Page 36 of Striker's Yield

“What do you mean she’s not at school?” I demand, clutching the phone in my hand, growing furious by the second. From the moment I got the school’s alert text saying she hadn’t shown, I’d been pissed. The longer it takes to track the girl down, the more so I get.

Lila, for all the bullshit she can cause, skipping school isn’t one of them. She knows the rules, and that’s not one she’d break. Not even to hang with her friends. The only time she’s ever missed school was when she’d been sick with the flu. Still, she’d been determined that she was going to go at least get her work so she didn’t fall behind.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I’ve checked with her teachers, and she’s not been seen. The resource officer checked the security cameras and spoke with her friends. No one has seen her,” the woman who runs the front office of the school says.

“Right, if she comes in, call me immediately,” I snap and look at my brothers.

“Lila’s missing?” Horse is the first to ask.

“No one’s seen her at school,” I tell him and look back to my phone to find Lila’s number. I call it only to get no answer. “Call me back, Lila,” I growl, leaving a message.

“I’ll trace her phone,” Gadget mutters as I shove my phone back in my pocket.

“Appreciate it.” I nod, not having a good feeling about any of this. Something had to have happened. I feel it in my gut.

“We’ll find her,” Brass mutters, slapping a hand on my shoulder.

My phone rings at the same time Brass’s and Twister’s do. I pull mine out as Brass steps away to do the same with his. I glance at the screen, frowning at the name. It’s Adam, Autumn’s dad calling me. I’d given him my number in case something happened with Autumn and she needed me. I knew Autumn well enough to know she was not going to call me if something was wrong.

It’s barely been a week, and I know this from being near her. I know more just from watching her and seeing the way she takes this on.

With Adam calling me, something’s up. More than what’s already, and it pisses me off.

“Adam,” I greet the other man over the phone.

“Son,” Adam mutters, sounding like he was grimacing.

“What?” Brass snarls, twisting my way.

“You’re sure?” Twister demands, doing the same.

“What happened?” I ask Adam, knowing I’m not going to like whatever he’s going to tell me. Especially with the way my brother and Prez are both looking murderous.

“You need to get here. This isn’t something you say over the phone,” Adam suggests.

“Something’s happened to Autumn.” I clutch the phone to my ear and drop my gaze to the ground.

“She’s . . . ugh, well, yes. I went back to her office where she was cleaning up and found she wasn’t there.” He pauses and takes a breath. “She left her phone on the desk next to a sheet of paper that she scribbled ‘I’m sorry’ on.”

“I’ll be right there.” Hanging up, I shove my phone in my pocket and meet each of my brother’s gazes. “I’m heading to the café.”

“We’re all heading there,” Twister announces.

“Hold up a second,” Gadget calls.

“What?” I demand.

“Your sister’s phone pinged at your place. Same as the tracker we placed on it,” Gadget states. “Looks like she’s just decided to ditch, maybe?”

“I doubt it,” I remark, shaking my head. “She knows the rules.”

“I’ll send Kenny over to the house. See if she’s there,” Horse suggests. “Better to send her than one of us. If she’s there and it’s nothing, it won’t seem like a big deal.”

“Yeah, that’d be good,” I agree. Besides, I know Kenny, if Lila’s skipping school for the hell of it, she’ll lay into her for me.

Striding to my bike, I swing a leg over and straddle the beast, thinking only of getting to the café and finding out what the fuck happened to make my woman take off. The fact that she’s gone and with my sister not going to school, none of it sits well with me. If something’s happened to either of them, I’ll lose my shit.

I step into Autumn’s office as Athena apologizes for not being more on the lookout and watching Autumn closer. I ignore her and pick up Autumn’s phone. The screen brightens, and it asks for a password.

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