things feel less like I was giving birth to a hot poker.
Javier looked uncertainly at everyone who was glaring at him. “Why is everyone staring at me like I’m a serial killer?” he joked.
“Surprisingly astute,” Caroline commented, tilting her head to survey him.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Hansen demanded.
Javier’s cheeks flushed. “I have brunch with my mom on Sundays,” he shrugged. “Then we watchReal Housewives.”
Everyone just stared at him.
“Why the fuck don’t you have your phone on you?” Hansen asked.
“Mom makes me turn it off,” Javier responded. He looked around the room again. “Seriously, what is going on? You guys are freaking me out.”
“Killer took Sariah,” Colby clipped out, folding his arms and glaring at Javier.
Javier, to his credit, looked sufficiently shocked. “Holy fuck,” he muttered. “Do we have any idea who this fuck is?”
No one answered.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he muttered. Then he looked upward. “Sorry, Lord.” He glared around the room again. “You seriously thought I was the serial killer? That blows, man.”