Page 88 of Losing Faith

Sire glances over at the couch. I follow his gaze to August, who taps Hazel’s hip urgently. She rises, letting him stand.

“I’ll call her.” Sage grabs her phone.

“I’ll call Bay.” August grabs his.

“I’ll go to her house.” Sire grabs his things.

“Woah.” I look around the room. “What’s happening?” I look between the siblings and they glance over at each other but no one answers me.

“Hello?” My voice raises although I don’t mean to but the worried look on their faces puts a sick feeling in my stomach. “Whatis happening?”

“Nothing,” Sire quickly answers as he takes something from Vidia’s bag and shoves it into his pocket. “I’m sure she’s fine, I’m just going to go check on her.”

The look on his face tells me it’snotnothing so I say, “I’m going with you.”

“Jackson—”

“You said she’s fine, why not let me tag along? Plus, I want to know why she lied and bailed on my kid.”

He lets out a defeated breath before nodding for the door. “Okay, come on.” He starts walking for the door and I quickly tell Isabelle that I’ll be right back. When the twins confirm with a nod that they’ll watch her, I turn for the door.

Before we can walk out, Vidia catches up to Sire.

“Hey.” She gets on her tippy toes and steals a kiss. “She’s fine. Call me if anything, okay?”

He kisses her forehead before taking her hand. “Come with me?” he asks in a hushed voice.

“Yeah, of course.” They walk out, hand in hand, and I follow close behind.

Sire walks to his car way too fast for this to benothing.

When he drives off, I glance at him in the rearview mirror. “Tell me what’s happening, Sire. You’re a shit liar and your stress is going to make me break out in hives.”

He shakes his head at me as he zooms past a yellow light. “I just have a bad feeling.”

“Do you think something happened to her?”

He doesn’t answer.

I go still. “Do you think she did something toherself?”

He doesn’t answer again and I notice Vidia takes hold of his free hand.

“Sire—”

“Yeah, Jackson. I think she relapsed, okay? She doesn’t lie to me unless she’s on drugs. Can youpleasestop?” Desperation seeps into his voice. “I can’t answer your twenty questions and keep myself calm at the same time,” he snaps, but I hear the fear in his voice.

I open my mouth to tell him about Sunday, but it falls shut, knowing that information does no one good right now. I sit back in my seat and my knee bounces in anticipation.

A minute barely passes before he’s calling her, but it rings and rings and rings until we get her voicemail. He calls again and doesn’t let it go to voicemail as he calls back more times than I can count. With every call she doesn’t answer, the quicker he drives.

When he gets her voicemail again, he grabs his phone and brings it to his mouth. “Lisette Grace Allen,” he bites out. “I swear to fucking God, if you don’t call me back before I get to your house, I am going to hurt you and your nasty ass turtle.Answer. The. Phone.”

He hangs up before immediately calling back and my fear starts to set in. I prepare myself for us to walk in on the worst and I play every scenario in my head. Her bleeding out. Her overdosed. Herdead. I think of what I’ll tell Isabelle, how the funeral will go. I think of all of thattwicebefore we even make it to her place.

We race up the steps and Sire doesn’t even bother knocking as he unlocks the door with his keys. I rush in after him, searching her living room, which is cluttered with dark red paintings.

“Lisette!” I call out to her as Sire and Vidia go straight for what I’m assuming is her room.

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