Dark Guardian (Black Hoods MC #3) - Avelyn Paige Page 0,10

them with the previous cases. I only have one choice. I have to wait for them to come back to school and try to track down their whereabouts in the meantime. “Speaking to them both is of the utmost priority right now.”

This isn’t how I envisioned this going. Pushing my glasses up, I pinch the bridge of my nose and ask another question. “Did the man who registered them provide a place of residence? An address or phone number? Any means to contact them?”

“Unfortunately, that information is still being entered our system. We’ve had an influx of new students this year, and we’re behind. I can reach out to our IT department and ask them to expedite their information upload.”

“That would be helpful. I’d appreciate a copy being sent to my office, and request that I be notified when they return to class. I must stress, Ms. Pyle, that these children might be in danger, and any second we waste could come with dire consequences for them.”

“I understand. If you give me your number and email address, I’ll get what information we have to you as soon as possible.”

I rattle off my number, and the second she hangs up, I cup my face in my hands.

It can never be easy, can it?

Judge

“Knock-knock,” Lindsey calls from the front door. My niece knows full well she never has to knock before entering this house. I raised her here from the time she was twelve years old. My home is her home, even if she doesn’t actually live here anymore.

And besides, I’ve been waiting for her.

“In the kitchen,” I call out, trying to keep my voice calm, even as the panic threatens to claw its way up my throat and out of my mouth.

I force a smile for Kevin, who looks as worried as I feel.

“You’re home too?” Lindsey asks him as she bustles into the room.

“Something’s wrong with Nat,” he replies.

Lindsey nods, but doesn’t comment any further on the matter. Smart girl.

Lindsey is in the final year of her PhD program at the local university. When she’s finished, she’ll be a fully licensed psychiatrist. But there’s a pretty good chance she’ll push it even further and move on in the program to specialize specifically in child psychiatry. I’m proud as hell of her, but I never thought her expertise would come in as handy as it does right now.

“She’s locked herself in the bathroom and she won’t come out,” I explain. “She woke up fine, went in there to get ready for school, then let out this god-awful scream. I can hear her crying in there, but when I threatened to break down the door, she begged me to just leave her alone.”

“And a little girl asking you not to break down the door stopped you?”

“I didn’t want to scare her.”

Lindsey’s frowning now. “Did she say anything at all?”

“Just that she wants to be left alone.”

Her eyes soften as she places a hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “Has your sister ever had her period before?”

Kevin’s facial expression transforms from one of concern, to one of absolute horror in an instant. “How the heck would I know?” he cries. “Ew! That’s so disgusting.”

Lindsey smirks, as if he had just answered her question, and grabs her purse off of the counter. “I’ll be back,” she says as she makes her way up the stairs.

I hear the soft knock she makes on the bathroom door, along with their muffled voices.

Thinking about Lindsey’s question, I shudder and pour myself another coffee. When I’d agreed to take these kids in, I didn’t once think about periods. Hell, I hadn’t considered a lot of things. Is that what this is? Did Natalie just get her first period? I’m so out of my element on this. Thank God for Lindsey.

“I can’t believe we’re missing school because of a stupid period,” Kevin groans. Whatever worry he’d shown before is gone, only to be replaced with annoyance.

“We don’t know for sure that’s what it is,” I say, plopping my ass down in a chair.

A slow smirk spreads across his lips. He’s enjoying my misery. “You have no idea what you’re doing, do you? Do you even know what to do for a period?”

“Do you?” Sighing, I drag my hand across my face. “I know enough. By the time Lindsey came along back when she was a teen, she was already getting hers. I just bought her what she told me to. It was never exactly a topic of conversation either of us