Page 109 of End Game

An electric jolt slammed into her heart. “Could you please verify? Jillian might have checked in earlier today.”

Rapid clicking echoed through the receiver. “I’m sorry, Ms. Krowne, but I don’t see that your mother is staying with us. Could she be at?—”

“Thank you, Gavin.” She disconnected.

Kayla racked her brain for another reasonable explanation for her mother’s trip. Maybe she and Harper traveled there to shop the Magnificent Mile for Gordon’s upcoming birthday. That would explain why she’d called it a business trip.

Wouldn’t she still stay at their downtown hotel, though? It would be the most convenient.

She called her sister. “Harper, did you by chance fly to Chicago with Mama?”

“Mom’s in Chicago? She didn’t say anything about a trip when I spoke to her last night.”

“If you hear from her, will you let me know?”

“Sure, but?—”

“Can’t chat now. Give Jimmy a kiss for me.”

Fear crowded in her throat as her fingers tapped out a frantic group text to Sybil and Elsie.

Is Mom with you?

Ten seconds went by with no answer. Thirty seconds. A minute. Two minutes.

Like her, the aunties lived and died by their phones. They always, always answered within a minute, if only to send her a “stand by” until they could respond more fully later.

What the hell was going on?

Kayla held her phone against her chest as snatches of conversation from the past week whisked through her mind. The low hum of anxiety that had started building in her chest after her first phone call was now a nine on the Richter scale.

She gripped the phone tighter to stem the trembling in her hand. With bone-deep certainty, she knew something had happened to her mother. And now her aunties weren’t answering.

Had they all been targeted?

If so, that meant someone had found out about Service and was actively trying to destroy it. Kayla could be next. Had Ash been right all along?

Panic gripped her chest as she put the phone to her ear for one final call.

A cultured voice answered on the second ring. “Kayla, this is a welcome surprise.”

“My apologies for intruding on your personal time, Indira. I will keep this brief.”

“You have perfect timing. My next appointment has not yet arrived. What can I do for you?”

“I’m trying to locate Mom. Dad said she flew to Chicago. I wondered if she might be with you.”

A long nerve-snapping silence followed.

“Indira, she didn’t take her assistant and hasn’t checked in at the hotel yet.” She hated showing weakness to this woman, but answers to her questions were more important than her pride. “I’m worried.”

The older woman released a heavy breath, as if she’d made a decision she didn’t like but could live with. “I can confirm that Jillian requested a personal conference with me. We were to have dinner together at Oriole’s tonight.”

“What time?”

“Thirteen minutes ago.”

Kayla’s own breath shuddered between her lips. “Mom’s never late.”

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