Page 48 of Wife Number One

At least I would have known she was safe.

“Where are they?” I asked Rebel.

“I don’t know.” Her gaze landed on the bed, and she leaned over, picking up a piece of paper half hidden by the duvet. Her eyes moved right to left as she read whatever was written on it, and then she cringed. “Actually, I do. Here.”

I snatched the note from her fingers.

Kara,

Sorry for sneaking out, but I knew you’d say no. We’ll be back before night falls and then we can get going. I’m sorry. I know you want to go and hide away, but I don’t. Just let me have this one day to explore and then we can move on. I’ve got Kyle with me so I’ll be safe, and you can spend the day with Rebel. I know you’ve missed her, and Hayley Jade should get to know her cousins.

We’re free, Kara! Enjoy it!

Love, Alice.

I stared at my sister’s handwriting, and then up at Rebel. “What are we going to do?”

Rebel sighed. “I can get Vaughn and Kian to go look for her. Fang has to go bail Hawk’s ass out of jail, otherwise he’d go too.”

I blinked. “Hawk is in jail? What did he do?”

“Who knows,” Rebel shrugged. “It’s not like it’s never happened before.”

I hugged my arms around myself, regrets fighting their way in to battle with my common sense. “I shouldn’t have left,” I mumbled. “I should have just stayed. This is the sort of men who are out here. Men who are put in jail. What if Alice runs into someone like Hawk?”

Rebel caught my hand. “Hawk is an asshole, but he’s not all bad. From what Alice told me last night, Josiah and some of his friends should be behind bars too. Were you really any safer with him?”

I knew she was right.

I wasn’t safe anywhere. Neither was Hayley Jade. Neither was Alice.

“They’re going to find me,” I mumbled.

Rebel’s expression took on a determined firmness. “Over my dead body. Alice is going to be fine. I’m going to send Vaughn and Kian out to search all the most popular hangouts in the city, all the places they don’t check ID so she’d be able to get in.”

“I should go with them.”

Rebel shook her head. “The last thing we need is you out there too. If Josiah and his guys really are tracking you, keeping you safe and hidden is our number one task.”

Fang appeared in the doorway behind her, catching the end of the conversation. “Sorry to interrupt. I just came to kiss you goodbye. But I caught the end of that. You aren’t staying here alone. Neither of you.”

Rebel wrapped her arms around his thick waist and stared up at him. “You think those five probably chocolate-covered kids up in the main house won’t protect us?” She was clearly trying to lighten the mood.

I didn’t find it funny.

Neither did Fang, clearly.

He rubbed his hand along the side of her cheek, cupping her face. “It’s family day at the clubhouse. There’ll be food, and we’ll get the swing sets and trampolines out. I’ll drop you all off on my way to the police station, and then I’ll meet you back there.”

Rebel looked at me. “What do you think? He’s right. As much as it kills the independent woman in me, I don’t want the kids in any danger.”

I didn’t want to go there. It was where I’d been taken after Rebel had saved me. The clubhouse held memories of pain and sadness. It was full of sinful men who did unspeakable things that weren’t just illegal but immoral. I didn’t want to go back.

But what choice did I have? I had Rebel’s money burning a hole in my pocket, promising a better life for me and Hayley Jade and Alice. But none of that could start until she came home.

The house was full of children, and if we were here alone and Josiah found us…

I couldn’t even bear the thought.

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