Page 53 of Severed Rivalry
“Ya. Hang on.” There’s rustling before a smacking.
“You don’t look like Cian,” the muffled voice says.
“Thank fu— We get that a lot. You gonna let me in?”
“Not yet.”
It takes all the wind in my chest, but I bark a laugh. “Give him hell, Renée,” I mutter.
“I heard that,” Liam replies.
“Who are you talking to?”
“I have Ci and Ayla’s husband, Christian, on the phone.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re worried. And I figured it gives them something to bust my ba— chops over later. You don’t trust me.”
My phone beeps and I lift my head to my brother-in-law displaying Ayla’s name on the screen. He lifts his phone to dial her while I stay with Liam and Renée.
“Do you know where they took your grandmother? Which hospital?”
There’s a long pause before her voice gets even smaller. “No.”
“Princess,” Christian starts. “Ci is on the phone with Sariah’s daughter and Liam. You on your way?” He pauses before asking, “What’s your ETA?”
“It’s okay, Renée. Here’s the deal,” Liam begins. “My sister, Ayla, is on her way. She’s a few minutes out.”
“Twenty-seven minutes,” her husband pipes from my side.
“Twenty-seven minutes out. So, your call. I can come in or I can sit right here and make sure you’re safe from outside.”
“Okay.”
“We’re getting your mom home tonight.”
“She got… arrested.” Her small voice breaks on the last word.
“Eh. It happens.”
Did my brother just go withit happensto soothe a thirteen-year-old?
“Do you remember if the cop had ‘police’ or ‘sheriff’ on his uniform?”
“I think it said sheriff.”
“Did you catch that?” Liam asks us.
Christian pulls Ayla from his ear, flips her to speaker, and starts typing out a text. He responds when he’s done. “I’ve alerted Sherman.”
“Thanks, Renée. The lawyer will start there. The sooner we get her home, the better.”
“How will we hear about RoRo?”
“I haven’t worked that out yet.” My brother, the plain talker. “Have you had dinner?”
“No.”
