Page 63 of Brage & Dinah

Chapter 25

Dinah closed the onlinebanking app on her phone and sighed. She only had three hundred and forty-eight dollars left in her checking account after paying last month's rent, unsurprisingly Tony never paid, and this month's rent.

Of course, she had a pile of cash in Brage's dresser drawer that she'd earned through wages and tips working at The Fire Ring. Thankfully, she hadn't sent that to Tony or Brad, or she'd be in a worse position.

Money was good working for Slag Motorcycle Club. She had enough to get to Idaho, first/last/security deposit on a new place to live, and probably two weeks of savings before she would need a job.

Or, she could continue living in her apartment and simplify her life. Her gut told her not to take the easy route because Tony would be able to find her and Brad would know where to go after he got released from prison next year. She'd prefer to go somewhere else within Coeur d'Alene. Somewhere they couldn't find her.

Going forward, she wouldn't have to be choosy about where she went to work because she wouldn't need the extra money for Brad in Prison every month. She mentally cut them out of her life the way they'd cut her out of whatever life she was born for when they stole her.

Stole her.

She closed her eyes. Child abductions happened to other people. Children from other areas. Kids, despite viewing their pictures hanging on telephone poles, she'd never find.

Because of that, she never thought of the devastation of someone losing a child.

She typed on her phone, using Google to find the Idaho State Patrol website. While she waited for the website to load, the train outside whistled, filling the room with noise. It'd been days or even longer since she paid attention to the irritating sound.

Scrolling through the index on the page, she found the link for missing persons. Not knowing what she'd find or exactly what she was looking for, she checked out the search fields and filled them in using her information.

Not sure of her actual age anymore, she covered a wide range of years, and clicked the button. How many times had she tried to remember the years she attended Kindergarten and First grade. A teacher's name. Learning to read. All those years when everything was new, but it's like she'd blocked them from her mind.

She'd wondered about those missing years before but chalked it up to having a bad memory. It had seemed strange when other kids at school would share how old they were when they rode a two-wheeled bike for the first time, swam on their own, or attended their first sleepover. She simply couldn't remember when she'd done those things. Those were memories other people had of their life and took for granted.

Being raised by two older brothers...men, she just felt different. It hadn't helped that her home life was stressful. She pretty much supported herself. From cooking to cleaning to being a latchkey kid.

She moved her finger along the screen, looking into the faces of children. One hundred and sixty-eight people went missing within three years. Her heart pounded. That seemed like an awfully lot. How can people just disappear without someone noticing?

Had no one looked for her? Tony mentioned her father was killed, but she had to have a mother. The woman in her dreams could be her.

She rubbed her temple, wishing she could remember.

None of the faces looked familiar. The children were not her. It could be possible that she lived in a different state when she was little. If that were the case, it would take her weeks to find records.

In the Clubhouse, a baby cried outside the bedroom.

Frustrated over not finding any answers, she tossed her phone to the bed and walked out of the room. With the majority of the Slag members gone, including Peer, Holly was in charge of babysitting Tyr. The least she could do was check on them and if Holly needed a break, give her one. Staying busy helped keep the tension out of her day.

Holly walked the floor holding the baby. She approached them, peeking at Tyr, whose face was scrunched up like a wrinkly raisin.

"Is he in a bad mood?" she asked over the warbled cries.

"Him and me." Holly bounced him on her shoulder. "I've fed him, changed him, and wound up that little bird toy he seems to like, and he's not having any of it. Nita's better with him than I am when he's cranky, but she's doing laundry with the other ladies, and I don’t want to bother her. Do you want to try and get him settled?"

"Oh, um..." She looked around the empty room. "I don’t know how."

"Just hold him and move around." Holly held Tyr out.

"He's so little." She hesitantly put her arms in front of her. "I've never held a baby before."

"Well, pretend he's a sack of tomatoes that you can't drop." Holly wiped the hair off her forehead. "I'm going to run and go to the bathroom and grab a sandwich. Then, I'll come back and take him from you if he hasn't calmed down."

"What if he doesn't stop crying." She held him close, surprised at how light he was even with a blanket wrapped around him.

"Crying never hurts babies. It only makes adults go insane," said Holly.

Cradling Tyr, she looked down into his upset face. "Okay, little guy. It's you and me. Let's see if you like the way I walk."

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