Page 89 of Sworn to Protect

What the hell?

The sting of betrayal cut deep, but underneath it, I feel something worse. Hurt. I should be furious. Maybe I am. But more than anything, I need to make sure she’s okay.

Caleb mentioned Plymouth Rolling Rock, Inc.

The name prickles in the back of my mind.Why does that sound so familiar?

I shelve that thought for later. First, I need to find Jordan. If anyone besides me had access to Mackenzie’s account, it was him.

Ten minutes later, I find myself on the porch of Mrs. Turner’s house.

“Nate, I’m surprised to see you.” She looks nervously behind her. “Mackenzie isn’t here.”

A clatter of feet come trampling across the floor. Nick springs from behind his grandma and bounces on his heels. At least someone is happy to see me.

“Nate, are you here to take us for ice cream?”

I drop to a knee and look him straight in the eye. “Not today, buddy. But I promise soon, okay?”

He nods as Liam makes his way into the living room. He hangs back, looking unsure whether to join us. His bruises have faded, and his cast comes off soon. He’s on the mend. I push back to my feet.

“Everything still going well?”

“Yeah.” His answer is clipped. His body language emits I-don’t-want-anything-to-do-with-you vibes, but his eyes tell a different story. There’s a longing to them.If I’m reading you right, I miss you too.

I nod and force my gaze back to Mackenzie’s mom. “I was hoping to talk to Jordan.”

She lets out a heavy sigh. “Like I told the detectives, he left this morning to run errands. I thought he’d be back before lunch, but he hasn’t returned yet.”

That can’t be good. I nod, holding her gaze for a minute. That look pretty much tells me everything I need to know. Jordan stolefrom his sister, and their mom realizes it. But the question is, why? What am I missing?

“Did he take off in Stan’s truck?”

She shifts uncomfortably. “No. His car is fixed.”

“We helped him fix it,” Nick says, the excitement apparent in his expression. “The car’s really old but cool. It goes beep-beep.”

“It does?” Even though the situation is serious, I can’t help but be amused by Nick’s enthusiasm.

“Yep! That’s what Uncle Jordan said. He said roadrunners go beep-beep.”

Roadrunner? My gaze cuts to Mrs. Turner. “Is his car a Plymouth?”

“Yes. A black, nineteen seventies model.”

“And you don’t know where he went?”

“I know where Uncle Jordan went. I heard him on the phone,” Nick says.

“Mom said you shouldn’t be eavesdropping,” Liam scolds from the living room. He has inched closer to us but isn’t fully committing to the conversation.

“I wasn’t.” Nick crosses his arms across his chest. “He was next to the bathroom.”

“What did Uncle Jordan say?” I ask.

“He said he’d be there to pick him up. Paw roles won’t know.” He scrunches his nose. “What’s paw roles?”

“Paw roles?” I ask, not knowing what the heck he means.

---