Page 99

Because it was all a game. Because Xayden was pissed about my mom and Aaron marrying.
My mom.
There’s a pain that twists in my heart, a hollowness in my stomach. I need to find her. I need to get to her. A thought crosses my mind that has me ready to vomit all over this car.
What if Xayden has something to do with her disappearance? What if Aaron is in on it? What if she’s d?—
No. I can’t even start to think about that. I need to get to where I’m going.
Driving the car into the airport parking lot, I park the car and sit there for a moment. And in that second, the tears start to fall. The pain that I have no fucking clue what to do, no one to turn to, and that I am utterly alone, sinks in.
My mind goes back to that picture of my father but with the name of David Grey. I try to think of anything that would make all of that make sense. But nothing does. How does David Grey become Thomas Dawson?
I look at the clock and see that I have been sitting for almost an hour in the car. Slipping out the driver’s side, I grab my bag and wallet. Sighing, I shut the car door and take one long last look at the beauty before me.
You would have loved this car, Dad.
Making my way into the airport, I find the nearest airline with someone behind the counter this early. An older lady with her grey hair pulled up into a perfect bun greets me.
“Hello, how may I help you today?” she asks. I look at her tag and notice her name, Beth.
Beth probably has no worries like this. Beth probably goes home to her husband or her cats, eats dinner, and watches Wheel of Fortune. Beth wasn’t tricked by three guys, wasn’t kidnapped twice, and doesn’t have her mother missing.
Beth goes to work, earns a living, and isn’t worried about anything but what to eat for lunch. Beth is living the life.
“I, um, need a ticket please. One-way. No luggage to check.” I pull out my wallet and get it ready.
“Okay, and where are we going to today at this early hour?” She smiles at me. A slight reddish lipstick stain is on her teeth, and bits of smudge from her mascara are under her eye. She waits for me to answer.
Where I want to go is to wherever my mother is. I want to go back to when my father was alive. Maybe go back to when I had a life and a family.
But none of that is possible. Which brings me to the here and now.
I pull out the card to my bank account set up for me with the money left by my father’s death. I hand that and my license over to her, and I know exactly where I am going.
“Las Vegas, please.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
SEVEN
“Dude, what fucking time is it?”I groan as I run my hand down my face.
“You could just look at your phone,” Dekker says as he pulls out his.
“Too tired to do that.” I lean my head back against the back of the couch the three of us are occupying.
“It’s two in the morning. Angel is probably passed out by now.” Dekker shoves his phone back into his pocket. “When was the last time we checked on her?”
Xayden shrugs. “It’s been a couple hours. Probably should go check on her. I’ll be right back.” I watch as he jumps up from the couch and pushes through the bodies still drinking and partying.
The music is still pumping through the speakers, and the beer and shots flow through everyone. Except us three. With everything going on and having to look out for Rory, we didn’t want to take the chance that if something happened, we couldn’t react. So sober partying it is for us.
Xayden got a message from his dad today that they were still on vacation and would be back next week. We haven’t told Rory we got another message yet because something isn’t sitting right with all that.
I tried tracing the message but had no luck. He won’t tell us where they’re at or if they’re okay.
Something is seriously wrong.