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“A true alpha female leads with her heart and empowers those around her.” — unknown

Gwen

I park my sporty two-door convertible in the empty driveway before taking a deep breath to ease my guilty conscience. Callie and I may have been a smidgeon underhanded, but we both agreed our alpha husbands occasionally require skillful handling.

Umbrella open, I help Abbie from her car seat while keeping one eye across the street. “C’mon hun, time to feed the kitties.”

The scary SUV no longer visible, I hurry us out of the rain to Dolly’s dated kitchen. After the cats have been fed, we lavish attention on them.

A final pat later, my daughter drags her feet at the door. “Buh-bye, kittums.”

Now skipping on the wet sidewalk, she tugs my hand. “Their faces are so sad. I hope Mrs. DeClaire comes back soon.”

“Me too, honey.” Once we’re safe in our warm, dry home, I remember how my ex had kidnapped her last year and tug her to my chest.

Everyone deserves to be noticed. What if Dolly is estranged from her family? Me and Axel might be the only ones who miss her. It’s been two days. Surely, she’s worried about her pets.

As I reheat dinner, the wind howls, rattling the windows. Hurricane Linora was downgraded to a tropical storm, but she can still cause flooding.

Wiping the rain from my glasses, I pick up my ringing cell phone. Although I don’t recognize the caller ID or area code, I answer, hoping it’s a call back from the spa.

“Hello?” I wait for almost five seconds.

As I’m about to hang up, a tenor voice speaks. “Is this Mrs. Guinivere Wulf?”

His grave tone makes me wonder if something happened to Axel. Heart racing, I squeeze my eyes shut to pray.

“Yes…”

“I understand you were calling about a Dolly DeClaire?”

My held breath whooshes from my lungs. I suppose I’ll eventually get used to being married to an FBI agent. Until then, panic attacks may be a way of life.

“Ma'am?” His question brings me back to the present.

Done wool-gathering, I recall the importance of this call. “Correct. I’m her neighbor. I’m… feeding her cats. Is she still there at your facility?”

“According to our program director, she left Sunday night.” He says it so matter-of-factly I almost miss the implications.

Dolly has been missing for two days!

“Did she say anything about where she was going? I’m afraid something might have happened to her.” While I speak, Abbie trots into the kitchen, her brows knitted.

Dammit. I’ve been trying to shield her, and now she’s aware of my concerns.

“No. Sorry.” The man doesn’t sound apologetic at all, but I don’t give a shit. After a b’zillion calls, I am not hanging up until I have more information.

Opening the silverware drawer, I hand three place settings to my daughter, hoping to distract her. “Isn't there anyone else I can talk to? A manager? Perhaps someone at the spa?”

“No. There is not. The woman attended our retreat and left Sunday. There is nothing more I can tell you. Please stop calling.”

“But wait.” Frowning at the dial tone, I drop my electronics on the shelf and make dinner.

Soon, Wulf pings my phone to say he is stuck at work. It's not at all unusual, so I eat and play‘Lambs and Bunnies’online with Abigail before putting her to bed.

All quiet now, I pour a glass of wine. Sitting, I call my co-conspirator, Calliope James. “What did Lucky say about our spa weekend?”

“To be honest, he wasn’t thrilled.” Because the noise in the background fades, I assume she moved to another room.

“You didn’t mention my missing neighbor, right?” If her husband finds out about Dolly, he’s sure to nix our trip.

“Believe me, it won’t be our secret for long. Hold on.” She sighs as a fight erupts over who won the last round of something or other.

“Hey! I’m talking to Auntie Gwen. You guys keep quiet, or I’m revoking game privileges.” When she returns to the phone, she’s out of breath. “Sorry about that. Lordy, just about now, an hour off sounds heavenly, let alone a whole weekend.”

“I bet.” Imagining four children to feed and put to bed, I shudder, then change the subject. “I was thinking… Perhaps we should hire a private detective?”

“What about the cops or, better yet, the FBI? I have a friend whose husband is a Special Agent.”

“Hardy har har.” I move into the other room, away from my kid’s perfect hearing.

Eyes on the door, I whisper, “Axel said he would help me file a missing person report. I called the closest precinct along with the Pennsylvania State Police. Finding no sign of foul play, they said she would probably turn up. It’s so frustrating. I’m certain something is wrong.”

