Missing Pieces

23

I didn't waste a second before I was reaching for my phone and calling Kieran.

I waited for him to pick up as quickly as he usually did, but that never happened. Instead, the call went to voicemail.

With my heart in my throat, I dialed his phone number again, keeping my gaze on the heading in front of me. My eyes kept running over the words, as if my mind believed that if I looked enough times, I'd see something else.

Kieran never answered. Exhaling shakily, I threw my phone down on my bed and grabbed my laptop again, reading over the article again.

I reminded myself that it had simply been rumors.

Suspected affair.

Nothing had been identified as the truth, but when I scrolled to the bottom of the page, I stumbled upon a picture that made my heart stop.

A picture of my dad and the woman—Gianna. It was taken through the windows of a restaurant, the snapshot showing the two of them sitting across from each other at a booth. The lighting was dim and even from afar, the atmosphere looked intimate.

I quickly shut my computer and slipped out of my bed, my pulse pounding against the base of my throat as I made my way out of bedroom, needing some fresh air.

I practically ran down the stairs, my goal being the patio. I was almost there when I heard them, speaking amongst themselves in hushed murmurs. Pausing outside of the kitchen, I leaned in close to listen.

The deep voice that reached my ears first was unfamiliar, until I realized that it sounded like Marcus, my brothers' friend.

"I say it's time you send them a message," he rumbled. "Do what you planned on doing this entire time and show him you're not playing around."

"That's not an option anymore," Soren replied, his tone holding a warning. "It never was from the beginning. I thought I made that clear."

Silence followed.

"Ezra," Soren pressed and it sounded like he was speaking through clenched teeth. "Tell him."

Another moment passed during which nobody uttered a word. I pressed closer to the wall.

"He's right," Ezra murmured lowly and I could have sworn I heard Soren breathe out in relief. "I never intended to go that far. It stays that way."

"Too bad," Marcus said. "It might've been just the thing to bring her out of hiding."

Soren huffed out a dark laugh. "No, it wouldn't," he argued and my eyebrows furrowed. "She doesn't care about Aspen. She never did. If she had, she wouldn't have allowed what happened in that house to go on."

I paled. They were talking about me.

"And yet you're planning on sending her back to that very place," Marcus drawled.

I staggered back a few steps, my heart lurching. Panic gripped my chest so tightly I struggled to take a full breath as my mind tried to process what was just said. Unfortunately for me though, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going because my back slammed into the wall.

I winced at the noise, my breath catching when the kitchen went silent. Slowly, footsteps traveled my way and I could do nothing but stand utterly still as Ezra appeared, followed by Soren and Marcus.

His gaze locked with mine as he saw me. Behind him, Soren and Marcus remained silent, both of them watching me as well. "Aspen," Ezra said quietly. "What are you doing?"

Usually, I was able to come up with an excuse when faced with situations like this. But right now, my voice was nowhere to be found. My airways constricted as my panic intensified.