Page 80 of Believing in a Billionaire
“Where?” Grant barked. “I hope nothing’s wrong.”
As he collapsed into his chair, worry settling over him like a heavy mantle, lights snaked their way down the drive.
He rose from his chair, charging past Worthington to fling open the front door. Relief coursed through him as he recognized Julia’s car.
“Julia!” he said as she climbed from the passenger seat. “Where have you been? Are you feeling okay?”
“No, I’m not,” she answered, her features pinched as Alicia skirted the hood of the car.
“You took her out? Are you kidding me? I trusted you to keep an eye on her.”
“I did,“ Alicia answered. “As best I could. Julia doesn’t exactly listen all the time. Obviously. She came back here and stayed married to you, didn’t she?”
He scowled at her but ignored the comment, intent on focusing on Julia. “What happened? What did the doctor say?’
“Doctor? I didn’t go to the doctor,” she said as he led her into the house and to the living room.
She collapsed on the couch, the frown on her face still deeply embedded in every line.
“Julia, why did you leave without telling anyone? What’s wrong?”
“Kyle is missing,” she said. “That’s what’s wrong. He’s not here. He’s not at his apartment. He’s not at the hospital. He’s gone.”
Annoyance crept up inside him. She’d nearly died a few days ago, and her primary concern was his wayward son’s badbehavior. “Julia, we talked about this. Kyle is probably just blowing off steam.”
“No,” she insisted. “No, he missed his shift at the hospital and never called in. That’s not like Kyle. He’s a lot of things, but he’s a responsible doctor. He’s never missed a shift before.”
“Except the time he thought you weren’t talking to him, and he came home to confront you.”
She glanced up at him, her eyes wide. “Exactly. So, where is he? Why isn’t he confronting me?”
“There could be a lot of reasons–“
“Look, sorry to insert myself here, but from a cop’s perspective, everything you’re saying is right,” Alicia said, her eyes on Grant. “But that’s not everything.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“We found this in the hospital parking lot,” Julia said, her voice shaking with upset. She handed him a cell phone with a cracked screen. “That’s Kyle’s.”
Grant stared at the cracked phone, a sudden tightness in his chest. Despite their strained relationship, physical evidence hinted at the reality of Kyle’s absence. Had something really happened to him?
“That makes me a little concerned as a cop. People don’t usually go anywhere without their phones. Now, it could be a case of him being very upset, possibly angry, and he smashed it before he left.” Alicia shrugged as Julia opened her mouth to respond. “Could happen, Juju. You’ve never been in a situation where he’s actively known he doesn’t have a chance with you.”
The words, coming from Alicia, were strangely comforting to him. “Your sister’s right.”
“Does Kyle have a temper?” Alicia asked.
“No,” Julia said as Grant answered, “Yes.”
She snapped her gaze to him. “He doesn’t.”
“Julia, he kidnapped you once after he told another set of kidnappers where you would be. And Sierra said he forced her out of the car at knifepoint. Yes, he acts out.”
“Not like this. Something is wrong. Why will no one listen? Lydia has been attacking us non-stop for two years. How is it a stretch to think she’s done something to Kyle?”
“But Lydia thought he was on her side.”
“It’s clear that wasn’t true after the whole hostage situation. Grant, please. I don’t like this.”