“Hmmm.” Callie thinks for a minute before clearing her throat. “We could call Sam Sutcliff. She’s a PI, married to Sebastian. Remember him? He’s one of the SEALs who rescued you from Belarus. You met her at your party.”

As I picture the blond spitfire from Brooklyn, I grin. “She’d be awesome, but will she agree?”

My boss snickers, then asks under her breath, “Is a clam's ass watertight?”

Realizing I probably heard, her tone brightens. “I can conference her in if you like.”

“Yes, please.” My heart pumps. Now, with more help, we can finally make some progress.

A few minutes later, the New Yorker joins our call, “Hey, wazzup?”

Callie, who has known the private detective for years, catches her up on our plans.

“Let me get this straight in my head. Youz two have scheduled a kid-free, chore-free weekend. Can I come, too?” Her response should’ve been expected, but I’m still floored.

“Sure.” Jawbone back in place, I recalculate the odds of finding Dolly.

Smiling, I sip my wine while Sam reads my mind. “No matter what, you can’t tell Suds it’s a job. He’ll insist on coming and blow our cover.”

“We won’t say a word, but I can’t guarantee our men will keep quiet.” We may have gotten their agreement. Nevertheless, I suspect it could be revoked at any minute.

“I have an awesome idea,” Samantha speaks faster, her voice enthusiastic. “Slate’s wife, Lilac, is due next month. How about we invite her along with my cousins? We can turn our spa days into a baby shower weekend?”

My normally nerdy boss squeals. “Excellent! We’ll bring presents. It will be so much fun. The more women who attend, the safer we will be and the less likely our men will need to tag along.”

We talk for a bit longer. By the time we hang up, I feel better about Dolly.

Much later, Wulf crawls into bed. Reading the clock on the bedstand, I place my palm on his tired face. “Hey honey, is everything okay at work?”

He kisses my hand and sighs. “Nothing too awful, but Director Kemp is getting impatient. The schedule is going to be grueling pending a real lead.”

“Sorry, babe.” A heated kiss later, I curl up next to his warm body.

His boss has been on his case since Axel’s unauthorized trip to Belarus last summer. You’d think he’d be happy that I brought him mind-blowing technology. For him, the reward was never worth the risk to his reputation.

Whatever. Once it’s in the frypan, there’s no putting the egg back in the shell.

Exhausted from the night before, we wake late, then must rush to leave the house on time.

As he exits the kitchen, I remind him of the retreat on Friday speaking as fast as I can. “So, ah, I wanted to mention Callie invited Sam Sutcliff, who invited her cousins, and we all decided to have Lilac's baby shower there. So, if you’re good watching Abbie this weekend, I can go, right? It’s only two nights. I’ll be home on Sunday to help with all the chores.”

Snatching his commuter mug from my hand, Axel’s brows furrow. “I don’t have time to discuss this now.”

Barefoot, I follow him down the driveway until I stop at his SUV. “I only have one more question. Has anything bad ever happened at this day spa?”

“No… but I don’t like you not having a phone.” When he climbs in, I latch my fingers behind his neck and kiss him into oblivion.

Breast heaving, my clit on fire, I catch his eye. “You can call the emergency number. They said they would contact you.”

“Babe… The owners are under investigation.” He reaches forward and presses the start button.

The engine revs as I present my final arguments. “Listen, there are hundreds of these places across the US. I tell you what, I will bring a burner phone and hide it. If anything sounds off, we’ll come home. There’s going to be eight of us. No one’s going to make a whole baby shower full of women disappear. Besides, Dolly left her cats in my care… If she doesn’t return, we’ll be forced to adopt them.”

Foot on the brake, he shuts the door, then rolls down his window. “I’m not saying yes.”

“But not no, correct?” According to my alma mater’s mean girls, I earned a D-minus in eyelash fluttering, yet I try it anyway.

My husband grins at the attempt. “Gwen…”

“All the other men have agreed.” The fact I feel the need to argue my case should either piss me off or give me pause.

“And why do I suspect they’re having the same argument we are?” He’s probably right, but I refuse to cave in.

Instead, I cross my arms like a petulant teen. “No clue.”

Remembering I am a grown-ass adult, I lean into the window to kiss my spouse. “I love you. Be safe.”

“I love you too. I promise we will discuss this later.”

That is what worries me.