Page 162 of Severed Rivalry
Sariah
I don’t know when kids go from sleeping like babies to tossing and turning in their sleep, but a foot in my lower back and an armthat’s not mine over my forehead seems an accurate metaphor for how things are going right now.
Renée is sound asleep. Eleanor is missing, and I’m contorted like a Cirque du Soleil performer mid-flight.
Sliding from under the covers, I stretch like that will help the wonky position I’ve been held in. Looking back to my girl, I note her sleeping face is peaceful. That’s the most I could ask after the last week… or month… or years.
I pad down the hall, tee askew and sleep shorts barely covering my ass and not caring one bit.
I pass Ci pacing the stone terrace, phone to his ear, and head straight for the coffee pot. I pour two mugs and am on my way to the deck when something catches my eye.
A list in Cian’s handwriting with two things scratched off.
What’s the status of the Laotians?
House before next school year?
Mom.
Therapist.
Connect2Coach owners – where are they?
Jonas.
What do we do with five teenagers?
Phoenix.
Who is Freddie Gauthier?
I drop an “S” near the house and school line item as well as the Freddie one. I’ll ask Rosie about him today. To the therapist one, I add a question mark. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I can’t really help with his new business and God knows I have no clue what to do about Jonas, but I can take two of these on.
I pick up the mug I’d set down and head for the door.
Ci is off the phone. He stares at the pavers while a strong hand tugs at the back of his neck. Whatever that call was about, it obviously wasn’t good. I pull the door, jostling the coffee until a trickle rolls down the side of one of the mugs.
“Quick.” I extend the mug, andhe grabs it deftly. I shake the coffee off my hand. “Shit, that’s hot.”
“Good morning, Angel.” He takes my hand and kisses the inside of my palm, before dropping a peck on my lips.
“I have morning breath.”
“I have it’s-been-hours-and-I-haven’t-slept-yet-breath. We’re even.”
“Did you find Ruth?”
He shakes his head, but I didn’t need that indicator. The sadness on his face tells the story. “No. I’m no bounty hunter or PI. I’m a businessman who sorely lacks those talents.”
“You saved us in South Dakota.”
He pulls me into his chest, wrapping an arm low on my waist. “I had motivation. And my brother-in-law’s plane. Money makes a lot of things easier.”
“Let’s get some of that then.”
His chuckle rumbles from his chest and vibrates my body. “I’ll get right on that.”
Eleanor sashays to his side and sits, leaning on his leg, looking to him for validation. He reaches down and strokes her nose and behind her ears.
