into the kitchen from the front living room. “Addison hasn’t arrived back from her trip. I left Niko at home in case she shows. What’s the status? I got your text that she’s missing.”
Sonia licked her lips and spoke with a clear, concise tone. It was her Senator-in-charge voice. “Addison was supposed to arrive at noon. Her plane landed. None of us have heard from her. Mama Kerri figured out that the code the Backseat Strangler crumbled up and put in Helen’s mouth after he killed her was Addison’s birthday.”
Quinn gasped, his hand fluttering to rest over his heart. Mama Kerri braced her body at the edge of the counter. I let go of Genesis and went over to her and wrapped my arms around her beloved form from behind and rested my chin to her neck.
“Jonah and Ryan are going to find out what’s going on. Maybe we’re all wrong and she stayed in New York. Maybe she got caught in traffic. Maybe…”
Mama Kerri shook her head her body shaking uncontrollably as her fingers turned white with the effort to hold herself up. “He has my daughter. A madman has my Addy.”
“Tabby, honey, if you get this message, please call one of us. The man who tried to hurt me might have Addy, Tab. I’m scared. Mama’s freaking out. We’re all frightened out of our minds. If you could find a way to call or text us, let us know you’re okay…” I shivered and pressed the phone tight to my ear. “I just need to know you’re safe. I love you, Tab. We all do, sister.”
Jonah’s arm wrapped around my waist from behind. I was hiding out on the patio looking out over the city of Chicago. I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me. The city was beautiful from way up there. Buildings jutted up toward the sky like Lego bricks stacked in every color, shape, and size. Lights twinkled from rectangular-shaped windows in varying shades of white, yellow, and gold. Car lights and bright yellow taxi cabs trailed like caterpillars along the busy streets.
Life moved on while ours stood still.
The waiting was the hardest and something inside me knew it was only going to get worse with whatever Jonah had come out here to tell me.
“Baby…” He held me close.
“You have news.” I whispered to the wind and the breeze stole off with it.
“I have bad news, honey. We need to gather everyone.” He squeezed me tighter to his form.
“Is she dead?” I asked, as unbelievable pain ripped through my heart, reminding me of the day I lost my parents in that horrible fire. Like the physical pain of sliding down the roof of my first childhood home in my nightgown. The flames had engulfed every inch of the hallway outside of our room. Sonia lifted me up and shoved me out the window into the cool night air. I was so scared, barely six years old. Screaming for my parents, my thighs and legs abrading along every shingle as we slid down the side of the first story roofline. Flames crackled and groaned in our ears as ember and ash sizzled into the soft skin of my arms as we narrowly escaped the fire that took my parents’ lives.
“Simone.” He breathed against my neck bringing me back while I trembled in his arms.
“Is. My. Sister. Dead?” I choked out, staring at the skyline and watching the blackness get darker, my vision focused on a single square inch of light in the distance as I waited to hear if my sister was still breathing.
“We don’t know. She wasn’t in the car. Come on. What I have to say, honey, I don’t want to say it twice. At this point…” His voice cracked, the only hint that the information he had to share was breaking him in half. He took a breath. “At this point, it doesn’t look good,” he finished.
I closed my eyes and let the pain fill me up. It was the only thing that would keep me standing. If I succumbed to the grief, it would take me away. Right now, for Addison, for my sisters, for Mama Kerri, I had to be as strong as possible. I held on to my pain and dug my fingernails into my hands, piercing indentations in my palms until the pain turned into anger and not sadness.
“Let’s go.” I turned around and started to enter the condo. Jonah took my hand, interlaced our fingers, and pressed