Page 2 of Dangers of Love

The expression on Freedom’s face slipped. “You mean she didn’t come to you? Didn’t ask if she could stay with you during her little temper tantrum?”

I felt like a bucket of ice water had just been dumped on me. “What are you talking about?”

Now, I saw the worry under the anger.

“Sunday morning, she threw a fit after I told her that I’d…” Freedom’s voice faltered, her eyes darting to the side, but not before I caught a flash of guilt. “She left. Took our car to the bus station and left it there. Our parents and I have tried to call her, but her phone’s off. We called the police, but she’s an adult, and there’s no evidence of foul play.”

My hands curled into fists as fear and fury fought in my chest. Freedom hadn’t said it, but I could guess what she’d told Aline on Sunday morning. No way was it a coincidence that they’d gotten into a fight only hours after Freedom had told me about Aline having been a virgin.

Yeah, I’d left, and I hadn’t talked to Aline since, so that was on me. Truth be told, I knew Aline well enough to know that, if Freedom had told her about the whole conversation, Aline would’ve been even angrier at her sister for the betrayal than she was at me for leaving.

“I tried calling the phone company to get her call and text history, but there’s nothing on it after Saturday night, nothing but our calls and texts to her. I went back to our apartment in Stanford, but she’s not there either. All her stuff is still there. She only took a few things from our parents’ house. Her credit cards haven’t been used either.”

The way Freedom was explaining the situation made me think this was how she’d tried to convince the cops as to why they should be looking for Aline. I was worried about Aline, but it honestly sounded to me like she’d been upset at her family and decided to take some time to cool off.

“Then, Monday, Aline took money from her trust fund. Cash.”

No surprise that Aline had a trust fund, but that was neither here nor there, as my mom liked to say. Sounded to me like shereallydidn’t want to be found and was smart enough to know how her family would try to track her down.

Again, I couldn’t really blame her, even if the logic wasn’t doing a damn thing to make me less anxious.

“None of her friends have seen her?” Cain asked.

Freedom gave him a dirty look. “If they had, do you think I’d be here, talking tohim?”

“Would they tell you if she asked them not to?” I asked before I thought better of it.

Freedom glared at me. “Of course they would. They know how worried we all are and would’ve told us if they knew where she was. All of our friends know that Aline doesn’t always think things through.”

Freedom said ‘our friends,’ which made me wonder if Aline had any close connections that weren’t also close to her sister. I didn’t ask, though. Freedom already looked like she wanted to murder me for my question. Well, my question and everything else.

“Maybe she just needed some time to think,” Cain offered. “She had just gone through something pretty horrible.”

“Which is why she shouldn’t be out there on her own,” Freedom countered, jamming her fists on her hips. “On her best days, she can barely take care of herself. Right now, she needs us even more.”

I remembered thinking something similar about Aline when I’d first met her, but those circumstances had been crazy. Besides, I wasn’t her sister. I couldn’t imagine one of my siblings treating me that way. Or me treating any of them like that. My sisters would castrate me if I ever implied they weren’t completely competent adults.

Maybe that was why I felt the need to say something. “She’s twenty-two, not a child.”

“You know what,” Freedom took a step toward me, “if you’d just kept your dick in your pants, none of this would be happening. Aline would be at home with us where she belongs and not out doing who knows what.”

She was right…but I couldn’t take all the blame for it. Aline would probably still be at her parents’ house if Freedom had just minded her own business too.

But I wasn’t crazy enough to say it. Freedom had that ‘castrating the bastard’ look I’d seen in my sisters’ eyes at various times growing up. I liked my balls right where they were.

Fortunately, Cain intervened.

“We’ll look for her,” he said. “No charge, of course. We’ll make sure she’s okay.”

“Don’t bother.” She shook her head. “If you don’t know where she is now, then I don’t want anyone in this room near her.” She pointed at me. “Especially you.”

And then she was gone.

Two

Aline

Until I’d walkedout of my parents’ house earlier this week, I hadn’t realized just how many of ‘my’ friends were actually Freedom’s or our parents’ friends who’d simply become mine by default. They liked me well enough, I didn’t doubt that, but their loyalty wasn’t to me.

---